Wodureid

Creating successful, memorable metal within a definitely codified genre can be a difficult task. On the one hand, you have to include enough generic elements to satisfy the expectations of the genre’s devotees but on the other hand, you have to provide an original and/or accomplished enough individual take on that genre to stand out and be memorable, and ideally to advance the genre as a whole. Invariably, the former is far easier than the latter, nowhere more so than in that subsidiary of pagan black metal, folk metal.

On ‘Wodureid’, Germany’s Tumulus certainly apply themselves assiduously to incorporating genre elements. The cover (of the 10” vinyl reissue by Niedersachsen Klan) features a sword with Odin’s sunwheel cross emblazoned on the hilt, Sides A and B are written on the label in runes and the musical content is folk metal covering avowedly pagan themes relating principally to Odin. So far so good. The extent to which this EP advances the genre, though, is more of an issue.

Most folk metal records are precisely that: a mixture of folk and metal elements incorporated together in the music. Tumulus’ approach, though, is to separate the tracks out into examples of either folk or metal - ‘folk/metal’ rather than ‘folk metal’. The problem with this is that it tends to make ‘Wodureid’ feel more like a split release than an EP by one band, the contrast between the two styles never managing to gel satisfactorily. Thus, the A side is divided precisely between metal (‘Wodans Jagd’) and folk (‘Sunnwend’), while the B side bookends folk (‘Der Grimmig Tod’, ‘Die Raben Kehren Heim’) around metal (‘Das Streitroß’). This jumping between totally contrasting styles does not benefit the cohesion of the EP, as it is only the pagan aesthetic that struggles to hold it all together.

In order to overcome the weakness of this schizophrenic structuring, the songs themselves would have to be exceptional but unfortunately Tumulus don’t quite hit the mark. ‘Wodans Jagd’ (‘Wotan’s Hunt’) begins promisingly with a speaker-rattling crash of thunder, reflecting the eponymous thunderstorm of legend, but the deep, chugging guitar riff that follows is a little too predictable and the light-sounding drums with plentiful - if not too much - cymbal accompaniment fail to lift the track. The song features frequent changes of pace and rhythm, moving through fast, slow and mid-paced sequences and back again during the course of its almost 6-minute length, never really settling on anything for long enough to create an atmosphere. Although this constant variety may have seemed like a good idea, ultimately it makes the track oddly forgettable, as no section of it really sticks around long enough to be memorable.

A second crash of thunder leads on to a rather reticent guitar solo, quite high pitched but not a strong enough element in the mix to grab the attention, seeming more off-hand than anything else. The harsh, throaty vocals employed are not terrible but suffer from not being particularly distinctive or notable. The track couldn’t really be accused of being bad, it’s just not really anything.

The principal contribution of ‘Wodans Jagd’ to this vinyl edition of ‘Wodureid’ is that it was presumably the basis for including a reproduction of ‘Âsgårdsreien’ (‘The Wild Hunt of Odin’) on the inner sleeve, painted in 1872 by the Norwegian artist Peter Nicolai Arbo. This magnificent, rampant painting certainly adds to the pagan sensibilities of the release and hints at the sort of manic, heroic bombast that Tumulus would love to recreate in their music. It’s worth noting that the painting has been slyly altered so that, instead of a hammer, Odin (or Wotan here, rather) is carrying a Tumulus standard, topped with a flag bearing the album’s cover art. This subtle amendment hints at a nice deprecatory sense of humour on the band’s part. Unless, of course, they’re serious and really do think they belong alongside the gods, in which case it would hint at insane delusions of grandeur.

Arbo’s painting was, of course, used as the cover for Bathory’s seminal ‘Blood Fire Death’ album, and so its inclusion can also be seen as an internal reference to ‘Das Streitroß’ (‘The Warhorse’), the bonus track on this vinyl release, which is a cover version of Bathory’s ‘The Stallion’ (from the ‘Blood On Ice’ album). The choice of song to cover maintains the pagan theme of ‘Wodureid’, as the lyrics are about Sleipnir, Odin’s six-legged horse. It’s also the second black metal track on the EP, though this time using clean vocals, as in the folk tracks. The guitar is not as low as on ‘Wodans Jagd’ and the drum sound is still disappointingly slight, relying on the snare and cymbals. An arpeggio acoustic guitar can also be heard periodically. The overall effect is not even as powerful as the opening track, although ‘Das Streitroß’ does suddenly spark into life with the guitar solo, which is soaring and epic and is pushed forward in the mix so that it bursts from the speakers, exactly as all good solos should. The drums also momentarily relinquish the ubiquitous snare and pummel hard beneath the guitar, beefing up the sound considerably. This solo goes some way to redeeming the EP and hints at what Tumulus could be capable of with a bit more inspiration, although it’s not a good sign that the best metal on the record is found in a cover version of another band’s track. However, an acoustic strum then returns the song to its main, slightly insipid refrain before the solo kicks in for a second time, rescuing the proceedings again.

With only two black metal tracks out of five on the EP, they need to be pretty spectacular and unfortunately, though by no means awful, both are too generic and not strong enough to be distinctive. They may not cause you to hold your head in despair but nor will they encourage you to bang it.

Although ‘Wodans Jagd’ is not great black metal, the utter contrast it creates on Side A with ‘Sunnwend’ (‘Summer Solstice’), the track that follows it, cannot be overstated. As the opener ends with a resolute thump of the drums, ‘Sunnwend’ begins with a flute, a hurdy-gurdy, a piano, an acoustic guitar and the occasional bell. Add to that some terribly artificial orchestral flourishes on the keyboard and the EP is all of a sudden a long way away from black metal of any description. The vocals are clean and prominent and also contrast a male voice with a female voice throughout, in what is actually the most effective element to the track. The problem is that, although the song is the longest on the EP, it never really seems to get going or build up any momentum. Obviously a pastoral, Arcadian feel is what Tumulus were attempting to achieve but the track is not melodic enough to sustain such slightness. To open Side B, ‘Der Grimmig Tod’ (‘The Wrathful Death’) does not live up to its title, being essentially an unassuming folk dance, the rhythmical tabor replicating the sound of feet stomping on wooden floorboards. Again, the principal instruments are flute, hurdy-gurdy and pipes, and the clean male vocals (no contrasting woman this time) just maintain a steady chant.

Although these folk tracks are undeniably simple, in a way they are not simple enough to be truly compelling, they are just basic. More variety, ironically in the style of the overused changes in pace on the black metal tracks, might have helped the folk tracks to be more impressive and to fully explore their emphasis on melody.

Possibly the most effective track on the EP, despite its brevity, is the closing ‘Die Raben Kehren Heim’ (‘The Ravens Return Home’), another pagan reference, this time to Huginn and Muninn, the ravens who circle the earth each day to report events to Odin back in Valhalla. After more thunder to open, the track interweaves two simple acoustic guitar melodies over the sound of rainfall and the cawing of ravens. The contrast between the repetitive, lulling tune and the harsh sound of the birds creates a strangely timeless effect that has become almost mesmerising by the time the track fades out. Although singling out a track that is less than 2 minutes long as being the standout may seem like damning with faint praise, ‘Die Raben Kehren Heim’ is undeniably the track that will stick in the memory owing to its unique character.

‘Wodureid’ succeeds as an exploration of aspects of Odin in pagan mythology and Niedersachsen Klan have made a nice job of presenting this 10” vinyl edition but musically Tumulus never quite manage to do justice to their powerful subject matter. Although disappointing, it’s not possible to hate this release because there simply isn’t enough there to hate; the separating out of folk and metal is the most contentious aspect to it. It’s not daring enough or innovative enough to generate violent emotions, whether negative or positive. Ultimately, although it’s not a word that should be applied lightly to any work of art that people have spent time and effort creating, the most you can say about ‘Wodureid’ is that it is ‘alright’.