Sturmes Brut

I still remember as it was yesterday how good, but also derivative was the black metal international scene back in early 2000s: it was no more only a question of Scandinavian or Hellenic scenes, but an expanding, worldwide phenomenon invading (or infecting, if you like!) even America, at the time well known for a solid tradition in thrash and death metal, but with a little background in black metal: of course there were already VON, Havohej, Absu or Black Funeral, to name a few, but it was something narrow, not as vast as it would become later. European countries made no difference: almost everywhere a huge number of bands and projects wanted to say their own word inside the world of black metal, in a sort of demonstration that the lesson of the '90s masters was diligently assimilated. Almost every kind of single-project variation of the genre spawned its own breed: post-Grishnackh, post-Darkthrone, post-Mayhem, post-Ulver, post-everything you could imagine! Then started the need, quite useless, to introduce a lot of micro-labels to figure out how a band was dealing to a certain sub-sub-sub-genre, often originated by a past single band or even single album! It was, by far, overly confusion.

Odal, for example, were playing in the likes of Darkthrone, for sure, like many others out there, and then you had the raw black metal label, but they were also about Asatrù and Odalism, so let's name this pagan black metal, which it was something related to viking metal, maybe, or a missing link between the latest and standard black metal! It is clear that the proliferation of label does not simplify the right need to categorize things, but adds another layer of complexity in defining genres properly. Now, a more detailed analysis regarding the music: melodic and minimalistic riffs organized in vast and epic song's structures, in a narrative fashion, where, not unlikely in classic music, a story is told via the development of the track. This is, well, quite progressive in nature: generally speaking, there is a misconception about what is considered "progressive", and often there's a association with technical proficiency, but it's not always true: it's more about a question of breaking the rules of a standard song structure, thus setting the composer free from pre-ordered sections like verse, bridge or chorus. So, yes, Odal, along with many others even within the most lo-fi and lo-tech black metal, are progressive in the progression (what a joke!) of the sections within their songs.

The screaming vocals are very raspy, and not a real shriek or cry, like many others: it's a tone that remotely resembles Abbath from Immortal, at least in the middle phase of the Norwegian band's career. Not on the same level of a legendary status, but, for my personal taste, somewhat even better, apart from the obvious fact that Abbath "was there" way before Odal's vocalist and mastermind Taaken! I bought this album in the exact time it was initially released, and there was this minimalistic digipack very Darkthrone-like in the choice of simple black and white photo cover and general graphic layout. The logo was a quite linear and simple writing in Old English font, with the Mjöllnir in the middle and a raven on top of it, maybe Huginn or Muninn. There was also a well-stylized, symmetrical logo design, I guess carving the signature of Christophe Szpajdel, but it was relegated in the inlay panels, and only in the subsequent re-releases, it becomes a better replacement for the front cover.

The first release, the one in my physical collection, was with no sound from the bass guitar, as there was no bassist in the band at the time. Later on, the bass lines were recorded and added to the mix, but something gone wrong, and they were completely out of tune with the rest of the original music, thus resulting in a terrible, cacophonous effect, and the listening experience was entirely ruined. In a third version, also present in my now-digital collection, the mistake was fixed, but I'm not really able to say if the bass was still there, just in tune and buried in the mix, or it was removed in order to return to the original arrangement. I think it's more likely to be true the last statement, but I think it's a shame to abolish the bass lines and so loose the low-end frequencies: you are not gaining a colder, but a thinner, weaker sound! Now, apart from all of that, this album was and still is very good in its melodic rawness and harshness: quite long, structured songs, but always displayed in a simple, bare-bones musicianship! Riffs are exactly what you would desire and expect from this kind of black metal, and they are still catchy, in their own sense. Not a masterpiece and not the best effort in emulating Darkthrone's style (maybe the task was better accomplished by the also German band Graven), but quite a solid, eerie and epic approach to the black metal of the past decade.

In a scene far over saturated and mostly doomed to poor standards, I feel that Odal stands apart as being completely untrendy, and one of the most passionate black metal bands I’ve come across.

The production here is slightly muted and pleasantly raw, without any graininess. The songs are mid-paced to moderately fast, bittersweet and half melodic Pagan black metal fury. It’s a delicate balance of somber tones, aural emotion, and intensity. A combination marginally comparable to early Windir.

Carefully fixed with trimmed up production, the drums fit neatly into the music. Nothing fancy, and nothing excessive, but tailor fit for the music with moderate blasts and slower rhythmic beats. The vocals are intense, passionate and vivid. A harsh drawn out yell, that can’t rightly be called a scream or a growl. Just a barely human sonic emission. And of course, the defining guitar. Totally cold, often dark, atmospheric, catchy, somehow more Pagan than metal ... brilliant.

This is not quite as refined or potent as their later work, but it really delivers on many levels. A great work by the Pagan masters.