Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Svartsot - Mulmets Viser Review




Svartsot - Mulmets Viser
Full-length, Napalm Records, March 24th, 2010

I figured it was only a matter of time before I was put in the position to review a record that literally makes me sick. Svartsot is the kind of cheerful, humppa folk metal that makes my stomach turn. There is no question there will be a good number of people who soak this album up and absolutely love it, unfortunately I cannot do this, no matter how many times I listen to the album. It is filled with almost every folk metal stereotype in existence and in the end comes off bland, weak and contrived. The market for this kind of music has grown exponentially over the past few years and there is no question that Svartsot are hoping to ride high on the wave of folk metal popularity.

Pseudo-death metal riffs and vocals are clashed amongst pointlessly upbeat drum patterns. Then there is the layer of typical folk metal instrumentation laid atop the 'metal', flowery flute harmonies are all over the place on this record. Normally I have no issue using traditional folk instruments, but they come off as unnecessary on most of these tracks. There are a few instances where the songs are heavy and catchy without being silly, but those moments come-and-go in the blink of an eye. The band is quite talented and are actually versed in writing songs, but unfortunately they write the same song over and over again. Almost every song on this album sounds exactly alike in every way. If it was the same good song written for the whole album, it might be a decent effort, but this is not the case for Svartsol.

I would say if you want a truly amazing new folk metal album to listen to, skip this one entirely and go straight for the new Heidevolk. That is a great example of folk metal done correctly and passionately.

Reviewed by E. - 3/10

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