Evaluations – Edsvuren – BLABBERMOUTH.NET

With 1 / 4 of a century of Viking-related bombast underneath their studded belts, MÅNEGARM have achieved the form of longevity that turns exhausting work into legend. “Edsvuren” is the Swedish crew’s twelfth studio album, and whereas followers of their subtly distinctive mix of windswept paganism, fierce black steel and gently progressive folks parts have all the time been nicely served, this newest assortment of earthy hymns marks a big step ahead. Grand, gritty and surprisingly emotional, these songs are one of the best Erik Grawsiö and his henchmen have conjured almost 20 years.

MÅNEGARM have lengthy been the connoisseur’s selection of Viking steel warriors. 2007’s “Vargstenen” stays a strong benchmark for the entire subgenre, with solely the likes of MOONSORROW and EINHERJER coming near its atmospherically definitive brilliance. Current albums have had lots to commend them, and Grawsiö‘s songwriting has by no means dipped beneath an admirable stage of high quality, however “Edsvuren” simply slaps the shit out of 2022’s “Ynglingaättens Öde” on each stage. Larger, broader in scope, and noticeably extra numerous, all the things from the opening “I skogsfruns famn” onwards resounds with renewed confidence and mountain-sized melodies. Scabrous, blackened riffs take a extra distinguished function this time round, however it’s also self-evident that MÅNEGARM are aiming larger and tougher than ever earlier than, notably in terms of these rousing, weather-beaten choruses and horned-hat gang vocals that drive all the things ahead. “Edsvuren” isn’t any much less heavy or brutal than its predecessors, nevertheless it has a sophistication that has solely been half-realized previously. Songs like “Lögrinns värn” and “En Blodvittneskrans” exhibit an IRON MAIDEN-like accessibility that fits the Swedes completely; Grawsiö‘s gruff proclamations contrasting sharply with guitar-powered hooks that sweep the listener alongside as if tethered to the mast of a marauding longboat. The momentum on show is exhilarating. In fact, MÅNEGARM have seldom sounded extra convincing, nor their historic evocations extra timeless.

An important a part of this file’s allure lies in its creators’ employment of vocalist Ellinor Videfors on three of its most impactful tracks. “Rodhins hav” is an exquisite, stormy, acoustic confection, with Videfors‘s elegant soprano main the best way like a blazing torch, and MÅNEGARM‘s folks influences introduced proper to the fore in a beautiful duet with Grawsiö. It’s adopted by “Until gudars folje”, which once more eschews riffs in favor of wistful, acoustic melancholy that hangs within the frosty fog like some mischievous spirit. Equally, each “I runor rinstades orden” and “Skild från hugen” discover this band’s subtler, emotive facet with extra dedication to the concept than at any level of their historical past. The latter’s bilious fury is a full-throttle encapsulation of all the things that units them aside from their innumerable friends: using electrical energy apart, that is precisely the form of soul-stirring, fiddle-fired muscularity that will have despatched warriors into battle with death-defying bravado. A couple of dreamy, progressive touches solely add to the impact. It’s only outstripped by the title monitor, which options bewitching vocals from FREDLOS‘s Liv Hope, and a near-chewable sense that the sky is stuffed with ominous storm clouds, and the bottom stained with enemies’ blood. Elsewhere, “En nidings dad” is the album’s brutal, uncompromising peak: a stately march by way of an icy wilderness, executed with traditional steel caprice and a powerful sense of unifying pleasure.

Not simply their finest album in 18 years, however an unequivocal profession milestone, “Edsvuren” ought to put MÅNEGARM firmly again on the prime of the Viking steel tree. The wind is at their backs, and victory is an inevitability.