Angantyr / Nasheim split CD -

\r\nThe Danish Angantyr initially was an ambient-project, but very quickly (thankfully at least from my point of view) changed into a grim and raw black metal band. The band is constituted by one member only, Ynleborgaz who plays all the instruments by himself. So far Angantyr has released three full length albums with "Haevn" being their latest, released in 2007. Coming to this split Angantyr participate with three songs, one of which is a live recording (originally from their debut album, "Kampen Forstaetter"). The first track "Arngrims Haevn" (Arngrims Revenge) is a really great song in the classic old school black metal formula stepping strongly upon the Darkthrone raw fields with furious blastbeats, intimidating, buzz saw sounding guitars creating minimalistic motif riffs but with a very deep and bassy backbone especially somewhere in the middle of the track where it is transformed into an excellent midtempo break before it returns to its initial menacing onslaught and ending up with a clear Bathory feeling. Ynleborgaz’s vocals are very good and easily understandable although they are just as harsh as the seething with anger guitars. The second track "Edsvoren" (Oathsworen) is being reduced in force and fastness and leads the listener to a slow 13-minute almost monotonous, depressive and darkly sluggishly pattern but in the middle there are once again some very beautiful guitar breaks cracking its slight Katatonia flair. Their live track "I Der Knζler I Ynk" (You Who Kneel in Pity) returns to the brutal fury of the first track. Nicely recorded it delivers nothing more than blasphemic destruction with a blistering riffage and a slaughterous pummeling of the drums. Another excellent song.
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\r\nSwedish Nasheim who is handing over feature only one song that however lasts about 25 minutes!!Pushing aside all the previous vehemence "Soevande Mjoed Vill hunt Toemma" starts with a calm, melancholic melody that slowly drags its length in about two minutes before suddenly the vocalist kicks in fiercely with a roaring scream, the tempo arises into this brutal cacophony (well, in the good sense of the term) and vibrant and epic lead hovers over crushing blastbeats only to return after a few minutes to its initial easiness and with this restless way the track continues its long epic journey with plenty of changes from soft, eerie sounding atmospheric interludes to slow, solemn leads and tremolo riffing with sweeping fuzzy guitars and galloping brutal drumming and from a malicious atmosphere to emotional climaxes and psychedelic passages. I should also mention that the real performance of the vocals appear somewhere in twelve minutes mark since the majority of the song is mostly instrumental. Overall, despite its long duration, it really doesn’t get boring at all. That song is so emotional and so powerful that flows into your head like a cataleptic sonic magnet drifting your mind unhurriedly like a huge ice mass from cold majestic peaks to solitary vast landscapes. \r\n

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\r\nSo if you want to introduce yourselves to these bands this split-cd is a great way to do it and if you know them already you surely won’t cry over your spent money. \r\n

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\r\nVaso Prassa \r\n

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