Review : SVARTSOT – “Mulmets Viser”

Svartsot – Mulmets Viser
released March 24th 2010 Napalm Records

Rating: 2/5

Svartsot, a folk metal band that’s actually from Denmark (holy crap!), miraculously released a new album when fans thought all hope was lost. With the exception of Cris Frederiksen, the bands guitarist, all members ditched the band after coming out with their first album, Revnenes Saga. Cris’s determination is quite apparent, after organizing a whole new line-up and releasing this album.

Thor Bagist, the new vocalist, has a deep growl that remains throughout the whole album. Though not denying his obvious talent, his growls unfortunately remind me of Nathan Explosion from Dethklok. If Thor mixed up his growls a little more and made them less overpowering in the music, I’d enjoy it so much more. But his vocals are repetitive and monotonous.

Though the album picks up in later songs, I found it lacking depth and climax in each track. They fall into that classic folk/viking sound – nothing groundbreaking by any means. Their lack of seriousness does have it’s pros too, however. I’d call this album a fun listen, with chanting ‘da-da-das’ and catchy riffs. “Den svarte Sot” has a beautiful harmony between the guitar and the flute, however in other tracks I found the flute playing lacking inspiration and only playing the same notes as the guitar. Altogether, Mulmets Viser is impressive considering the circumstances. I can see a lot of rising potential with this group in albums to come. Cheers!

FCC OK
Try: 3, 7, 8, 11

01. Aethelred
02. Lokkevisen
03. Havfruens Kvad
04. Hojen pa glodende Paele
05. Paa Odden af hans hedenske Sværd
06. Laster og Tarv
07. Den svarte Sot
08. Kromandens Datter
09. Grendel
10. Jagten
11. Lindisfarne
12. I Salens varme Glød