Vried : " Solverv"

Vried is a band we have been around the block a few times with here. They are former members of Windir, their seventh full length finds the band getting back to their black metal roots as it opens with blast thrashing. The vocals have more of a throating croak to them and the mix is a little rougher around the edges as if the last two albums didn't happen. The title track blasts with just as much venom as they album opened with laying to waste any thoughts these guys had given up on black metal. The guitar work does get more melodic at a little over the half way point, before they lock into a groove. "Geitaskadi" opens with the punches of classic metal but is more blackened thrash. This one finds a hooky riff that it hits you with , but is pretty straight forward for these guys until the atmospheric breakdown at the five minute mark. They follow this song up wit ha more mid -paced middle of the road metal number that is more in Enslaved's realm. By and large its meaner than newer Enslaved though clean vocals do finally come in. Midway through the come upon a very thoughtfully melodic riff that is darker than the rest of the song. Then come back for some more blasting.



 Synths open "Nar Byane Brenn' before it flies into a trashing blur of blasting nastiness that still retains a somewhat classic metal feel. Some harmonies are layered onto the speedy riff, before it goes into the triumphant gallop that makes its first appearance here. Much like the previous album the lines between trash and black metal are only drawn here by the blast beats. When they shift out of them into thrash riffs there is no doubt of their talent, but it doesn't strike me as the most original thing they do. They do find a few punchy grooves along the way, but the rule here is cool riffs alone do not make a good song, they don't have bad songs there are a few that are more inspired than others. They close out the album with "Fridom Med Daudens Klang" which stays on a similar path to where the album has generally tread, the guitar tone is icy and black metal with the general tone somewhat melodic in it's epic gallops that fly at breakneck speeds until the atmospheric breakdown mid-way into it.

They get back to their roots here and you can't fault them for that at times it feels like they threw the baby out with the bath water and forgot what they learned on the way to this place as they are capable of delving into the more melodic sections in a more dynamic fashion, though perhaps stripping away all of that was the point . It sounds more like their first album than where they would go from the last one. I'll give it a 7.5 as it still carries the majesty to Windir with it.