Månegarm
Dödsfärd

"I walk solitary from the deep sea of your spirit, forever"

The sea. The sea as a symbol of journey, of final itinerary, of death, the sea as a vessel of glorious hopes, the sea as tradition and legend. These are the main themes of "Dödsfärd" ("The last journey"), the third full-length album from 2003 by the Swedish band Månegarm, proponents of a viking metal particularly steeped in epicness and sounds typically black and folk: the sea and the legend. The lyrics are thus centered on pagan and Viking tales, Norse mythology, and evocative poems about the human soul, while the atmosphere evoked here shifts from dark and gloomy tones to others that are solemn and euphorically folkloric, almost halfway between the Finnish Finntroll and the Norwegian Lumsk, reaching great peaks of originality.

Overall, an album with some shadows and many lights, with some pearls of great intensity and creativity: exceptional in this is the synthesis between riffs of melodious fury and violins sometimes gentle, sometimes unrestrained. The journey begins with an intro: sounds of waves crashing, light and effective electronic distortions, and a clear and bright violin solo break. Quickly follows the first pearl of the album, "I evig tid": splendid in its sinuous and almost oriental melody, in the choirs and the symphonically aggressive intermission, an evocative track with a poetic text. The third track, "Ravenous", flows impetuously, with its captivating riff, deep growl, and incessant rhythm, heavily influenced by the group's black element. Melodic and intricate riff interplays outline the subsequent "Agirs Vrede", characterized by clean voice singing and a solemn atmosphere. To the very violent fifth track, the title track, which draws heavily from the black vein presenting the classic stylistic elements in sound with the addition of choirs in the semi-acoustic interlude, follows the second pearl, "Fimbultrollet": a euphoric advance, a cheerful medieval tavern atmosphere, and a strong presence of violins for a song that strongly recalls the best Finntroll of "Trollhammaren", yet adding to its arsenal more strings and melodic riffs. Less originality and renewed aggression characterize the next three tracks, "Daudr", "Vrede", and "Pagan War", which thus propose a sound similar to "Ravenous" and the title track, yet less inspired and more repetitive, embellished once again by refined violins.

Calm and melancholic begins "Ursjalens Visdom", the true gem of the album, with its deep and echoing acoustic guitar that unfolds into a storm of melodious rage and epicness, amid moments of new peace, solemn choirs, and fierce attacks, and again impetuous interplays of unleashed guitars and furious violins, concluding with the same evocative intro of the song while pictures of distant seas and gentle breezes undoubtedly flow in the listener's mind. "Dödsfärd" thus concludes with "Gillesvisan", with an acoustic sound and a festive flavor, complete with the background of clinking mugs and laughter for an ode to songs and material pleasures.

With this successful album, Månegarm definitively establish themselves in the viking field, perhaps even improving with the subsequent "Vredens Tid". It's a shame that their name is little known outside Sweden, not granting them the fame they deserve.