Prolific multi-instrumentalist Andreas Hedlund has masterminded Sweden’s Vintersorg for over 20 years, this one-time one-man-band maintaining a regular schedule of interesting long-players since 1998 debut Till Fjälls hit a high watermark of melodic black/folk/Viking metal. After dabbling in more cosmic, progressive forms they’ve gradually reintegrated their original blueprint, so much so that Vintersorg – now a three-piece – have happily returned to their much-loved windswept debut to frame their 10th album as a sequel (or, as Andreas puts it, a “lost twin”). A bold move, but you can’t deny the band the urge to continue a saga across decades, particularly when the result is such a dynamic reformation of atavistic shapes. The four songs on disc two are fascinating new arrangements of ideas dating back to the mid-90s, complementing new material beautifully. What could have been a contrived, backward looking exercise in fanboy pleasing ends up a positive celebration of the band’s early impulses, toned, reshaped and given new impetus by years of experiment and experience.
Vintersorg - Till Fjälls Del II album review
Progressive pagan metallers hold a mirror to their past
You can trust Louder
Chris has been writing about heavy metal since 2000, specialising in true/cult/epic/power/trad/NWOBHM and doom metal at now-defunct extreme music magazine Terrorizer. Since joining the Metal Hammer famileh in 2010 he developed a parallel career in kids' TV, winning a Writer's Guild of Great Britain Award for BBC1 series Little Howard's Big Question as well as writing episodes of Danger Mouse, Horrible Histories, Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed and The Furchester Hotel. His hobbies include drumming (slowly), exploring ancient woodland and watching ancient sitcoms.
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