Nattväsen

In the beginning, there was wood. Ask and Embla, the first two humans that were carved out of wood by Odin and his brothers. Though as humanity’s history didn’t stop at those two, there has to have been – in Ask’s pants – wood. And now, some fifty-six eons later, when one of today’s pagan/viking/folk metal’s flagships Månegarm’s new album is released upon humanity, I’m sure all of you fans of horned helmets and double-bladed axes are experiencing the one and the same – wood.

If you are familiar with Månegarm’s few latest releases, you’ll know how this sounds. Pseudo-harsh drumming, folkish melodies, heavy metallic riffs, and a whole lot of raspy-throat man-wailing – you know, drunken Vikings hollering to one another across the mead hall about last week’s conquests, while at the same time pressing a whole onion-and-pepper-stuffed oxen into their salivating mouth, thus making any by chance coherently uttered phrases ultimately indistinguishable. In linguistic terms: “Braaaaaahhhgglllwwwhh!!!”

For this type of bellowing to be functional, the vocalist has to be exceptionally good. Mr. Grawsjö (Gravelake, how metal a name is that?) does an OK job. His gravelly “clean” voice sounds a bit corny sometimes, but pulls through, barely. The mid-to-high-pitched growling is better, but all in all the vocal department doesn’t fully convince me, which is crucial in this genre. The guitars deliver pretty standard traditional heavy metal riffing for the most part, with the odd blackish tint to some chord progressions. A frequently heard violin shares lead duties with the guitars and bring the folkish touch to the mix.

Quite a lot of the melodies are sing-a-long-worthy and have a high catch factor, and “Nattväsen” is a quality disc that contains quality songs with quality riffs, melodies, arrangements, and execution – but something’s missing. I never get the feeling that this is anything more than “just another record”. On Månegarm’s first two records you could feel the magic of their inspiration and the need to express themselves through their music, an overall sense of creativity. Now, ten years later, I mainly hear the need to record another album so they can go on tour and support it. Another product out of the factory, if you will.

Still, this is an OK release and there are some highlights to be found. Catchiness is plentiful as mentioned. “Bergagasten” is a nice slower tune, and “Vetrarmegin” is a darker piece that is more in the vein of Månegarm’s earlier records. The title track is a guaranteed fan favourite with its catchy chorus and surely works like hell on gigs. If your cup of tea is Scandinavian metal with catchy folk melodies, this might well suit you. I’ll have some coffee, please.

Long has night and its mysteries fascinated the minds of men. With their sixth full length endeavour, Nattvasen, Sweden’s Manegarm venture into their darkest territory yet, exploring new areas, all the while retaining the powerfully melodic sound they have forged for themselves over the past fourteen years of their existence. With this album, Manegarm explore the fears centered around night, whether this be terror in our dreams (Nattsjal, Dormsjal), a haunted mountain (Bergagasten), or the dark mysteries of night itself (Nattvasen).

It’s clear that Manegarm are proud of their blackened past and have no interest in conforming to the poppy direction of folk metal nowadays. That said, the songs on Nattvasen are as catchy as ever and after 2007’s monumental Vargstenen, I can take a deep sigh of relief and say that this is not at all a disappointment. Opener Mina Faders Hall is an immensely catchy track beginning with some great clean choirs before a crushingly heavy build up and verse. This really is a great introduction to the album, featuring the key ingredients fans would expect to find, such as ferocious black metal verses, fantastic violin melodies, and nicely varied vocals. While the album is generally a continuation in the direction of the past few albums, there’s also a few unpredictable moments. For example, Vetrarmegin carries the coldest, most “black metal” atmosphere I ever remember hearing in a Manegarm song. The beautifully epic intro strikingly reminds me of a Kampfar tune while the upbeat sections are very reminiscent of the Dodsfard era. I Den Svartaste Jord is the longest track at just over seven minutes, although don’t think I’d call it as epic as Vetrarmegin. Nevertheless, it’s a wonderfully diverse composition with each member shining through in different parts. The title track also displays diversity, perhaps being Manegarm’s softest non-acoustic song, unless you count the final track of the album which is mostly acoustic apart from a final moment of mighty heaviness toward the end. The title track still packs a deadly blow, but mostly features some outstanding melodies and especially showcases multitalented drummer and vocalist, Erik Grawsio’s superb vocal range. The journey ends as all nights end, with dawn (Delling). A truly beautiful way to conclude this magical adventure.

The song writing is consistently creative, resulting in an album with no bad songs and memorable moments to be discovered everywhere. I wouldn’t call the musicianship progressive, although the compositions are satisfyingly diverse, which I think is the main aspect attributing to the outstanding replay value that Manegarm albums offer. As always, each member is a highlight, with Grawsio perhaps standing out the brightest, flawlessly handling both drum and vocal duties.

In relation to the previous album, I would call Nattvasen heavier, yet mostly less aggressive. The speed of the album rarely gets too ferocious, but this does not make the music any less convincing. One thing I find remarkable is just how comfortable Manegarm seem with playing a song such as Delling; something that sounds entirely different from what they normally do, and yet they pull it off with such ease. It’s this willingness to venture into the darkness that gives Manegarm an identity that is truly their own. I had anticipated this album would be the pagan metal album of the year, and now after listening to it multiple times, I think I can comfortably confirm that. I’d hesitate to say it breaks new ground for Manegarm, but it pushes the music into some interesting places and when the song writing is that fresh, who cares how similar their albums sound? I highly recommend this album to fans of the genre. I daresay I don’t think this band will ever disappoint.