US band The Flight Of Sleipnir are completely new to me and I was astonished to find that the band has already released seven albums prior to this latest endeavour. Originally a two piece consisting of founders David Csicsely and Clayton Cushman before expanding to a four piece in 2016. Since that time Jeremy Winters then replaced Justin Siegler on guitar with bassist Dave Borrusch completing the four piece as it exists today. I love to do my research and was intrigued by the band name as I discovered the band focuses thematically on Norse sagas or mythology where I found that Sleipir is Odin’s eight legged horse, a child of Loki and Svaðilfari, which I thought was bizarre if I’m honest. In the bands promotional info about this album they are keen to point out that it is not a concept album which surprised me due to the continuity of the songs and the overall atmosphere it delivers. Instead the album’s style revolves around “resilience of the elements and reverence for nature’s beauty” as quoted in the press kit text. I should also add that the cover art has been wonderfully created by David Csicsely into a very striking piece of art.

Five tracks adorn ‘Nature’s Cadence’ each as involved and complex as the other as opener ‘North’ kicks things off in fine style. At near twelve minutes the song is out of the blocks relatively quickly with a melodic riff and an ingrained atmospheric black metal like hook. In places the band defies categorisation due to the wide ranging styles they deploy as the opener’s initial metal thrust is dissolved to unveil a calm semi-acoustic piece that is saturated in melancholy, primarily due to its morose tone but also the serene clean vocal insertion. The percussive elements add that sense of pagan like qualities as the songs doleful aura is amplified by some ethereal keyboard adornments. I really liked the emotive guitar after about three minutes, its wondrously passionate ethos is tremendous before the metal returns and we get harsh blackened vocals instead. Fans of acts such as Winterfylleth or Agalloch are sure to probably know this band already but if not then you certainly have a reference point as I also felt the album had similarities to Alcest, and to a lesser degree Panopticon, particularly through the vocals but also in the way the music is structured.

‘Madness’ is the following tune and like the opener it is immersed in charm, and at times there is a progressive rock aura heard as the clean vocals offer their own beguiling and eerie layer to the album. Now, this song and one other stands out hugely, because after about three minutes you get a blazing guitar solo that feeds into a steel guitar section, yes you read that right. The resulting blend is staggeringly effective as the steel guitar’s exceptional poignancy make the song seem that more grandiose. As the metal returns the song switches into a more doom like posture, principally due to the pace as the vocals take on a more hostile tenor that channels the song down a more aggressive yet still mournful tone despite the increase in speed.

‘Vingthor’ has a short fade-in phase before the tune shifts into a more metal focused riff and dare I say slightly stoner in style, though the vocals are much more eclectic than stoner. I really liked the repeating riff which for some reason had me thinking about Black Sabbath as a guitar hook is added alongside some abrasive vocals. As the song progresses it seems to drop in pace to become even more doom focused laced with a fine emotive lead break that brings about thoughts of Paradise Lost, before clean vocals are added towards its conclusion that reminded me of Finland’s Cardinal’s Folly.

Acoustic guitar starts ‘The Woodsman’, it’s slightly more upbeat nature has a folk like styling as the steel guitar reappears here. The track is soulful and mesmeric, its unfolding clean vocal line is haunting and passionate as a slight tribal touch is felt through the percussive work. The wondrous guitar work is hypnotic, it transforms the song from being excellent to stupendous as the album closes with ‘Wanderer’. The calm almost creepy opening leads the song into acoustic guitar work that is folk like to a degree before a guitar hook appears that sounds like it should be in the soundtrack for an old Spaghetti Western film. The metal aspect arrives suddenly and with impact as the pacing increases with a much more caustic vocal approach. The tempo isn’t fast but the overall tone is quite hostile, primarily down to the vocals which have a post-hardcore style I felt, linking in a sublime solo as the last two minutes approach. The clean vocal insertion adds to the climax of the song and album as a whole as I was left utterly stunned by this release.

Listening to this album you hear new things constantly as, it is a spiralling, hypnotic revelation from start to finish that at its heart is doom laden but is swathed in a black metal styling to craft a truly unique listening experience.

(9/10 Martin Harris)

https://www.facebook.com/THEFLIGHTOFSLEIPNIR

https://theflightofsleipnir.bandcamp.com/album/natures-cadence