Nordkvade – Vidsom & Makt

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NORDKVADE was formed in late 2017 by Marcus (strings) and Olle (vocals) with an intention to create Black Metal with an old-school, Nordic and Rock N Roll touch. Two songs was recorded and released as "Demo Ett" on cassette in September 2018. After this a contract was signed with Naturmacht Productions. In February 2019 Fallen Temple Records re-released "Demo Ett" as a 7" gatefold vinyl. On August 28, 2019 Naturmacht Productions will release "Visdom & Makt" as Vinyl, Cassette, Jewelcase CD and A5-digipak CD. The album contains nine tracks.

“Kyla” opens the album. It definitely has that Old School Rock ‘N Roll sound it, but with Black Metal vocals. Weird. It’s a little too strange for me, that combination, but I’m willing to listen to the rest of the album. “Eldregn” has a similar sound…an Old School riff that mixes a bit with the Black Metal genre as the riff picks up in intensity and the drums roll, and the vocals come in vile and dirty. “Runor Ska Ristas (Igen)” hits you with a Black Metal sound right from the start. The riff ventures out a bit and you can hear that sense of the Nordic sound. “Vandringsfard” features a little bit of a slower grind but so far these songs blend together pretty easily. They lay on that riff and it just gets boring after a while.

“Allfader” features more of a traditional Black Metal sound. It swings with a mid-tempo groove and the backing vocals are a nice touch. “Troll” is a faster moving song, with blast beat drums from the start and a wall of sound from the guitars. That sound however it growingly getting more boring and boring. “Ljuset” is the first song that brings some variation to the table. Opening with that stringed instrument you pluck with an open mouth, and clean guitars, it sets a melancholy mood, and is a nice break from the previous sound. “Nar Ljuset Brunnit Ut” is a slower grind, featuring tortured vocals and a running riff. It ends the album on a note of hopelessness.

Overall, it was difficult to find things to champion here, although the sound was unique. It just didn’t work for me. Too many of the tracks sounded the same. I think they found their niche but if they would experiment just a little on the next album, it could propel the band to new heights. As it stands now, it was just mediocre for me.

Songwriting: 4
Originality: 8
Memorability: 3
Production: 7

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