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But how is it possible that that genius Quorton died for such trivial reasons? There once were the Bathory, who not only indirectly influenced some genres but mainly created one, the Viking, bringing it to unparalleled expressive heights, never to be reached again by them or anyone else. I managed to purchase the album where this happens, the unattainable "Hammerheart," dating back to 1990, which, in its 8 medium-long tracks, with captivating interweavings, presents vivid and absolute glimpses of epicness that truly fears no rival because no platter of the subsequent genre can even begin to compare with its perfection, with crushing spirit tracks like Shores in Flames that have made history. Has anyone listened to this gem?

But how is it possible that that genius Quorton died for such trivial reasons? There once were the Bathory, who not only indirectly influenced some genres but mainly created one, the Viking, bringing it to unparalleled expressive heights, never to be reached again by them or anyone else. I managed to purchase the album where this happens, the unattainable "Hammerheart," dating back to 1990, which, in its 8 medium-long tracks, with captivating interweavings, presents vivid and absolute glimpses of epicness that truly fears no rival because no platter of the subsequent genre can even begin to compare with its perfection, with crushing spirit tracks like Shores in Flames that have made history. Has anyone listened to this gem?

ulver bergtat
But how is it possible that that genius Quorton died for such trivial reasons? Once upon a time, there were the Bathory, who not only indirectly influenced some genres but above all created a genre themselves, the Viking metal, bringing it to unprecedented levels of expressiveness, never again reached by them or anyone else. I managed to acquire the album where this happens, the unattainable "Hammerheart," dating back to 1990, which, in its 8 medium-long tracks, with compelling interplays, presents vivid and absolute glimpses of epicness that truly fear no rival because no platter of the subsequent genre could even begin to compare with its perfection, with tracks like the bulldozer spirit of Shores in Flames that have made history. Has anyone listened to this gem?

After several listens, I too have come to write a comment on the album, which abandons the good previous platter to once again, after 8 years, reach the excellent peaks touched in the past. As always, they do not remain static with respect to the past, and indeed we do not find ourselves in front of a carbon copy of previous albums, as some webzines have wrongfully stated, but it is still an evolution, with songwriting that is always ultra-complex and layered but also captivating and thunderous, where new influences are certainly present: Middle Eastern influences, persistent symphonies, and folk reminiscences that are less Teutonic and almost more Irish, accompanied by a completely renewed arrangement style and ever more sophisticated guitar patterns. The slyly lively “Control The Divine” stands out, along with the divinely tense "Sacred Divine" and the final, Oscar-worthy "Ride The Obsession." I conclude by proudly saying that the bards have returned to graze almost excellence; now I’m looking forward to their orchestral project.

After several listens, I too have come to write a comment on the album, which abandons the good previous platter to once again, after 8 years, reach the excellent peaks touched in the past. As always, they do not remain static with respect to the past, and indeed we do not find ourselves in front of a carbon copy of previous albums, as some webzines have wrongfully stated, but it is still an evolution, with songwriting that is always ultra-complex and layered but also captivating and thunderous, where new influences are certainly present: Middle Eastern influences, persistent symphonies, and folk reminiscences that are less Teutonic and almost more Irish, accompanied by a completely renewed arrangement style and ever more sophisticated guitar patterns. The slyly lively “Control The Divine” stands out, along with the divinely tense "Sacred Divine" and the final, Oscar-worthy "Ride The Obsession." I conclude by proudly saying that the bards have returned to graze almost excellence; now I’m looking forward to their orchestral project.

I also got my hands on the debut “Swanlike” and if possible, it’s even more thrilling than the third album, which really doesn’t represent a continuum as it leans more towards progressive dark metal, sprinkled with Doom influences. The main influence remains that of Opeth, drawing from their passion and progressive, psychedelic taste, while lacking the Death aspect; yet it emerges as an intoxicating cocktail that also blends the twisted abstraction of Anathema and My Dying Bride. From the former, they capture the dense and vibrant atmospheres, a dark melancholy that never tips into depression, while from the latter, they borrow some more typically doom-oriented passages. But despite this, they show a personal touch, distancing themselves from certain parallels that are hard to ignore. A volcano vibrant with warm and visceral passion, where the lava of sick yet touching flowers of my love flows, always enveloping and unrestrained, yet nuanced with a refined and transcendent taste, not to mention the immense longevity, due to the fact that with every passage, new details are discovered.

In the end, I also got the latest work from the Swedish band, namely "Dark Matter Dimension." If the previous platter was already a bit cheesy, this one is even worse in that regard. Let's just say that death, as the band has actually stated, is now merely an influence, just like Power, Progressive, Heavy, and even some unrefined Metalcore heritage pops up. Moreover, the old singer is no longer there but is replaced by two others, one clean, similar to the other, and one doing growls. To be fair, the production is perfect, clean, and decisive; the product is impeccably crafted by Nuclear, and the band's technical skills are high. However, everything feels too polished and plastic to evoke any real emotion, lying on low heights and attempting to achieve secure flights. Not only does it fail to excite me, but the clean vocals continue to make me chuckle as I listen; I hope I'm not the one who's odd.

I also listened to "In A Reverie," concluding their discography, and the meneghin still tell me little. Let's say that even this debut cannot be classified as Gothic Metal, but perhaps this is the only album where this influence takes on significant traits, even though I don't understand how it’s possible to compare them to the unreachable The Gathering, finding them instead more akin to certain strong variations of Paradise Lost (not the early ones, those of the middle era) and to the inner rhythms of Aegis by Theatre Of Tragedy. From here they are already slaves to their greatest flaw, repetitiveness, which is seasoned with a river of wrinkles of rawness and naivety, making this their worst chapter in the discography, even compared to others that, while not exceeding a bare pass, were at least listenable. Subsequently, they will offer here and there motivated restorations, which will not change the fact that they say nothing to me, barely excite me, and are monotonous.