Nidhogg

The Nidhogg demo by Mithotyn came out during a new lineup in the band. The original bassist/vocalist left and was replaced by Rickard Martinsson. The vocal approach Martinsson uses is more of a grunt base in this demo compared to the blackish shrieks Schütz gave in the Behold the Shields of Gold demo, or the doom like moans he gave in Meadow In Silence. Also, this is the first album featuring female vocals by Heléne Blad. Personally to me she could have been used a little bit more vocal wise. The only songs you hear her sing are in “Day of Winter Sunstead”, and “A Whining Winterwind”. The main reason as to why I would like to have heard more from her is that she brings out a more folk element to the songs, making the songs sound more creative.

When I’m listening to this and comparing it to their other demos the major difference (other than Heléne Blad) would be the production. It’s actually pretty damn good on this demo. All their others demos that I’ve heard either have some inaudible aspect to them or there’s a static line going over the entire song, much like their Promo '96 release. It’s pretty clear throughout and the bass is audible for all the songs.

The main reason as to why I would suggest to anyone to check this out would be for the songs that didn’t make it to any of their full length albums. “Day of Winter Sunstead” is a pretty mid-paced song with a fast intro and a nice folk element given off towards the middle of the song with a vocal/piano part by Heléne. “Into the Bloodshaded Hori” is also a mid-paced song with a nice acoustic intro and a doom like guitar tone which sounds awesome.

So basically this is their best demo production wise, and has a nice folk element compared to their other demos. Worth checking out.