Northwind's Ire

When it comes to grim and epic black metal there really is no part of the world that can compete with the Nordic trio of Norway, Sweden and Finland. Personally I am particularily fond of the finnish way of doing things. Many bands from these countries incorporate folk music to their majestic wall of sound but none do it as good as the Finns! Moonsorrow are the grand masters epic black metal in my book but Draugnim is definitely a worthy contender. This debut is filled to the brim with ravaging melodies and the more-necro-than-thou production elevates these to soaring heights. Produced by none other than Mr. Henri Sorvali of Moonsorrow/Finntroll it's really no surprise that Draugnim soundwise is very reminiscent of the more recent Moonsorrow albums. Add to that some early Emperor, Windir and mid-period Bathory and you're in the right ballpark. The sound is absolutely massive while still remaining raw and icy at the core. This works incredibly well for conveying a feeling of utter desolation over vast plains of darkness and nothingness.

Four out of seven songs were previously released on the band's 2007 Sworn to Waves demo but appear here in re-recorded versions. Personally I enjoy the 3 newly written tracks but the demo songs are all of very high quality. This just goes to show that Draugnim are still progressing and I can't wait to hear what they can come up with in the future! An extraordinary debut!