When I got the first Nordland album by musician Vorh to review, besides finding the music extremely promising if a little leaning towards Burzum and Immortal, I did bemoan the presentation. A little picky of me on a self-release in retrospect even if the main moan was that the insert copying was so fuzzy as to be illegible, but this follow up (there was a kind of remix album in between which should give you an idea of Vorh’s breadth of ambitions) is professionally produced and very nicely designed and, yes, I can read the lyrics!
First track here, ‘The Great Hall Of The Sky’ is a thirteen minute stall setter for the album, cold buzzing slow to mid-tempo riffs and crackling, croaking Abbath style vocals pushed up high in the mix. It has an easy flow to it and a little changing up of the vocals and a rise in the sombre melody keeps it interesting, a blizzard blast here and there too. Pretty much the orthodox black metal I recalled on the first album but a sharper production and maybe a little more confidence. Good start, really.
‘Dawn Calling Of Thunar’ begins with a horn calling out. Yes a horn. Works superbly too as the buzzing, building riff gathers a real swirling, bitter head of steam and unlike the opening song fair rushes into the fray with sharp teeth, cold talons and a real sense of pace and wintry atmosphere with some excellent keyboards, picked out guitar melody and time changes.
‘Eithtelor’ has a hard ring to the guitar and is oddly so much better when the vocals first drop away, the sound lowers and a rich, deep guitar lament takes the song places I wasn’t expecting but am eager to follow. ‘Heathen Lands’ is a short, sharp song by the album’s standards: Five minutes of heads down black metal with a background swell of hinted at voices in the bass heavy sound that pushes through. A touch that raises the song far above the average and I’d love to hear used more.
‘I Am The Winds Of The North’ pretty much sounds like you would expect it to sound like coming from Immortal themselves. That of course is both a compliment to the sound and the song-writing but as ever worrisome when you are keen for a separate identity to fully emerge. It is good, though, make no mistake. It never falls below Nordlands high quality threshold. ‘A Mound To Lay My Bones Upon’ tries to mix up the sound with sampled backing vocals (or keyboards as they may well be) and it’s here I wonder if the big doorway into their own sound entirely probably lies through both these almost choral sounds, with the horns and some variation in the lead vocals, and with the keyboard sounds. It’s there, just needs playing around with, trusting more. Pushing them higher more often. But I am not a musician, nor is that my job and Vorh clearly knows what he is doing and, I suspect, where he is going so really all you need to know is that what is here is so very, very listenable and easy to get lost in so strong is the atmosphere and that there is still so much potential to draw up from the well. Which has to be good, right?
‘Crows’ ten minutes close the album, Burzum ‘Filosofem’ style opening and classic wintry riff and melody work. It is a deep, excellent tune to grasp, and a fight closure.
Concept wise and from the lyrics, with this album we are very much in the realm of bitter, harsh but beautiful nature. A longing for simpler times whilst staring unflinchingly into the vicious howl of survival and the elements that such times strove to survive within. A theme we have heard from many but still not one to be ignored or dismissed, especially when executed with such musical conviction.
I do think you have to accept that the shadow of everyone’s favourite Sons Of Northern Darkness still stretches long over Nordland still, but you also need to know that a) it has moved on nicely from that first album with a sense of itself emerging, just those aspects need a greater push b) it shows some excellent song-writing still and c) it is often so damned good to just let it roll on over you. It is music that mostly transports me and a cut above the endless bland side projects that bubble out of Norway at present. A fine part of the UKBM scene I reckon.
Give him a listen and I doubt you’d regret it.
(7.5/10 Gizmo)
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