01	Dopt I En Jokelsjo						05:25
	02	Perfektionisten						04:16
	03	Spirar Och Gror						06:32
	04	Kosmosaik						05:31
	05	Idetemplet						04:52
	06	Naturens Mystar						05:00
	07	Att Bygga En Ruin						05:29
	08	Stralar						05:09
	09	Fran Materia Till Ande						05:48
	10	Vad Aftonvindens Andning Viskar						04:49

Vintersorg - Solens Rotter
Napalm Records

file under Black metal

Vintersorg - Solens Rotter

Vera: Since 1993 Vintersorg is the brainchild of the Swedish musician Andreas Hedlund, initially under the moniker Vargatron. The project, in which he is assisted by session-musicians, came into being with one main objective: to evolve. We could experience this with every new Vintersorg album and this time it is nothing else. On the first albums they explored the boundaries of black metal by adding some folk influences, on later albums the music included more and more progressive elements, becoming more intricate, nay stilted. The musical freedom regaled us with a kind of intelligent progressive music in the vein of innovative bands such as Solefald, Ulver and Arcturus and in somewhat more accessible version also Borknagar (Vintersorg is their vocalist since 2002) and Opeth.

That's why it - subsequent to the strongly avant-garde-ish 'The Focusing Blur' which was a real concept album - was time to return to the base. It means less magniloquence, not that much madness in unexpected chord phrasings and dissonance and quaint turnabouts, but an organic sound that rocks hard and in such a manner in its integrity turned out catchier. I am glad about that, for even if I am fond of any conjunction of opposites, yet 'The Focusing Blur' always remained a Vintersong album I did not play that often than the ones before because it demanded more input and exertion than it diverted me.

The previous albums dug deeper and deeper into the theme of the enigmatical universe, including all mathematic calculations and high-educated lyrics. This album returns to nature, the traditional Scandinavian folk and black metal graced with as well the beloved ferocious vocals as the distinguished clean vocals of Mr. V. Maybe the making of the 'Origin' album with Borknagar made him long to his origin. This time Vintersorg is assisted by bassist Johan Lindgren and drummer Benny Hagglund and the man who has been his buddy for quite a while: guitarist Mattias Marklund. According to this return and ever-changing evolution, the whole album is sung in Swedish. What struck me is the outstanding organic production and the (clean) vocals of Vintersorg, different and even better.

Compare the straightness of opening track 'Dopt I En Jokelsjo' with the crotchety caprioles of 'The Essence' (from 'The Focusing Blur') and you immediately understand what this long story above is about. In every song semi-acoustic fragments with an Opeth feel, interchange with savage, screaming outbursts. We can enjoy introvert piano interludes, flute, harp and magnificent violin arrangements, but next to that we also got many melodic guitar solos and even the quiescent 'Stralar' with its symphonic arrangements and jazzy guitar solo comes just in time on the record. But above all one can find a firm amount of extreme metal and "heaviness" on 'Solens Rotter' ('The Origin Of The Sun') as if the vigorous energy of this major star blazes up the protuberances and inspired the magnetic field in the Vintersorg camp to great activity. The entrancing instrumental 'Vad Aftonvindens Andning Viskar' occludes an album which will soon be considered as one of the highlights of the Vintersorg oeuvre. Highly recommended to black metal fans as well as to people who are looking for something different.

Rating 92/100 (details)

http://www.vintersorganic.com