Review by Sonny for Beorn's Hall - In His Granite Realm (2019)

Beorn's Hall is a USBM duo comprising multi-instrumentalist, Rognvaldr alongside drummer and vocalist, Vulcan and whatever you think of them, you have got to give them credit for the ambition of their songwriting. Whilst the core is undoubtedly 90's pagan black metal, they cram an incredible amount of influences into a fifty minute album. From the Schenker-esque guitar solo and organ of the opening track to the ritualistic electronics of the closer, this is an album of ideas that could rival the heyday visions of bands like Genesis and Van Der Graaf Generator in scope! Sure, it certainly IS black metal, but with a progressive approach that, admittedly, doesn't always work, but which is laudably ambitious.

I was fiercely critical of previous album, Estuary, feeling it was disjointed, however the band are now beginning to pull that surfeit of ideas together and have produced a far more coherent album this time around. There is still work to do in pulling all these ideas together into an album that flows flawlessly, but they are definitely heading in the right direction and when they finally tighten things up and do manage to pull it all together, then I think they have the potential to serve up an album of truly impressive progressive black metal.