Review of the album "Með vættum" bySkálmöld (Napalm Records)

Skálmöld is a Viking metal band from Iceland formed in 2009, the name comes from the words "Age of the Sword". The band have released three albums, Baldur  (2010), Börn Loka  (2012) and the recently released Með vættum, last 14th of November 2014 via Napalm Records, and will be available the 1st December in UK (and rest of Europe).

Skálmöld feed the flame of Viking metal adding fo drippings under a mixture of heavy metal, thrash and death metal elements along the album, the vocals are impeccable, growling and straight from the beginning to the end, but probably eclipsed by the high quality of the guitar and drums performance most of the times, alternating the death metal elements in good harmony with the above mentioned thrash missiles and heavy pounding rhythms; the compositions are rich in general and will never bore the listener, being one of the best cards played by the band.

Að vori opens the album straight away with the Viking power sensation, boosted with epic force and headbanging feeling, with special mention to the vocal job and the strong pounding drumbeats, continued by Með fuglum, exploding in a powerful death metal attack contrasting with heavy and viking headbanging metal in-between, remarkable job on those guitar riffs, thrashy solos and also the bass sound, powerful with the melodic clean vocal parts, definitely one of the best of the band.

Then is the turn of the mid tempo with increscendo structure Að sumri, enriched with sophisticated drum performance and really good job on the vocal melodies, and of course awesome ending continued with another mid paced shot Með drekum, this time with stronger and neckbreaking riffs and drumbeats with added northern epic melodies.

Að hausti heralds one of the best Viking symphonies of the album and also is combined with modern structures on the vocals, that mixed together creates a good feeling, keeping the headbanging power with good points on the double pedal parts.

If up to now you like the album, get ready for the best song of the band, Með jötnum, including the best Viking sensations twisting the rhythms with death metal riffs and technical drum performance, and even though the instrumental break could distract you at the beginning, it's a theatrical warming up for the best composition of the album, where the intensity explodes in an astonishing in crescendo canon of vocal melodies and epic instrumentals.

Að vetri continues the epic adventure with another genuine viking metal shot, creating a good harmony with the straight harsh vocal and the melodic instrumentals, developing a forceful ending with epic power metal influences and leading to the last song of the album, Með griðungum, strong mid paced rhythms showing a better and more furious vocal play, ascending intensity exploding in a sudden fast paced metal where the shredding and the vocal verses explodes together leading to an intense hymn part very well composed.

Skálmöld forged an album with the essential Viking metal lessons, but without being another run of the mill job, the band introduced thrash, heavy and death metal elements, ascending the power to a high level of inspiration and technical performance, equally headbanging from the very first second.

9 / 10

Line up

Snæbjörn Ragnarsson - Bass

Björgvin Sigurðsson   - Vocals, Guitars

Gunnar Ben  -  Keyboards, Vocals, Oboe

Baldur Ragnarsson  -  Guitars, Vocals

Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson  - Guitars, VocalsJón Geir Jóhannsson -  Drums, Vocals

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Post by Daniel Ortiz from Metalheads Union and Metalheads Union FB

SYLVATICA JUST RELEASED FIRST ALBUM, EVIL SEEDS!

Deep from the swamps of Denmark, to draw any unwelcome guest inside the murky depths...

Finest Melodic Death Metal with a folkish touch!

Their debut album was released on the1st of July and you can purchase it online here
You can check the complete review of the album by Metalheads Union here

Check their surprisingly high class & be a dark part of their realm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWaOIaEuPw

First Media Feedback about new SYLVATICA release paints a clear picture:

9 / 10

(Stu's Reviews)

9 / 10

"…a mix of folk metal based heart, with touches of thrash, death and black metal played at perfection."

(Metalheads Union)

9 / 10

"Eleven songs, full of minds and meanings, rich in composition and lyrics, eleven ideally selected higlights in just one album – Evil Seeds is definitely the HIT of the season."

(Metal Hangar 18)

9 / 10 

"The drumming is insane, the guitars shred your face off, the vocals are perfect. This band will slay the pits!!"

(Musipedia Of Metal)

4.5 / 5 - episch

"… ein durchweg gelungenes Melodic Death Metal-Album…"

(DeepGround)

8 / 10

"SYLVATICA create a very heavy and blackened pagan form of death metal with their music bringing in a perfect balance between brutality and melody…"

(A Different Shade Of Black Metal)


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REVIEW OF THE ALBUM EVIL SEEDS BY SYLVATICA

Sylvatica is a melodic death metal band with elements from thrash and black metal with folk metal roots, formed in 2010 in Denmark by Jarden Schlesinger on guitars and Pelle Buch Hansen on drums, and they released the first EP after bassist Thomas Haxen and Jannik Ravn on second axes joined the band. After Jannik Ravn left the band, Martin Hamann replaced him and also left in 2013, Richardt Olsen joined the band with the album almost finished and to be released the next 1st of July.

Evil Seeds is a mix of folk metal based heart, with touches of thrash, death and black metal played at perfection. Lost is the acoustic piano introduction, creating the atmosphere with a raising epic feeling that explodes in Psychopatica, where everyone will bang the heads with this combination of epic folk and death metal, with excellent instrumental, strong growling vocals and astonishing ending! to follow with Winds of decay, a mid-tempo strong pounding heavy metal track keeping their folk metal roots and giving the dark sign of the band as The ascension begins following the epic death metal executed amazingly well and also driving between death and thrash rhythms; of course headbanging and moshpiting to the end in one of the best composed pieces of the album.

But hold your breath now with the tittle track, Evil seeds, as they follow the mix of epic thrash metal and death melodies, adding strong chorus made to scream in every concert. Remarkable the good harmony this band creates in every track, like the instrumental Gods of the Gallows, begins as a slow mid tempo folk metal rhythm mixing electric and acoustic parts creating a really intense piece.

The pure sophisticated drumbeats take you to the top in Hate Quest, forceful guitar riffs and strong growling vocals in one of those battle songs essential for every true metal maniac and always following their folk identity.
Admirable changes of style between the roots of death metal and thrash is one of the strong points of the band, Lucifer is one of those tracks that better demonstrate that and also offers a really catchy folk metal chorus, the best of the album; the second half of the track called my attention due to the outstanding inspiration of these guys, truly enjoyable as hell.

Reanimated and The sludge soup follow similar patterns with thrash metal influence in a mid-tempo pulse with aggressive vocals and headbanging folk metal chorus; in the Slude soup they develop a really awesome instrumental at the second half with sudden changes of rhythm mixing death metal and neoclassical guitar touches, great job!

The last track is Sect of Sleep, developing an in crescendo structure from the folk acoustic to the mid- tempo headbanging verses, outstanding guitar riffs in perfect harmony with the vocals creating a powerful epic composition.

Sylvatica is now credited that they created a masterpiece of epic folk metal, mastering multiple true metal genres like death, black or thrash metal, and also offering some melodies of symphonic and neoclassical in the compositions of the tracks, with crystal clear superb production also. This album surprised me straight away, and I can say, as many of you will, that I enjoyed this Evil seeds from beginning to the end. Such virtue they demonstrated in every track will impact the folk/ death/ thrash metal scene, Sylvatica released an atomic bomb exploding in your brains!

9 / 10

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Review by Daniel Ortiz from Metalheads Union and Metalheads Union FB

REVIEW ALBUM "OF STONES AND STARS" BY CALADMOR

Caladmor is an epic folk metal band from Switzerland formed in 2001 (under the name Pale) and releasing their first album in 2010 called Midwinter and finally this album "Of stones and stars" released in 2013 with the support of Chrigel Glanzmann (Eluveitie) and Joel Gilardini (The land of the snow, Mulo Muto).

The album starts with The curse of the gods as a fast track of sharp guitars that take you to the folk metal world with added dose of epic style which will be the winning strategy of this band, full powerful chorus and great harmony on the vocals, developing a clear contrast between the growling harsh aggressive side with Maede and operistic soprano Babs singing folk poetry, as it  continues with The Raid as a mid-tempo shot with forceful headbanging rhythm that changes between the dark and lights, outstanding theatrical interpretation in this song,

The tittle track begins, Of stones and stars, as a slow pure folk metal taking you to a far away land when the fast guitar and drumbeats of Dawn of the deceiver break the spell and bring you to the mosh pit with one of the most thrashing style rhythms of the album mixed with modern metal influenced chorus, excellent instrumental, guitars do a positive job, as the flutes and pipes virtuous give the folk sign on this track.

Alvissmal begins with doom intro as the slow folk rhythms create the atmosphere again in one of the best chorus in the album, when the acoustic guitars of Laudine's lament change the tune as a lyrical operistic track, very well composed as the electric guitars and strong drums are in-crescendo during the song; outstanding voice in every aspect, developing multiple techniques of singing styles.

The dark riffs make the contrast with Mimir's born with a headbanging mid-temp

o apocalyptic feeling track to continue with another masterpiece, Nymph's Lure, one of the most intense bombs with a great act by the two vocalists making the perfect theatrical section of the Swiss band.

But this is not finished yet, Heralds of doom takes you to the battle with a full epic folk metal shot, marvellous chorus and  including orchestrated background and headbanging action that will keep your fist in the air, epic track that brings you to the Taberna Trollis, mid-fast tempo track with the most catchy chorus to sing along in the gigs, pint of beer in hand! Enjoyable from start to finish with the last track of the album, Helios sky , being like an epitaph orchestrated ending of sophisticated chorus with multiple vocals mixed in a harmonious canon  that shades to the final silence.

Caladmor really are very experienced in what they do, and they demonstrated they can create a masterpiece of pure Folk metal combined with medieval epic metal with refined orchestral structure album, good production also.
Of stones and stars is the work that will take Caladmor to the leading bands in the world of Folk metal scene, every member of the band work in perfect harmony and I have to remark the excellent quality of the two vocals, the interpretation of the themes are really impressive, excellent job.

9 / 10 




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