Wonderfully inventive folksy black metal.
The fifth CD from Swedish metallers Thyrfing is at heart a black metal album, but features elements of so many other genres, and carries them all out with such aplomb, that it'll almost certainly appeal even to those metal fans who think that they don't like the genre. The harsh vocals, the blast beats, and the sinister atmosphere that are the hallmarks of the genre are intermingled with chanting, acoustic parts and deft flourishes of synth sound. This is a record that manages to be far more accessible and enjoyable than "true" black metal, (recorded on an old 4-track in a tin shack halfway up a pine-covered Norwegian mountain), whilst still keeping enough of a brutal sound to satisfy all but the most narrow-minded of fans.
It's difficult to make comparisons between Thyrfing and other bands, but, with their folk-meets-black-metal sound they do bear some resemblance to Finntroll. This similarity is most noticable on tracks like 'Elddagjämning', with it's jaunty, jig-like rhythms. It's the sort of song that makes you want to dance a jig whilst quaffing some mead and headbanging wildly - surely a sign of some quality folk metal, But Thyrfing are by no means a copycat act, and err much closer to the Viking/black metal end of the sub-genre than Wilska and co.
It's not only folk influences that are apparent on this album. The closing riffs of the aforementioned 'Elddagjämning' has a slow, melancholy sound to it that at times begins to sound almost doom metal-esque. Then there's the gothic chanting on 'Far At Helvete', the progressive tempo changes...Thyrfing pick and choose from a smorgasborg of genres to create a unique and ear-pleasing sound that has to be heard to be believed. The oddly sinister string parts on 'Tiden Läker Intet' blend seamlessly with brutal drumbeats and feral growling in a track that is reminiscent of the finest songs by Dimmu Borgir. The melodic/heavy sound never sounds gimmicky or disjointed, and even when it all slows down for some laid-back acoustic guitar parts, it's only to provide a moment's respite before the next assault of angry Swedish shrieking.
'Farsotstider' is most definetly worth picking up, whether you like black metal or not. Although it's somewhat short (eight tracks, none of which are particularly long), it's so jam-packed with top-quality metal that this scarcely matters. If a mad musical brawl between Emperor, Finntroll, My Dying Bride and a string quartet sounds like your kind of thing, then be sure to check this out.