Falkenbach
...Magni Blandinn Ok Megintiri...

Markus Tuemmers aka Vratyas Vakyas started a solo project several years ago (1989). The intention is to follow in the footsteps of Bathory through a type of metal that jumps between viking/folk and black sounds. The result is music that is as violent as it is melodic, and it is rare to hear such a blend where none of the various influences overpowers the other. And so through legends of Nordic lands, paganism, and mythology, the Falkenbach project truly stands out as something special and innovative in the Scandinavian extreme metal scene. In truth, he is German (apparently even a friend of Nargaroth), but he could easily be mistaken for a pure Scandinavian due to the sound, which is heartfelt...

This work, released in 1998, was entirely self-played, self-realized, and self-produced, even the artwork. Upon careful attention, the impressive technical complexity behind this masterpiece becomes evident. Moreover, it is full of atmospheres and references that are as clear as they are regular. In my opinion, it remains the highest peak reached in the genre, and thus also by the artist, who has nonetheless continued to produce works that are never less than excellent. 6 tracks that fill 41 minutes in a regular manner, no interludes, perhaps making listening a bit heavy, but it would not have the same effect otherwise.

The opening is among the most epic possible, with delicate and incisive keyboards. "...When Gjallarhorn Will Sound" immediately immerses us in the typical atmosphere of the album, a feeling of hyperactivity mixed with completely wild landscapes. The vocals vary from clean to scream, which perhaps isn't quite perfect. In any case, it relies on the enormous vocal skills of Vratyas Vakyas. The whole is surrounded by distorted mosquito-like guitars mostly playing accompanying riffs, but still daughters of the most classic black metal. In fact, the main part is nonetheless handled by manicured keyboards, the voice, and a very prominent and present drum with rhythms that sometimes accompany and sometimes use double pedal to be more restless. The track easily fills its 8 and a half minutes thanks to the ability to reshape melodic passages in so many different ways that they seem completely different.

The next track "...Where Blood Will Soon Be Shed" (often the titles used by Falkenbach are quotes, which is why they appear with ellipses) is decidedly more descriptive of battles and weaves through rapid changes of time and melody once again giving a feeling of imaginative trance. Likewise, "Towards the Hall of Bronzen Shields" is extremely evocative and even rich in solos and choirs. All this through demonstrations of technique that aren't monstrous but decidedly more effective, exactly because they're not an end in themselves. The fourth track is the ancestor of "Heathenish Foray" from "Heralding - The Fireblade", and it is already beautiful and marvelous in its first edition. Once again it's possible to mix keyboard exuberance and black riffs in such a way that the atmosphere isn't directly influenced by one or the other, but only by the synergistic coordination of these two almost alien elements.

"Walhall" is yet another perfect combination of sounds compacted into 5 and a half minutes of harmonic twists and turns that no one would have dreamed could be realized. Once again, the ability to invent something that never existed before is surprising. The conclusion is perhaps Falkenbach’s most beautiful composition: "Baldurs Tod". This time, black metal is present in a very marked and heavy way, but the work of those hands behind the keyboards freezes every second almost to describe the enormous compositional capacity, managing to associate fast tempos and abrasive riffs with a string orchestra that seems not to hear at all what is being played around it. This time, there are no vocal inserts. And it's like the end of a journey in lands where concrete doesn't exist, asphalt is taboo, and probably not even man is allowed to enter.