Valdr Galga

It's tempting to give "Valdr Galga" some leeway, because it dates to 1999 which was before the folk-viking metal explosion was in full swing. So as generic and faceless as this is, it is still fresh for its time. M'kay, sure that's true. However, the first bowl of mac 'n' cheese ever cooked was fresh too, yet it's still just mac 'n' cheese. So I don't feel like overlooking this album's shortcomings for the sake of its possible historical value.

The difficulty with criticizing this album is that there isn't much that's terribly wrong with it. It's just so safe and sterile, like it was simply time to put out another album despite not having much they really wanted to express. All the musical elements are composed and played well enough, but I never feel like they care about it, so neither do I. There are galloping, vaguely traditional Nordic guitar melodies recorded with a sharp enough edge to maintain heaviness. There are drums and bass that match the mid-paced speed and are mixed properly. There are keyboards that balance well as co-melody lead with the guitars, and intelligible harsh vocals that carry the tune as well. So what?

Fine, everything a Viking metal album needs, mechanically speaking, is there. But that's all - it just plain exists, without evoking any of the atmosphere or feeling this genre depends on. Don't blame the synths. They're not too cheerful, or too omnipresent, they just don't add any of the majesty they're supposed to. Well, on the title song and "The Deceitful", Peter Lof does succeed for brief spells at adding that epic, antiquity-evoking sense. Other than that, his keys make fine tunes that you might hum along with once or twice, but fail to stick with you.

Same goes for the guitars. Patrik Lindgren's riffs are... ehhhh... good. Kind of folk-inspired, too clear and light on tremolos to be called black metal, these riffs do have that celebrate-your-conquests-round-the-campfire feel. But it's nothing you haven't heard in a more rousing fashion many times before in Falkenbach's or Kampfar's more upbeat moments. Now I don't mind such happiness per se, but I do have a problem with sameness. Ten songs of the same bouncy, non-threatening riff, built for homophonic anthem choruses, gets tedious. I mean, even Korpiklaani will break up half a dozen goofball drinking songs with something more evocative like "Gods on Fire". In Thyrfing's case, only "A Great Man's Return" deviates from the formula, and then only in its slow, bombastic intro verses with a bit of quiet reverent clean guitar. And by then it's too little too late.

Vocally, you can hear what Mr. Vaananen is saying, but it quite often doesn't matter. There are scattered references to Christians "spreading their odious thorns all over northern soil" and "raping northern soils before pagan eyes spawned hate". All of this is sung in Vaananen's lower shouty take on black metal shriekiness that fits somewhere between Kampfar's Dolk and Finntroll's old singer Katla. But where is the hate of which you speak, Thyrfing? His blackish rasp doesn't sound at all motivated by grim hateful Northern pagan vengeance. Instead, he sounds like he found his most significant motivation at the bottom of a pitcher of mead. The far too common injections of yeah-yeah hey-hey shoutalongs also help to ratchet up the cheese factor; while sucking out much of the album's chance of having any spiritual or cultural sincerity.

"Valdr Galga" could have been among the first exposure to Viking metal for some people. I hope that wasn't the case too often, because there's not much to this album. There's nothing to really make you want to shut it off, but you won't find yourself coming back to it very frequently.

The feast is underway in the great hall, come join these Viking warriors to celebrate their victory. This is the scene portrayed on the album cover, once again painted by Kris Verwimp. Interestingly enough, this album has more of a battle-type feel than the previous album, and even the opening track has the sounds of swords clashing and horses galloping in the background. There’s more aggression, but then again there are also more lighthearted moments as well. Just look to the lyrics of “A Moment in Valhalla” to see what I mean. The debut full-length album was a band trying to find their sound, but with this album I believe they did.

First off, yes, the keyboards are still quite prevalent. If you absolutely hate keyboards, then read no further because this album isn‘t for you. As I stated in my other review, guitars are the most important aspect of a metal album. When used properly, the keyboards provide a contrast to the guitars and work to give more depth to the songs. Luckily on this album the guitars have been turned up in the mix almost on the same level as the keyboards at times. Guitar tone is crunchier and less fuzzy-sounding than the self-titled. The keyboards carry the primary melody and the other instruments seem to follow for the most part. The drums seem to be quieter in the mix than one would expect, but they’re still there to provide the rhythm. Even the bass is audible from time to time, although these parts are very short.

The lyrics and vocals have markedly improved from the previous album, sounding more sharp and defined. Even the lyrical content has become more intricate in the themes of Norse mythology with more descriptive tales woven through each track. Even gang vocals have been added for that feeling of Viking camaraderie. The sounds of battle, Viking feasts, and womens' moans of pleasure (reminded me of early Manowar) have been added for extra effect. The vocals are the loudest part of the mix (alongside the keyboards, of course), which is fine because they carry the narrative of these Viking tales.

This album is a stronger offering than the previous release, but at the same time it’s not a huge leap forward. The band feels like they are really starting to come into their style, which I’m sure will be more defined in the albums that follow. I’m glad that the guitars have been given more room to breathe and develop alongside the keys. The keyboards still have that majestic feel to them, but sound more epic this time around. After these two albums, we know that the keys are here to stay. I actually think they add a nice extra layer to the band's style. If you don’t mind a heavy use of keyboards or were into their previous album, you’ll like this.

I have long considered Thyrfing a band which hovered on the very edge of parody; their use of the keyboard as a fake orchestra is so central to their style that one can often not help but laugh as the reach exceeds the grasp. However, over the many years of perusing countless thousands of metal albums, I have developed a sense of deeper awareness, or 'cheese goggles' as I prefer to call it. The theory is that you put them on, and can penetrate the silly exterior of a work of art to find any intrisic value lying beyond. In the case of Sweden's Thyrfing, they do possess enough value to let down your guard and simply enjoy (as do their bastard stepchildren, Turisas, who arrive later with an extremely similar style).

Valdr Galga is the second full-length effort of the band, capitalizing on the buzz that was spread through their self-titled debut album a year prior. The album plays out like a bitter 13 year old's escapist visions of a mead lodge against the sounds of brutal conquest and warfare. This is both the strength and weakness of the material. The band is not lyrically fucking around, but the way the synthesizers interact with very simple guitars (which generally offer very little on their own) creates a rousing, playful environment which recalls a lot of the sillier symphonic black metal. But there is just enough skeleton holding the blood and muscle together that I have a good time listening.

A few chugs and screams of battle, and the flighty keyboards of Peter Löf and "Storms of Asgard" immediately take command, issuing their orders to the rhythm section and the guitars that now serve only to provide a lower range mirror to the driving atmosphere. The synth tones used are extremely reminiscent of Bal-Sagoth, minus the complexity of Johnny Maudling's typical performance. Thomas Väänänen sends his black barks flying through the mix, and most are passionate enough to stick, as he can shift from the deeper tones of the voice to the biting edge for a subtle variety. "From Wilderness Came Death" has a brief acoustic intro that transitions nicely into a heavier guitar rhythm...and lo and behold, the keyboards let the guitars have a little room to breathe here, at least up front. "Askans Rike" flows through a sequence of familiar descending and ascending chords, all smeared in swollen keyboard butter, though the guitar melodies peak through, and there is a silly if endearing high-pitched flute synth that parades about the growling glory. The title track is one of the better pieces on the album, I really enjoyed the keyboard composition and the attempts by guitar to duel along with it, as well as the mug slamming finale.

'I know that I hung in this tree
All of nights nine
Wounded by the spear, given to myself
Enlightened I'll become'

But the latter half of the album truly ups the ante, beginning with the excellent "Firever", with its charging and uplifting orchestration, and surge of raw chords and great barking vocals. "A Moment in Valhalla" is packed...basically an orgy of vikings and valkyries set to pompous metal music. I laughed my ass off several times in this track, but I would still drink to it. "Mimer's Well" is another of my faves, highly atmospheric, giving all its instrumentation plenty of space in which to breathe, and it also breaks out a nice charging rhythm. "A Great Man's Return", the final track, also offers some festive Viking gang shouting and almost caustic punkish guitar rhythms.

Valdr Galga has a decent mix to it, and I don't think the keyboard dominance can be pinned on anything more than the band's decision to give the guitars the backseat. They're audible, but really serving as the rhythm to Löf's lead. All of the other elements...samples, vocals, and even acoustics sound pretty swell. I would like to hear more songs where the guitars provide a more central role, and this would in fact happen on some of their later recordings. Thyrfing is Viking metal for those who don't approach the genre too seriously. It's festive and fun, while lyrically serving the subject matter better than some other bands in the field. "Firever" was my favorite track, 3 minutes of glory that I'd probably paste into any compilation of symphonic metal, but the whole album is consistent enough for some drunken appreciation.

Highlights: Askans Rike, Firever, Mimer's Well

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Thyrfing are one of the elite when it comes to atmospheric viking metal, and they prove it on "Valdr Galga." Catchy melodies, decent production (I'm going to have to disagree with the reviewer before me and say that the album should have had a more polished sound), and an overall truly enjoyable atmosphere. Thyrfing are masters of combining the harsh guitars and vocals with beautiful, flowing synth, and although that is exactly what alot of people don't like this band, I still say for those who dig that style of metal should definately get this album somehow if they don't have it already.
The only thing I am somewhat "on the fence" about is the band's overall sound and production...the music is very enjoyable, yes, but I could not decide if I liked the buzzing, thin guitar sound or the fairly boring drum parts and sound. In theory, a band like Thyrfing should have a fuller, more epic sound besides the bombastic keyboards (which, what I thought was kind of interesting, was that in many instances on the album they did not lead the melody, but simply accented it, which is somewhat uncommon in "Thyrfing-type" bands). However, the only reason this is not truly a criticism of the album is because when you step back and just listen to the album, it really doesn't sound bad at all and doesn't realy take away from the album...that's why instead of this being really a criticism it's more of a speculation; what would the album have sounded like with a more rounded out sound? Would it work?
All in all, it doesn't really matter, this album is pretty damn good and I would recommend it to anyone who likes atmospheric metal, or anything to do with Vikings (like me).

[rewritten review, original score 94%]

Thyrfing is a great band, no doubt about that, but they were far from their full potential when they released Valdr Galga. The previous album, Thyrfing, was pretty good Viking black metal with a great frosty atmosphere, and although the atmosphere has been conserved, Thyrfing's masterpiece would be released three years after Valdr Galga.

The problem is not lack of musical ability, in fact the musical performance is very good, as usual with metal musicians usually are, and Thyrfing has the genre's best vocalist in Thomas Väänänen, whose insane screams fit perfectly with the music. The problem is that the songs lack variance. There are ten songs on Valdr Galga. The album has a total running length of 49:22. The first two songs are amazing, especially Storms of Asgard, which is probably my favourite Thyrfing song, but the other eight songs sound like one long song, which means the last 37 minutes are thirtyseven minutes of boredom. It sounds decent the first 2-3 times, but then it becomes boring. The keyboards are too bombastic, too. Epic keyboards is not a disadvantage when used right, like Bal-Sagoth do, but when Valdr Galga was released, Thyrfing had not yet learned how to use the keyboards right.

Thyrfing has released four full-length albums (well, their fifth album will be released in just a couple of weeks). Their self-titled debut had its strengths and weaknesses, but it never became boring to listen to. Valdr Galga is like a less dark and more polished album, but it lacks something that the s/t does not: variety. If you want to hear how fucking awesome Thyrfing are, skip Valdr Galga and listen to Vansinnesvisor. I'd even rank Urkraft higher than Valdr Galga, because Urkraft has Mjölner, Till Valfader Urgammal and a few more great songs. And it is not as boring as Valdr Galga.

78%