Vintersorg
Ödemarkens Son

THE REVIEW

"Ödemarkens son". Second chapter of the astounding discography of Vintersorg, a project absolutistically led by Andreas Hedlund. Andreas Hedlund, alias Vintersorg, who in this episode closes his Viking folk tetralogy. He had started it in the Otyg with the albums Älvefärd and Sagovindars Boning and then continued in parallel in the "mother" band with Till fjälls and, indeed, with the present album.

Despite the name, Vintersorg is a duo; alongside Andreas (guitar, bass, keyboards, a bit of everything) is Mattias Marklund, also a guitarist, also his bandmate already in the Otyg.
In this second chapter of the discography, the duo continues along the guidelines already traced by the debut, however, in a more mature and refined way. We still find the somewhat rough voice behind the microphones, still free from the manneristic derivation that would come shortly. We also note that the growl is put in the background, and that quite a few songs present only the clean singing (still entirely in Swedish). We still find the rock-solid guitar riffs similar to black metal and the audio quality not exactly high, from which derive rare genuineness and immediacy.
It is virtually impossible to establish which episode surpasses the others. Impossible not to mention, for example, the grandiose opener, rough and epic, not to mention the continuous rhythm changes of the title track, in which our Vintersorg gives in to his megalomaniac urges and self-references in the lyrics. Again, impossible not to mention the "stadium" chorus of Offerbäcken and I Den Trollska Dalens Hjärta.

Among the slower songs, the dramatic nature of Svältvinter strikes, a snowstorm embellished by the voice of Cia Hedmark (also a member of Otyg). Then there is the instrumental and atmospheric Trollbunden, which hints at the prog turn of subsequent albums, and finally the grand ballad På landet to wonderfully conclude the album, a song that begins the tradition of the group placing a slow piece without growls at the end of each album.
In short, "Ödemarkens Son" is an example of excellent Viking metal, which does not disdain contaminations and intimate digressions, but has an extra regard for melody and the effectiveness of seventies hard rock. That of Ronnie James Dio, Uriah Heep, and others, to be clear. The great merit of which is to make digestible music born as extreme. And, another not insignificant merit, to make the Vintersorg project unique because no other metal band resembles it.

Not bad at all, in short. 8.5

1 När alver sina runor sjungit
2 Svältvinter
3 Under norrskennets fallande ljusspel
4 Månskeman
5 Ödemarkens son
6 Trollbunden
7 Offerbäcken
8 I den trollska dalens hjärta
9 På landet