Reviews

Naglfar – Cerecloth

Century Media Records – 2020 – İsveç 

When I discovered Naglfar in 2003, band’s new album “Sheol” was just released. I listened Sheol and watched the video “I Am Vengeance” in the same period, the quality of the song and also the atmosphere of the concert scene in the video just bewitched my mind. Since then, Naglfar has always had a special place for me.

After the “Téras” album released in 2012 , in the following of full eight-year silence, finally, Sweden’s Black Metal legends are back with “Cerecloth” righ now. With the band’s main guy Kristoffer ”Wrath” Olivius posted online about the beginning of the recording process of the album and then shared some news until the release of the album, My expectations was very high in my mind. The work of Kristian Wåhlin (aka Necrolord) which is perfectly matched with the album, recording and mixing of the album were happened with the great efforts of the guitarist Marcus Norman in the Wolf’s Lair studio, and also mastering was done by Dan Swanö in Unisound studio in a couple of weeks. To be honest, I had been waited impatiently for the release of the album for weeks. The wolves of Umeå are backed in front of the fans.You can trust me, they are well prepared more than expected after all years.

Naglfar, as we know it, offers us the classic Swedish Black Metal with Naglfar sound, by using all the possibilities of a modern record without exception. Fast, highly melodic double guitars, a sharp guitar sound that attacks the ears as like coming from deep within a frozen forest. As if time has begun to flow again from where it was stopped, Naglfar remains faithful to its roots, they have been keeping in touch with band’s core sound since their first album “Vitra” was released. The cold aggressive entry track (also called the album), like the angry, frozen fjords, “Cerecloth” clearly shows what awaits us throughout the album. The guitars in the foreground are compatible with the short intro ,that attacks in between, Wrath’s rising aggressive screams and the original Naglfar guitars are completely in compliance. The Vocals screams of Swedish Black Metal are finally back! The other song that caught my attention, “Like Poison for the Soul”, it has lead guitars which are compatible withiout deep, dark, intense atmosphere of the piece and it gives strength, it is clearly the first thing that attracted the listener’s attention. I think this is undoubtedly one of the most powerful elements in the formation of Naglfar’s original Black Metal brand. The next track is not a new thing presented to us in “Vortex of Negativity”, in fact, one of the mid tempo Naglfar tracks we are familiar with hearing; on the other hand, it is very pleasing to hear like this long-awaited sound again. In the sixth track of the album, “The Dagger in Creation”, there is almost everything you would expect from Naglfar; The blast-beat performance is heard from the deepest parts of hell, ice-cold guitars and the atmosphere that drives to deep dark atmosphere. I should say that the whole album, there are quite exciting mood changes, the album continues with a medium tempo track after a flowing track at high speed. For example, the seventh track is like a “Necronaut” next to “A Sanguine Tide Unleashed”. In a few reviews I read about the album, that the guitar sound is muffled! I have to say for the criticism; there is a guitar sound enough clear in the album.

After eight years, Naglfar presented a wonderful album for fans. If you have a question like “Did they try something new?”in your mind,I would say that do not expect such
a thing. This is Swedish Black Metal, which Naglfar had been previously performed, and they still continue to perform their non-compromise music. It is a very tense, aggressive and melodic album as usual, I can say that I found it very successful. Great Job!

Author’s Note For Album :
8,5/10

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