MÅNEGARM

Release Year: 2015
Artist Origin: SWE
Style: dark folk viking black metal

for the first time in fifteen years, having made a necessary line-up adjustments and jumping to the ambitious Austrian label, Swedish Vikings finally make a resounding return after more substantial hiatus with this twelve-tracker [2013], which, according to frontman Erik Grawsiö, captures occasional glimpses of return to their roots, particularly in its more aggressive compositions; however, this is by no means an attempt to turn back the creative clock, as considerably greater attention has been paid to arrangements and cohesive choruses, bringing together not merely chains of individual riffs, but fully realized songs; Pierre's departure forced Erik and Jonas to take over lyric writing duties, meaning that most of the songs are sung in English for the first time, while violin parts are carried on impeccably by Martin Björklund, preserving the Nordic folk accents, thus marking the beginning of a new chapter, retaining both unmistakable Månegarm spirit and newfound sense of creative independence