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Rating: Among the best groups in the black/folk scene, Falkenbach deserves a place of honor: this one-man band by the Icelander Vratyas Vakyas has become a cult band for the entire movement over time, thanks both to their sublime musical proposal and to the fact of being absolutely unknown to most metal consumers.
The album in question, released in 1996, is the group's first work and represents, in the opinion of the writer, the highest point of their career. The peculiarity of the album lies in the fact that it cannot be classified as completely black, nor folk, nor viking, but in every song, there is a smooth and never predictable transition from one construction to another. "Galdralag" opens with the sound of a galloping horse, followed by a typically black violent riff and Vratyas' wild scream vocals, but, as already mentioned, the structure of the song is not fixed, thanks to slowdowns made epic by the keyboards and viking progressions. The masterpiece "Heathenpride" follows, divided into 3 parts: the first with prominent guitars and flute, narrating the arrival of Christians on a northern island and their raids, the second, 100% black, represents the moment of the pagans' attack and the massacre of Christians, the last is instrumental with a more than 3-minute flute solo. "Laeknishendr" has almost Ulver-like influences, but in this track too, the flute and particularly the "Spanish" guitars make the atmosphere magical and evocative. In "Ultima Thule," the continuous alternation of screams and clean voices and the simultaneous presence of acoustic arpeggios and black can be noted. In the instrumental "Asum Ok Alfum Naer," the Pan flute dominates, and even the aggressive guitar is imposed to adapt. "Winternight" is an old-school melodic black track where the scream reaches the maximum level of iciness; it closes with "...Into the Ardent Awaited Land..." the calmest (so to speak) and folk track with a strong pagan content.
This masterpiece will be followed a year later by "Magni Blandinn Ok Megintiri," after which Vratyas' career will stop for 8 years before returning to the scene 3 years ago.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Heathenpride (08:39)
Once a mighty king ruled in a northern land
his enemies he fought with steel and iron hand.
So many tales were told, his name a glorious sound,
"god-like he is" they said, and by no christian laws was
bound.
Long ago in a northern land...
One day they came across the nordic sea,
the man of the cross and camped beside a tree
which was called a sacred one for all thy heathen hearts,
where sacrifices were given to their northern forefathers
Gods...
The elder and wise men amongst them
watched distrustful to all those
of the foreign men with their swords in hand
.. and the mighty tree was felled...
Some days gone by and the elder men disappointed,
they found a grave with a wooden cross upon.
So they all gathered at a place near the sea at night,
they all sat around their king, and a campfire gave it's
light...
First words were spoken by a maiden of great beauty,
she whispered silent words to Freya and began to speak.
Her iceblue eyes filled with tears as she told them all what
happened
in the woods three days ago when two christian men raped
her body...
Many people told what happened and what was done by the
christian men;
a girl was burned and three farmers died, nine children were
never seen again...
The king drew his sword and saddled his black horse,
they gave a sacrifice to Odin and to Tor, the Gods of their
war,
that might before the morning of...
REVENGE!!!
The stars were shining from a dark black sky,
their swords reflected the light of the moon,
their torches burned red, the flames blazed up high,
the hour of their raid will come soon...
REVENGE!!!
As the sun at last arose crimson, beyond the nordic sea,
they all stood in armour, with helmet and sword,
and with certainty of what was forever will be...
.. a furore normannorum libera nos domine...
The bells of the christian churches tolled,
woke them up so much to late,
two ravens high above watched this bloody deeds
when the steel becomes their fate...
After hours the most of the christian men
by the northmen all were slayed,
the sun high above was shining bright
that day of heathenpride...
03 Laeknishendr (06:13)
Se hon valkyrjur
"Heill dagr.
Heilir dags synir.
Heil nótt ok nift.
Óreiðum augum
lítið okkr þinig
ok gefið sitjöndum sigr."
"Heilir æsir.
Heilar ásynjur.
Heil sjá in fjölnýta fold.
Mál ok mannvit
gefið okkr mærum tveim
ok læknishendr, meðan lifum"
[ Taken from Sigrdrífumál, verses 4 and 5 ]
[English translation:]
"Hail, day!
Hail, sons of day!
And night and her daughter now!
Look on us here
with loving eyes,
That waiting we victory win."
"Hail to the gods!
Ye goddesses, hail,
And all the generous earth!
Give to us wisdom
and goodly speech,
And healing hands, life-long."
06 Winternight (04:22)
Sunset beyond a grey vast forest,
I'm longing for the night
to break into the woods and darkness
then will be my light.
.. beginning of my wandering
through coldness and grim ice,
to find the one I'm searching for
before the sun again will rise...
Fire - burns down the christian houses
and shows me the way with it's light,
my ancestors are with me on this wandering
into this darkest winternight...
Following the foodsteps
no snowflake will efface,
a northern breeze beckons my body
and northern snow my face...
I feel he gets nearer to me,
a lightning strikes with pride,
the thunder roars, the trees now rush,
I sense my master is not wide...
Thors hammer - in chains around my neck,
an ancient wisdom deep inside,
my blood flows wild now through my veins
while my wandering through this darkest
winternight...
A lifetime I have been in search
for what the elder ones have told me,
for strongness and the truth,
for blood and victory...
But now the time for me has come,
no way to find back home,
the snow begins to burry me,
but I'm no longer now allone...
My sword tears my breast,
I'm spilling my own blood...
The last on this world so I saw
was the beckoning of my
God...Winternight...
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