Naglfar- Harvest
Blackened Death? From Sweden? Normally this profile would be used to fit Dissection, however, with Jon Nödtveidt and Dissection with him, it seems Naglfar are fit with their new album 'Harvest' to take their place as one of Sweden's better black metal bands. 'Harvest' displays maturity and songwriting greatness which whilst the band have previously hinted at, they have now finally realized.
From the opening song, 'Into The Black', and its seemingly calm and relaxing guitar intro all the way to the closing notes of 'Harvest', this is a top class piece of work from Naglfar. Simply put, you can expect the same mix of dissonant yet melodic guitar work alongside the typical black metal vocals. So far so generic, however Naglfar have managed to somehow almost make their songs sing-a-long. I never really expected to find myself by my computer singing along to "What is wrong, What is Right, I worship the night", but I did. Simply put Naglfar have managed to pull together all the aspects of their music which appealed on their earlier albums such as 'Pariah' and 'Sheol' and make them that little bit better.
However, in summing up the songs as such I am, I think, not really conveying what it really is that makes 'Harvest' another great Naglfar. Simply put, when everything falls into place on tracks like 'Harvest' or 'The Mirrors Of My Soul' and [I]that[/I] riff, the one that sends shivers down your spines starts up, you simply get transported away. With this album Naglfar have perfected their mix of epic melodies and of course cutting-edge black metal styles, making it a real treat for fans of the genre.
This album is certainly no real progression from 'Pariah'; there's little that is new or innovative to Naglfar's sound here. However, what 'Harvest' does have is the riffs, the atmosphere and the suitable amount of brutality to please all fans of the Blackened Death genre. If you are a fan of their older material, or similar bands such as Dissection, then this album is a must purchase for you.