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As many into the genre know, the range of styles within Folk Metal varies considerably and if one is a fan of the general instrumentation and approach towards imagery, he can usually find a band or range of bands within the subgenre to suit his or her tastes.

Otyg would have to be the band for me. They play a very unique style of Folk Metal. In fact, I wouldn't really go as far as to label them 'Folk Metal' as they play with more of a general Folk Rock influence with a very strong influence from scandinavian folklore and myth.

Sadly, one of the main focuses of the music is the lyrics which embody the cultural theme. This isn't sad in the way that it is to be considered a negative aspect, but moreso from the point of view that I wish I could understand what the fuck Hedlund is talking about, considering the pure passion that goes into the singing. Many would agree with me that Mr. Vintersorg is a very talented vocalist who can tackle a whole range of styles, ranging from the deep baritones heard in early 'Vintersorg' works and of course, the band being reviewed here, to his later Vintersorg work which takes a much higher approach to vocals. I have never much been a fan of his dirty vocals, but that isn't really an important point when reviewing Otyg, as they don't make an appearance in this album. Talking specifically of the vocals on this album, the Old Swedish dialect used really compliments the style...such an interesting sound to the language, beautiful in its own weird way.

The guitar work consists of interesting folk-inspired melodies that lead the lyrics throughout the album. Where Mr. Hedlund succeeds is through the fact that he doesn't let the rather unique approach to vocals overpower the guitar, and similarly doesn't allow the guitar to become too overbearing; this balance keeps the album flowing. Having said that, some of the songs do contradict this statement, coming out a little forceful.

As well as the standard guitar, vocals, drums (don't really do anything special, but rather just give a flowing rhythm to support the other instruments, which is what the idea of drums is, really!), a few traditional swedish instruments give the album its authentic Folk feeling. These include the mouth-harp (becoming a little overused by other bands recently), and the keyed fiddle (Nyckelharpa); very interesting to hear.

Fans of Vintersorg and other Folk Metal projects should be warned that this isn't 'Vintersorg II' and the metal influence is very distant, to be quite honest. this is thankful, really, as a more metal-based style of instrumentation would detract from the theme, and this album, to me, is perfect as it is. It could be considered a bit strange by some, but strange usually equates to originality.

When talking about the differences in theme in relation to Vintersorg, imagery is the easiest way to put the point forward. Vintersorg paints a picture of vast, mountainous landscapes and epic journeys in his music. Otyg puts forth images of a more folkloric nature e.g. Trolls, Elves, Misty Forests...
The fantasy element really shines forth from this band's music, and in my opinion, that is what makes it great. The whole thing just has a very magical feel about it.

To sum it up, if you want to hear music that's passionate, heart-felt and most definitely original, then I highly recommend this album. It is not a masterpiece, and has its flaws, of course, like every album, but as technicality isn't an important issue with this style of music, flaws of a technical sense are irrevelant and do not detract from the pure brilliance of the atmosphere that surrounds the music.

Hails to Mr. Vintersorg for bringing us this fine piece of nordic art...

After hearing some Vintersorg and Borknagar, I decided I really enjoyed Vintersorg's voice... some of the time. When he sang well, man, did he sing well. So I decided I'd pick up one of his older projects. I was not disappointed in the least.

This album just barely makes categorization as a metal album, getting stuck somewhere in the light end of the Viking/Folk subcategory of black metal, among bands like Hagalaz' Runedance and Star of Ash (another couple bands known by the metal crowd only because of their members). What this album may lack in terms of being brutal/heavy/metal, it more than makes up for in melody, atmosphere and originality.

The music, overall, is a mix of violin, mouth harp, and minimal electric guitar (sounding somewhat like the slower parts of some Asmegin songs) with Vintersorg and Cia's passionate vocals sung cleanly throughout. The above may not sound like much, and in pieces alone it isn't, but as a whole it sounds beautiful, flowing and nearly flawless. This album stands as proof to me that simplistic music can be superior to more technical things, when that simplicity has feeling behind it.
Though of possible note, Vintersorg's deep voice combined with his thick Swedish accent may sound a little too Germanic for people descended from other cultures to enjoy... but that's fairly common among folk music in all it's forms.

Truly, I can't say anything bad about this album. Strongly recommended to fans of Vintersorg's other projects and Viking/Folk in general.