Storm
Nordavind

THE REVIEW

"The son of the north lost Norway's home… "

"Nordavind" ("The North Wind"), the only full-length album by Storm, released in 1995, clearly shows what a viking folk metal album should be like. Nothing or little to do with other more current bands that bear the same label (or a similar one), perhaps comparable, in the modern scene, only to their compatriots Lumsk.

Storm draws from folk the origins, the roots, the tradition of their land. They combine all this with a cold, glacial, noble sound, embellished by choruses and keyboard synths. Three great artists come together under this name: Fenriz, drummer of Darkthrone and creator of numerous solo side-projects, Satyr, singer of Satyricon, and Kari Rueslåtten. While most of the vocals, mostly clean, are entrusted to the first of the trio, Rueslåtten accompanies them, supports them, refines them, and only rarely takes part in a more substantial singing. Satyr finally takes care of all the instruments and allows himself to burst in on rare occasions with screams in unison with Fenriz's resounding voice. Simple scores, extremely steady rhythms, black-styled riffs similar to Darkthrone and Isengard, yet more melodic and less raw: these are the few technical characteristics of "Nordavind."

The lyrics are nursery rhymes, singing tales extolling the spirit of Norway with some additions to the original songs by Fenriz and Satyr, who inserted a few phrases, to be honest, with explicitly anti-Christian themes (this also led to some disagreements with Rueslåtten, who did not appreciate such religious attacks as they would damage her image). The result? A musical journey. It’s hard not to let oneself be carried away by the folkloric evocativeness of this work: close your eyes and let yourself be led by the soothing voices of the two singers. "Nordavind" makes singing its greatest treasure: Fenriz's, majestic, elegant, dark, and flexible, and Rueslåtten's, more melodious, sweetly velvety, enchanting. Often the two, with such different characters and timbres to the point of being the classic opposites that attract, meet, generating choruses of great harmony. Storm speaks to us of Nordic, rural landscapes, of traditional legends, and mythological creatures in eleven songs that often do not exceed three minutes. Eleven tracks characterized by a strong compositional variety: in addition to tracks with a powerful sound and enhanced presence of riffs like "Mellom Bakkar Og Berg" and "Oppi Fjellet", you will find soothing works exclusively vocal, like "Nagellstev" and "Lokk", and even an intro and an outro entirely dedicated to keyboard and acoustic guitar.

I believe I must make a broader mention of the penultimate piece of the album, "Noregsgard" ("Norway's Home"). A brief, continuous guitar loop explodes into a nostalgic, melancholic melody, opening a breach toward distant visions in space and time, visions of majestic, immense, icy, and deep winters, enriched once again by the precious vocal performances of all three group members. Now you know: if you wish, listen to this CD, and start dreaming.