Obsequiae : " Aria of Vernal Tombs"

While vikings live in Minnesota it's not the first place I would think a project like this might come from. Here is an interesting bit of folk metal, that is trying to not be folk metal. I like the distant re verb drenched black metal vocals. 20-Buck Spin is pretty reliable so just because I said folk-metal doesn't mean this is any way like Trollfest, aside that it's metal. "Until Ages Fall" keeps things swinging along the same ground the first song did though it might have a more melodic edge to it's festivities. The guitars do a good job of play the same intervals a fiddle would. The acoustic passages are well played they break things up in a manner similar to what Agalloch used to do in some sense, just without the cleanly sung sections.The interludes almost outnumber the actual songs. They go for some blasting on "Pools of a Vernal Paradise". I like the tempo the vocals take to work with the epic  baroque march of the music.

This is how folk metal should go down, even though it gets a little happier as they dance around the forest on "Aniace and Heart". These more period inspired sections are off set by the heavier nature of the drums and vocals. There is much more attack to "In the Absence of Light". The guitar still has room to twiddle with their melodic single note melodies, even more so when it hits the blasty part which , kind feels like they are taking the easy way out after we have already heard them tackle songs with a more air tight artistry than just settling for what all the metal bands are doing. The album does begin to evolve into a heavier affair as it progress and the baroque melodies just happen to be layered around the metal rather than the other way around. The guitars continue to weave their majick around the assault until the blast beats come and give a more hurried feel to the song.

There is more of a classic metal feel combined with Summoning or Bathory on the closing song. The chorus even has a hook to it. The songs are very economic. They get credit for not becoming overly grandiose and turning these into fourteen minute sagas, while still retaining the expansive feel this music requires in the same way it helps to watch the Lord of the Rings movies on a large screen. This is first and foremost a guitar players album. If you play guitar and have any interest in folk metal then you would be doing yourself a disservice not to listen to this album. I'll give this one a 9. It's easy on the ears. Not sure how much actual play time this will get from me, but it's so well done

Obsequiae: "Suspended in the Brume of Eos"

This is folk metal done without the larp like cheese added.You do not need to play Dungeons and Dragons to like this, though this would provide a pretty rocking sound track to a game if you were playing it. The opener "Altars of Moss" set you up for the frosty landscape that is not unlike many of the snow covered plains that Moonsorrow navigates their thematic riffing over. The emphasis seems to be placed on guitar melodies rather than beating you in the ears with heaviness, this strength will be seen as an annoyance to those who are not fans of this sort of thing, but if you are these guys are worth giving a listen

The vocals are anguished enough to be convincing black metal on "Wounded Fox", but the more epic folk metal swing behind it cavorts with the guitar harmonies in a way that is devoid of the dissonance attributed to black metal though the momentumof  "In the White Fields" comes closer to a place where black metal might meet a band like Tyr.

Agalloch comparisons could be made at times, they certainly have somewhat similar standards for composition and dynamics , though Agalloch's leanings toward clean vocals make them more keen songwriters ,where the screamed vocals here seem more like a coating applied like an after thought with the emphasis placed on the riffs.

Some of the more Arthurian intervals they return to cause some of the guitar parts to sound similar, the title track takes on a heavier chug at times to help set it apart."Atonement' goes into the medieval waltz with more meat on it's bones than the frolic laced guitar lines of some of the other songs. They are out to shred on the frantic pacing of "Arrows". "Starlit Shore" launches into a similar pace before returning the regal gallop the band is most comfortable with they speed up to hyper pace like some Dragon Force might do, but with more sincerity and black metal leanings.

There are quite a few cool punches and rhythmic nuances sprinkled about the closing intrumental, that would have been cool to have been used with more frequency in the album as whole, but at least you get a parting taste of them here. I am not a fan of instrumental so it's a credit to their playing they were able to hold my interest here.

.The emphasis seems to be placed on guitar melodies rather than beating you in the ears with heaviness, this strength will be seen as an annoyance to those who are not fans of this sort of thing, but if you are these guys are worth giving a listen  I will give this a 9 as for what it is, which might be too happy for my taste at times is masterully crafted viking/folk infused metal, that gets it right with out tripping over their chainmail and there is not enough of that in the world of metal.