The Melodic Black Metal Thread
Windir - Arntor (1999)
Genres: Melo-Black Metal
The 90's metal scene was all about two things: crossing the dark side to the radio world of alternative and exploring the true darkness by experimenting with the limitations of extreme metal. In the blackened vein, after Emperor and Cradle of FIlth built up symphonics, and winter atmospheres were growing, Windir took the stage for the raw, untamed sound of old time Scandinavia. While the viking aspects of the intro sound dated and cheesy, the sound of the rest of the album is quite good. It fleshes out the style they built for themselves on their debut with a stronger sense of melody. The production of the edition I'm listening to isn't bad. I'm given the black metal feel I demand, which is busy, somewhat noisy, and yet clear enough for everything to be properly displayed. I understand that many RYMers wrote reviews long ago about how the production was below average. Considering that I may be listening to a rerelease on YT, I have to wonder if they remastered this edition.As opposed to the outright evil displayed in many different kinds of black metal bands, Windir took a very different approach. This album shows how far they can go into the triumphant, positive and epic vibes that come with the pride of being a viking. This is music right of the the ancient North. And it rarely even takes this direction to weird, seemingly inappropriate directions, like playing up the vibes to an obnoxious extent. The most obnoxious and not-so-serious thing about this album is the dated intro. In fact, the album is even so much fun that when I checked the name of the track I was on, The Blacksmith and the Troll of Lundamyri, I didn't realize I had heard four-and-a-half minutes of it, and that I was halfway through. I honestly thought I was three minutes in at most. But because the band was focused on developing a sound, there's not a lot of room for branching out beyond that. In other words, the album is mostly about the identity of the band, and justify it with the skills they have.
This is one of those albums I gave a 100 to when I was first exploring black metal, which was a whole new world for me on a multitude of levels. But now that I'm much more familiar with it years later, I've been lowering the ratings of many black metal albums. So I would even go as far as to say that this album is more on the level of Cruelty and the Beast, being a 9/10. I'm pretty happy about this though, as this common element of my recent reviews showcases how much I've grown and become aware of standards to develop. This is a fun and influential album, but having started this earlier a few days ago and having fallen out of favor is what lead me to start a plethora of melo-black albums in an effort to find that PERFECT one. So, Windir's re-evaluation helped me grow and discover something new.
89
I really struggle with "Arntor", as well as Windir's next couple of albums to be honest. I guess I'm simply not the intended audience for these guys.
I really struggle with "Arntor", as well as Windir's next couple of albums to be honest. I guess I'm simply not the intended audience for these guys.
I noticed a surprising number of negative comments throughout the reviews on the RYM page. I suppose its status could mostly be attributed to influence, like a number of early black metal releases. I've mentioned that I can't even get behind Filosofem the way I used to. I might as well post that review on the Atmo Black thread if I haven't done so already. It IS Filosofem.
God, Ben is really on point. The next Sear Bliss album I'm checking out, Heavenly Down, I've NEVER heard this kind of music. It's... aquatic black metal, right out of Avalon and composed by the Lady of the Lake. Enya black metal, and that is NOT an insult. Halfway through The Winding Path right now. Perty freaking brilliant. The blackest song so far, The Upper World, was a bit of a typical song, but the rest is quite inventive.
I've mentioned that I can't even get behind Filosofem the way I used to. I might as well post that review on the Atmo Black thread if I haven't done so already. It IS Filosofem.
"Filosofem" is my second favourite metal album of all time. Every second of it is perfect as far as I'm concerned.
I've mentioned that I can't even get behind Filosofem the way I used to. I might as well post that review on the Atmo Black thread if I haven't done so already. It IS Filosofem.
"Filosofem" is my second favourite metal album of all time. Every second of it is perfect as far as I'm concerned.
Whoa. Didn't know it was second.