Heimdalls Wacht- Ut de graute olle Tied - Deel I

Heimdalls Wacht’s sound on their latest album is one that is certainly difficult to describe, as I am still having trouble summarizing my opinion on this record after four listens in a relatively short amount of time. The sound they have managed to capture is certainly recognizable, but it never really evokes any emotions or imagery that can’t be said for any other dime-a-dozen black metal band. You may think this is a bad thing, but it really isn’t in the case of this album. Yeah, nothing here is Earth-shatteringly unique or revolutionary, but Heimdalls Wacht has taken a fairly basic formula and managed to craft an album that will suck you in and make you think “why is this as good as it is?” quite often.

As I said before, the sound on this record is somewhat distinct, and the best way I could describe it would be a slightly more polished version of mid-era Graveland. The music is rooted very much so in a pagan/folk sound, although it is in a somewhat subtle manner, making the music much easier to take seriously. The prime atmosphere of the album is very majestic and epic, and this is achieved very nicely with the aid of clean sung choruses and well placed synth sections that provide the album with ambient tendencies. These sections of ambience are often placed over some fairly commonplace black metal progressions, as cold, bleak guitar riffs are played along a fairly mid-tempo rhythm.

The most important thing that makes this album one of such high quality is the manner in which the band succeeds at making average ideas great. The album has a very majestic, icy, and melancholic atmosphere encompassing it, and I always feel a sense of bitter nostalgia whenever I listen to it. Now, the previous sentence can be copied and pasted to describe almost any of the countless black metal bands out there making music with little to no substance or soul, but it would simply be complete bullshit. I cannot stress enough that this isn’t the case with Ut de graute olle Tied - Deel I. The music is technically simple (hell, I would even go as far as calling it structurally and aesthetically simple), but it is extremely effective in drawing you in to identify with the emotional output of the music itself. Though I feel it might be a tad too long, Ut de graute olle Tied - Deel I will certainly keep your interest piqued for quite some time, and often make you venture into the cold, sorrowful depths of your own inner conscious.

This album really surprised me, as I expected it to be another decent, yet disposable piece of mediocrity when I blindly listened to it for the first time. The powerful and simple atmosphere here make this album worth listening to multiple times, and I am certainly no exception to this.