Review by Daniel for Nagelfar - Hünengrab im Herbst (1997)

Pagan black metal, eh? A subgenre that has always seemed to me to be quite loosely defined & hardly warranting of differentiation if I’m completely honest. But if ever there was a record that typified exactly why someone thought it necessary to create a unique identifier then the debut studio album from Germany’s Nagelfar (entitled “Hünengrab im Herbst”) may just be it. Unlike most folk metal releases, this record is without question a black metal album at its core. But there’s also enough folk metal here to mean that fans of the darker & more evil brand of black metal may be put off a bit too. In fact, I almost fell into that category myself... but not quite. 

Nagelfar was based around founding members Tobias & Alexander Frohn (guitar & drums respectively) with various musicians rotating around them over their short career. Some of you may already be familiar with Alexander through his solo project The Ruins Of Beverast where he records under the pseudonym of Alexander von Meilenwald. The duo recruited an additional two band members in 1995 before recording two demos & signing a recording contract with Kettenhund Records for their debut full-length which was released in December 1997. 

The production we get on “Hünengrab im Herbst” is very surprising for a Pagan black metal release & even more so when you consider that this is a debut. The crystal clarity of the recording is one of the highlights of the album & could possibly have lured me into enjoying the experience a little more than I ever had any right to. The mix is driven by a super-powerful drum sound. Particularly the kick drum during the machine gun double kick sections & the snare during the blast beats. The bass guitar sits way back in the mix & contributes on more of a subliminal level but the guitar riffs are bright & in your face throughout. It all makes for a controlled sonic avalanche that jumps out of the speakers at you regardless of your taste & I found it to be pretty refreshing for a subgenre that prides itself on its exclusive use of intentionally lo-fi recording processes. It’s great to see that black metal doesn’t have to be only semi-intelligible to make an impact & deliver an atmosphere. 

The performances are also high quality. Particularly the rock solid & metronomical drumming display from Alexander who plays a major role in keeping the record engaging. I also really enjoy the tortured black metal shrieks from vocalist Jander. When he goes all out Nagelfar’s sound is at its most dark & exciting in my opinion. Unfortunately I can’t say the same for his clean vocals which are very hit & miss. More miss than hit in fact. He alternates between a deep chant & a mournful goth rock delivery that reminds me of parts of Anathema’s early works but I can’t say that either approach really sit all that comfortably with me. It probably doesn’t help that these inclusions usually coincide with the folkier sections of the record because folk metal & I have never been terribly fond of each other.  

In fact, Nagelfar offer far more compositional experimentation than your average kvlt black metal outfit with the regular use of keyboards, piano & several folk-oriented instruments offering something different to break up the blasting black metal. The only problem with that is my taste really. I happen to LOVE blasting black metal. And I also happen to HATE cheesy folk metal. So what tends to happen is that I find myself digging the shit out of the start of each track only to find my adoration gradually eaten away by several frustrating & generally off-putting folky sections & this ends up tarnishing what had the potential to be a bloody good listen. I mean I love the really intense parts despite the fact that some of the guitar riffs can be a touch more melodic than I’d usually go for. The word epic pops into my mind quite regularly with some parts reminding me of the sweeping & uplifting blast sections that Deafheaven have gone on to make their name off in more recent times & others drawing on the classic Bathory Viking metal sound to good effect which can’t be a bad thing either. 

But overall I find myself feeling a touch empty after listening to “Hünengrab im Herbst”. It’s certainly a professional example of the black metal sound but I can’t help but have those what-if moments when I hear genuinely amazing material like the first five minutes of the closing epic “Der Flug des Raben (Ein Jammerschrei in traurig' Nächten)” only to find my hopes & dreams somewhat dashed during a middle section which brings several cringes to my face. The cheese factor isn’t enough to completely nullify the strong parts but this could have been a much higher scoring record for me if there was a stronger focus on the true black metal ethos.