{"id":256,"date":"2014-07-17T15:30:38","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T20:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toiletovhell.com\/?p=256"},"modified":"2014-07-17T14:59:10","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T19:59:10","slug":"vintersorg-naturbal-masterlord-steeldragons-decree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/vintersorg-naturbal-masterlord-steeldragons-decree\/","title":{"rendered":"Vintersorg – Naturb\u00e5l: Masterlord SteelDragon’s Decree"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Masterlord SteelDragon has some time on his iron hands, and instead of searching for new employment or helping Mrs. SteelDragon out around the house, he’s been putting it to good use: sitting atop his skull-throne with nations as his footstool, and his dominion stretching ever before him. It’s given me the opportunity to listen to more music than usual, and one album in particular has been monopolizing my time. I don’t like waxing poetic because real men don’t wax anything ever, but\u00a0<\/span>Vintersorg<\/b>‘s\u00a0<\/span>Naturb\u00e5l<\/i>\u00a0is so deserving of your attention that I’m going to review it.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Vintersorg<\/b>‘s last outing came to us in 2012, scarcely one year after\u00a0Jordpuls<\/i>\u00a0was released. Knowing this, I was hopeful that\u00a0Naturb\u00e5l\u00a0<\/i>would be hot-on-the-heels of\u00a0Orkan<\/i>. Still, two years is nothing to sneeze at in a genre where the likes of\u00a0Necrophagist\u00a0<\/b>and Jari M\u00e4enp\u00e4\u00e4’s\u00a0Wintersun\u00a0<\/b>tramp about unpunished, especially when you consider the quality of the material here. Andreas Hedlund and Mattias Markund have delivered the same blend of black metal and melodic, prog-laced folk that fans have come to expect from them, and that, my friends, is a very good thing.<\/p>\n

After an obligatory but inoffensive intro, Hedlund belts out a familiar rasp and “Ur aska och sot” erupts into a squall of blast beats and trem-picking that sounds as pissed off as anything I’ve ever heard out of\u00a0Vintersorg<\/b>. In fact, this entire album feels considerably more aggressive than their previous work, with a higher percentage of black metal and more harshness in general. It’s even reflected in the more subdued interludes prevalent in\u00a0Vintersorg<\/b>‘s music: while in\u00a0Jordpuls<\/i>\u00a0they were spirited and blithe, here they brim with an almost threatening volatility.<\/p>\n

But, shower singers rejoice! – the extra dose of aggression doesn’t detract from Andreas Hedlund’s mastery over the memorable chorus. His knack for crafting beautiful and unconventional melodies is in full force here, and his phrasing weaves unpredictably over the bouncing riffs. Take notice, because albums that will satisfy your fiery metal heart while still being catchy enough for your imaginary girlfriend don’t come around very often. I’ve been singing “\u00d6verallt och ingenstans” in broken Swedish for days, and “L\u00e5gornas rov’s” endearing quirk reminds of the excellent chorus in\u00a0Jordpuls<\/i>‘ “Klippor och sk\u00e5r.”<\/p>\n