On the surface you could say Swiss Metallers Morgarten are a Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal band, but they also incorporate lots of Viking, Pagan and Folk Metal elements into their rich and varied sound. Dubbed by their label as Black/Folk Metal and hailing from Switzerland might have some people expecting something akin to Eluveitie, but on this their second album, the music is definitely rooted more towards the Black. Rooted though, not shackled – there is so much more to this impressive band.
Yes, tracks like ‘Sons Of Darkness’ have more than a passing nod to Dimmu Borgir, Graveworm or even Cradle of Filth, but really the band’s sound has just as many (if not more) moments that make you think of bands like Black Messiah, Thrudvangar and Amon Amarth, as well as some early Ensiferum and Tyr within the music, arrangements and guitar lines. Morgarten aren’t afraid to mix it up even further though – they don’t over-use a clean vocal, but the harmonised sections in ‘The Last Breath’ for instance are a nice added touch. And on that note, the Wind Rose style anthemic chorus to opening track ‘To Victory’ also makes you realize not to take any of their songs for granted or think you can predict them. Also, the fabulous variations in style (as well as this being the opening track) makes me wonder if this is a future direction the band might push into.
Those aforementioned Ensiferum/Tyr style guitar licks are probably what links the band the most to a Folk Metal type tag (as well as that aforementioned opening track), but there is plenty on offer here to interest Extreme Metal fans of many tastes, the layers of each track unveiling themselves more and more with each successive listen. With everything from Crimfall to Old Man’s Child on display within “Cry Of The Lost”, future releases for this impressive band could incorporate even more, or they might choose to follow just a few – the future does indeed look bright and interesting for Morgarten.
(7.5/10 Andy Barker)
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