Vredens tid

I've got to admit to not being the biggest fan of folk metal, outside of the odd Finntroll or Moonsorrow album. I feel it's too often the black metal world's answer to European power metal and has a correspondingly excessive cheese factor for my personal taste. In a perfect world any pre-existing personal bias shouldn't make any difference and each release would be judged objectively but, sadly, I am not that person and it explains my initial reticence as far as Vredens Tid goes, the upshot of which is that I wasn't especially engaged with it over the span of an initial listen. However, my disposition to Månegarm's fourth full-length improved over the course of subsequent listens and by the third or fourth spins I was genuinely beginning to enjoy some aspects of the band's particular take on folk metal.

I think the primary reason for that is that the actual black metal side of Månegarm's folk metal equation, despite sitting quite firmly on the melodic side of the scale, is really well done and is pretty visceral. I don't think that this black metal savagery hits hard enough first time around, especially for someone like myself who doesn't listen to a whole lot of folk metal, but following subsequent listens when the folk trappings can be mentally stripped away it is apparent that a true black metal heart beats under the surface. This is most obvious in Erik Grawsiö's vocals as he delivers them with real blood-red aggression. That said, there were aspects of the folkier side of things that I still struggled with. The album started quite strongly and the first two tracks proper after the intro are probably my favourites (although the eight-minute Hemfärd does come close). The violin work on opener Sigrblot in particular grabbed my attention and is the best iteration of the folk metal vibe on the record. On the downside the female vocals provided by Umer Mossige-Norheim didn't really do it for me and I found them a little bland to be honest, in fact they completely ruined the title track which is, in all other respects, a belter. The tendency for most of the tracks to end up sounding like a jig I also found grating after a while. Another annoying tendency in the small number of folk metal albums I've listened to is the "sound affects" tracks (Moonsorrow can be a little annoying in this respect), Preludium in Vredens Tid's case, which just adds nothing in my opinion and merely pads out the run time.

So a bit of a mixed bag for me, aspects both ridiculous and sublime feature during the album's eleven tracks. On the positive side, as far as folk metal is concerned it is one of the better albums I have heard and although I'm not likely to return to it much, tracks like Sigrblot, Vredens tid and Hemfärd may get an independent spin on Spotify as the mood strikes.

During the recent years, it seems that a number of death / black metal bands have grown tired of the traditional aggressive and occult approach, and have sought to add new and original elements to their sound. In their effort to create a unique and personal musical identity, these bands turned their attention to a variety of musical realms, realms that didn’t always have much to do with metal music. This held especially true for European groups, who soon found out that the music of their ancestors, that is, folk and medieval music, contained many elements that were compatible with the common metal approach. Consequently, they were quick to introduce folk influences to their music, sometimes unsuccessfully, but, fortunately, most times successfully.


Månegarm is a band that has achieved to assimilate folk elements into its music in a successful manner. Moreover, the frequent use of violins, female vocals and melodic parts has allowed Månegarm to develop its own, personal and distinctive sound. However, the factor that makes music of this band stand out is the fact that the lyrics are in Swedish, a thing that intensifies the - ever present - Viking feeling.


Månegarm’s second album is entitled “Vredens Tid” (The Age Of Wrath) and I have to admit that I find the title somehow misleading. Although this album has its raw and unconditional aggressive moments, it conveys a much more rich variety of feelings than its name implies. “Vredens Tid” is not just a musical manifestation of pure anger, it also includes emotions of solitude, sorrow, pride, even joy. As far as its musical content is concerned, one can easily discover a vast range of different metal approaches: extreme black moments with brutal male vocals, death / doom moments with clear male vocals, melodic parts with eerie female vocals, “sensitive” parts where the violin and the folk features dominate. All of these approaches are pretty often included within the same song, resulting in an extremely multidimensional album. Indeed, “Hemfärd”, for instance, is one of the most multidimensional and most beautiful songs that I’ve heard lately. Due to its ingenious changes in tempo and musical style, it remains extremely interesting throughout the entire eight and a half minutes of its duration.


If the heavy parts of “Vredens Tid” are very good, then the melodic parts of this record are excellent. As stated earlier, Månegarm often employ female vocals and violin parts to their compositions. The use of female vocals is definitely common among folk metal bands. Nevertheless, Månegarm attempt to be original: the mesmerizing female voice that can be heard every now and then bears a sad, internal shade. This occasionally brings Måegarm so close to, yet so far away from, gothic paths. Furthermore, most folk metal bands employ violins in a playful, celebrating manner. On the other hand, Janne Liljekvist prefers to apply a melancholic, somehow mourning touch on his violin, mainly based on minor scales. The result is a raging battle between the cruel guitars and the gentle violin, a battle that is extremely pleasant to hear, and adds to the distinctiveness of the sound of Månegarm.


Last but not least, the lyrics, which are written in Swedish. Don’t let this discourage you: even though I’m no Anglo-Saxon myself, I’ve always thought that English is the ideal language when it comes to heavy metal. Månegarm proved me utterly wrong on this account. The Swedish lyrics don’t seem to harm the approachability of Månegarm’s music. The vocals of Erik Grawsiö work in excellent coordination with the different instruments, regardless of whether the latter are mercilessly aggressive or mildly melodic. Thematically, Pierre Wilhelmsson’s cleverly written lyrics embrace subjects of Nordic Mythology and Viking ancestors, yet an allegoric meaning can easily be discovered in certain songs. A more thorough interpretation of the lyrics of “Vredens Tid” would reveal an appeal to common human fears, either of the cold and inhospitable Nordic climate, or of the solitude of a banished from society individual.


In conclusion, “Vredens Tid” is an excellent album, that one can enjoy in a variety of ways. While listening to it, you could engage in a range of different activities, from vicious head banging (“Sigrblot”, “Dödens Strand”), to relaxing and enjoying a cold beer (“Segervisa”). I guess that the only thing that is left to say is:


“Tack så mycket, Månegarm, och grattis till en jättebra skiva”!

After listening to the last album Dodsfard, I liked Manegarm, by no means did I think they were as great as other Viking bands like Thyrfing and Moonsorrow, but they were pretty good and enjoyable to listen to. On this album, I feel they really developed much more as a band, and produced some much better and well structured music.

The intro, "Vid Hargen", doesn't really do much for me as it is mostly silent. If you turn up your volume though you could hear some thunder and a fire crackling. The next song however starts off heavy right from the start with great drums especially. "Sigrblot" is by far the best song on here, and goes up along the lines right up to songs by great artists such as Thyrfing and Falkenbach and others. The vocals here are very harsh and there is also some chanting at times in between the screaming, so it creates for some really cool effects. It even has a few breaks for acoustic parts. However the best part of this song by far is the solo that begins around 2:32. It starts off quietly and works its way up geting louder and louder and then just explodes into a loud, melodic, fast, and just crazy solo. One of the best I've ever heard.

"Skymningsresa" starts off a bit more folky at the beginning of the song and we have a mix of both clean and growly vocals. The guitars here sound pretty great, and the chorus has a pretty catchy folk instrument in the background, although I can't exactly tell what it is. About halfway through the speed picks up and it gets much heavier, the vocals sound darker, and the riffs and drum beats are heavier.

"Kolöga Trolltand" is one of the two epic songs on here. It is on the whole a much slower, longer, darker, and still heavy song. There are some great melodies on here, and the vocals are very well done. There are parts of the song that are more folky in which you can hear violins and other instruments and on the whole it is a very beautiful song.

"Dödens Strand" is a much more happy and joyful song. Would make for a great drinking song too. Much more folky, very melodic, and not quite as heavy, except for one riff which repeats itself a few times throughout the song. Not as great as the other songs, but still enjoyable, and still good.

"Preludium" is another interlude that isn't bad but doesn't do much for me. All there really is here are some nature sounds, such as birds chirping, and thunder. Not that I have anything against that, they make for great intros to killer Viking metal songs, but this one is just drawn out for way too long. Towards the middle and end you can hear some Vikings fighting with the sound of horses and swords hitting each other.

"Vredens Tid" starts off with a pretty interesting guitar riff. Then we get some drums into the picture, and it becomes much heavier. At around 50 seconds, it stops and we get some acoustic guitar and a woman singing. She sounds pretty good, and then it gets heavier yet again, with the regular vocalist screaming, and it sounds much better. Towards the end the song gets a bit more folky and we even get a little voilin solo.

"Svunna Minnen" is another little acoustic interlude, with a woman's voice, and this interlude actually is quite calm and peaceful yet enjoyable. As long as there is some music, and not just silence, I don't mind.

The next song is "Frekastein". This one gets back to being fast, heavy, and is one of the less folky songs. It still has some acoustic parts in the middle but I like them.

"Hemfärd" is the second epic song on the album. It begins with acoustic guitar and some chanting. Then we get the drums to come in and then the heavier guitars. The melody is yet again very sad and kind of depressing, as well as foky, but it is absolutely beautiful. We hear the woman's voice on here again, and she does sound quite good to me, so hopefully we will hear more of her on future albums. There really is no way to describe in words how beautiful this song is. You would have to listen to it yourself, and if you like viking/folk, it is in your best interests to get this album.

"Segervisa" is an acoustic folkish song, with a woman's voice once again. It is a beautiful and different song from what is here on most of the album. Beautiful, but I still prefer the heavier songs.

In this album, Manegarm have basically taken what they did in their last album and perfected it as well as added a few new elements to it. We get great folk, as well as two great epics, and a few interludes. Really couldn't ask for more, especially since this album is almost 20 minutes longer than Dodsfard. And even the interludes while not as good as the rest of the album, are still well done. And of course, I can't foget that solo in "Sigrblot". I can't stop listening to it.

Awesome album, and great job Manegarm. 2005 was truly a great year for Viking Metal.

Månegarm has definitely found a sound that is both original and exciting. By mixing elements of black metal, folk, and even some viking metal influences, Månegarm is starting to stand out from the rest of the field. Many bands in this genre aren't as musically capable as Månegarm (i.e. power chords with a violin over it). Månegarm truly shines, and breathes some fresh air into the scene. So onto the album itself...

The production is excellent on this album. It doesn't sound raw like "kvlt" black metal, it doesn't sound too overproduced either. The instruments all fit really well into the mix. The keyboards are definitely given prominance when they are in the song, but this is not a keyboard driven relase.

"Vredens Tid" starts off with a pretty much silent intro. Forty-six seconds later "Sigrblot" begins. They probably just should have started with this track and skipped the intro. The song has some really cool elements in it; both rasped and clean vocals, some really cool thrashy riffs, a nice keyboard melody, and some excellent drumming. There is a really cool solo in the middle, that picks up speed as it goes along: really awesome sounding. This song is definitely one of the best on the album.

"Skymningsresa" is the next track, and it does not disappoint. Right from the beginning you hear a really cool fast riff pattern and double bass drumming. This song is a bit slower than "Sigrblot" but it is still a very heavy, crushing song. The second section definitely speeds it up, but almost out of nowhere, a really cool acoustic passage is put in. It has a really cool melody and some excellent female vocals. Picking speed back up at the end, the song ends with some heavy force.

"Kologa Trolltand" definitely has an epic viking metal feel to it. There are still some fast parts to it, but this song is more drawn out and has more clean vocals in it. A very powerful track, and hauntingly beautiful as well. Some very cool melodies with the guitar as well.

"Dodens Strand" has more of a fun feel to it than the previous tracks. It has a really cool rollicking guitar riff mixed in with some slower melodies with distorted guitars. It slows down to an almost doomy feel in the middle. Really cool guitar riffs and a good old fashioned "Hey, Hey, Hey!" chant in the background. A really cool track, but not as forceful and heavy as others.

"Preludium" is, as it states, a prelude. Nothing too exciitng here. So on we go to "Vredens Tid." It starts off with a very punky feel to it, or is that Venom I'm hearing? The riff stops, and some really cool female vocals are used, right before the rasping vocals kick in, right in time with the music. This song once again has that epic viking metal sound to it. It keeps the epic feel as the drums build up to an extremely fast double bass part, while the guitars keep the same rhythm. This allows the generally feel of the music to seem more epic, almost as if armies are gathering on each sides of the lines. The song ends off with a really cool melody on the violin.

"Svunna Minnen" is another prelude track. This one is rather haunting and reminds me of sirens singing over top of a beautiful acoustic passage. An excellent interlude!

"Frekastein" starts of with a blazing riff and some exceptional fast drumming. This is by far the fastest and heaviest part of the album. It keeps the same tempo for most of the song. The riff used is really cool. The vocals, once again, are more of the raspy kind. It slows down in the middle with a cool lead riff over top an awesome bass line and some female vocals again. Then, like a lightning bolt, the song picks right back up with a killer palm muted section, then into the fast riffing again.

"Hemfard" starts off really, really slowly. A very trippy feeling to the first section, with some excellent chants (think Kveldssanger) under the guitar. It then kicks into an awesome folk metal sound, with some really cool violin work and an awesome riff. The music builds into an epic sound, and female vocals are used, instead of the typical raspy or clean. The epic sound continues as the drums pick up and a throaty rasp style is used with the vocals. Breaking off into another punk sounding riff, until it slows down to the cool trippy sound from the beginning, with whispered vocals this time around. Back to the epic "Hammerheart" style until the end.

The album's closer "Segervisa" finishes off the album in a fine fashion. Much like a victory song at the end of battle, there are chants over top of acoustic guitar. The female vocals add an awesome dynamic towards the middle and the continue with the male chants until the end.

Overall, this album is excellent. Aspects of thrash, black metal, folk and viking metal are all found on this album. Månegarm should be a bigger force in the metal world, especially with a release of this caliber. This album is recommended to fans of the aforementioned genres: especially fans of later day Bathory, Finntroll, Kalmah, and even Children of Bodom . I do believe that there is something on this album that every metal fan would be into. The entire album is practically flawless, except for the wasted time on the prelude and intro. Excellent work: I look forward to the next release!

I had really enjoyed Månegarm's previous album, Dödsfärd, and was highly anticipating the release of the follow-up entitled Vredens Tid. Imagine my irritation when the album was delayed five months (!) due to problems with the label! The album that was due to be released in the end of May was now instead released in September, almost one year after the band first went into the studio and recorded the album. I finally got my hands on a copy of Vredens Tid, and boy, I did not have to wait in vain. Vredens Tid is better, longer and stronger than Dödsfärd, and already a viking metal classic to me.
The only thing I disliked about the previous album, Dödsfärd, was that it was way too short. Eleven songs with a total length of 32 minutes was not as long as I would have wanted it to be, especially when the songs were as good as they were. They've changed that. There are still eleven songs on the album (well, it wasn't actually the number of songs I was complaining at), but the total album length is now eighteen minutes longer, which makes the total album length 50 minutes. Now, that does not have to mean anything - the eighteen extra minutes could as well be eighteen minutes of filler - but fortunately, Månegarm have learned to write long songs without losing the greatness.

As usual, Månegarm have chosen to start the album with an intro. Vredens Tid's intro is called "Vid Hargen". It features nature ambience and samples of thunder, croaking ravens, a blowing horn and a fire burning, probably burning dead corpses. The intro is followed by the first actual song, "Sigrblot", which I consider to be a continuation of the intro as it describes a sacrifice to the Norse gods. Harsh but excellent vocals combined with Månegarm's trademarked melodies, together with violins and heavy guitars. One of the better songs on the album, although they are all good. So far, the total running length is 5:39. That's about as much as the three first songs from Dödsfärd together.
Another thing that I've noticed is that Vredens Tid has more calm, melodic passages than on the previous albums. There are also more clean vocals than before, and they've also chosen to add soft female vocals to some songs, giving Vredens Tid a more varied sound.

"Sigrblot" is followed by the awesome "Skymningsresa", the seven-minute epic "Kolöga Trolltand" (which is the musical interpretation of the album cover) and "Dödens Strand". Then, in the middle of the album, comes the Interludium. More ambience, croaking ravens, screams, people fighting. Maybe a little too long (the interludium's total length is 3:33), but passable. After the interludium comes one of the real highlights of the album, the title track "Vredens Tid". Not that much folk instrumentation here, but when it is used, it sounds fantastic. Månegarm surely know how and when to use folk instruments, that's for sure.
"Vredens Tid" is followed by the acoustic song "Svunna Minnen", a calm song that gives no clue of the what is to come with the next song "Frekastein". "Frekastein" is a reminder of how Månegarm sounded in their early days, since it has no folk instrumentation (although it is a little folkish) and is very raw, at least compared to the rest of the album. It rules too.
The best song, however, is the tenth song on the album. "Hemfärd" is its name. It is more dark and melancholic than the other songs. Lots of different vocal types are used: clean male and female vocals are used as well as high-pitched shrieks and guttural growls. The combination of harsh and clean vocals sounds great, as usual. Folk instrumentation is used. The song is very long (8:27) but that is not a disadvantage when it is this good. Melodic, sorrowful, melancholic - and excellent.
And then the album ends with a very beautiful and melancholic acoustic piece called "Segervisa". Both female and male vocals are used, but they are 100% clean. Probably one of the most beautiful acoustic songs I have heard in the metal genre. Very emotional, very good. A great ending of a great album.

With the release of Vredens Tid, Månegarm have taken a huge step towards the viking metal throne. They will never be reigning on the throne, because the throne will forever belong to Bathory, but Månegarm have showed that Dödsfärd was not a one-hit wonder. This might be my pick for the best album of 2005, and that says quite a lot considering the large amount of quality albums released this year.

"Vredens Tid is a pure dedication to the wrath in every man and woman's heart...
... born under the pale light of the North Star."

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