HIMINBJORG

HIMINBJORG (France)

Wyrd

Osmose Productions

release: 18 December 2015

This melodic black metal/Viking/folk/pagan band started in 1996 and has a discography of some seven albums. This new album is a tale of two sides. The first half has the headbanging tunes somewhere between black metal and folk metal, energy and melody. The main vocals are traditional black metal. There are also other vocal styles, such as chanting or melodic vocals. The guitars can often go at full black metal speed, yet, the melodies never stay away for long, including the folk melodies, and some symphonic elements.

The second half brings soundscapes and forest/folk atmosphere, which begins in earnest with track number 6: “The Mirror of Suffering,” in which chanting vibes come to the forefront and become substantially more pronounced on the next: “The Shamanic Whisper,” which is not a song, but an exercise in contemplation, as the title itself makes it known. Then “Another Shore” extends this very atmosphere through folk, slow energies. Album closer “The Eternal Light” takes out the album in a heavier direction, while keeping the pace slow and letting the melodies dominate.

The album does a solid job of showing the different elements of the music. Far from one-dimensional, the album takes a few listens to be understood as a total work. Those who are tolerant and open to eclectic albums in the style of folk/pagan/Viking/black metal will consider it a worthwhile album, I believe.

www.himinbjorg.bandcamp.com

www.himinbjorg.fr

www.facebook.com/himinbjorg