{"id":102794,"date":"2020-07-09T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2020-07-09T14:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/?p=102794"},"modified":"2020-07-08T20:26:13","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T01:26:13","slug":"july-roundup-blackndeathnthrashnfolk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/july-roundup-blackndeathnthrashnfolk\/","title":{"rendered":"July Roundup: Black’n’Death’n’Thrash’n’Folk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Latest-est music from Naglfar<\/strong>, Skeleton<\/strong>, Firelink<\/strong>, Ringar\u00eb<\/strong>, Slidhr<\/strong> and Akatechism<\/strong>, also Panopticon<\/strong> and Aerial Ruin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Naglfar<\/strong> – Cerecloth<\/em><\/p>\n

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It’s been a long while since Teras<\/em> dropped to divide Naglfar<\/strong>‘s fans’ opinions, so Cerecloth<\/em> was received with hands shaking in anticipation. Or would have been, if I were more of a fan. The Swedish meloblack group has had their moments in the sun, their earlier output especially, but choice cuts from later albums as well haven’t lost their charm, but for one reason or another I’ve never been invested in the group enough to mourn Jens Ryden’s departure in the mid-aughts, or the fact that Teras<\/em> wasn’t the same song over and over again, something that really seemed to get beneath Naglfar’s fans’ skins at the time.<\/p>\n

Well, fans rejoice, Cerecloth<\/em> sees the band return to the height of their power, at least in theory. For about three quarters of an hour,\u00a0 Naglfar offers grim majesty and fantastic realms have become synonymous with many of the ’90s symphonic black metal bands, but instead of opting for a keyboard, the Swedes, as always, have honed their melodies on guitars. This compositional focus is reflected in the mix; it’s all very compressed but you can still tell the rhythm and the lead guitar apart, whether they’re playing the same line or not, the monotone rasp of Olivius’ vocals is front and center, but never challenging the leads, the bass presence is felt as the existence of low end and the drums only annoy with the prominent thudding of the kick, quarreling with the rest of the sound.<\/p>\n

And just like the mix, Cerecloth<\/em>‘s songs may have a variety of influences, but only use them to do one thing. Tempo and rhythm changes aren’t the dearest part of Naglfar’s arsenal, only existing to allow for a sense of movement, the vast majority of the material blasting and fasting its way through a handful of melodies per song, closing where it began. “Like Poison for the Soul” and “Vortex of Negativity” find their melodies burrowing deeper first, and with “Cry of the Serafim’s” pleasantly mid-tempo first half, they make for a much stronger mid-album than a record with this narrow a scope would’ve warranted, elevating the experience.<\/p>\n

But it’s the penultimate “Necronaut” that has the honor of serving as an album highlight. Its slow, doomy opening section with its harmonized guitar melodies is textbook My Dying Bride<\/strong>, but somehow doesn’t sound entirely out of place here, which may be due to either there already having been so much of the same thing, or else the faster mid-section. It unfortunately at times can also feel unfinished, essentially containing only one verse between its lengthy intro and its repetition as the closing theme. The return to Naglfar’s own heartland in the following “Last Breath of Yggdrasil” doesn’t work too well either, as a result of “Necronaut’s” difference, and by ‘virtue’ of being the album’s only song incapable of carrying its weight, stretched too thin.<\/p>\n

In many ways, Naglfar’s latest feels the same as Memoriam<\/strong>‘s works have; best described as workmanlike, they’re not bringing anything new to the table, and only really do one thing. But they’re good enough at what they do to make it work, smart enough to know to apply variation, and experienced enough to know when to do it. And even though they do throw a curveball, they only do so at the end, when the ‘what ifs’ can’t take away from the majority of the album. But besides all its strengths, it’s too workmanlike to live on as its own entity in the coming years, to be a masterpiece. But for what it is, you could do a hell of a lot worse.<\/p>\n