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October 8, 2008 |
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01. Det Var Irlands Kongi Bold
02. Ormin Lange
03. Skip Under Lide
04. I Trollehender
05. Hår Som Spunnid Guld
06. Slepp Meg
07. Skomegyvri
08. Olafs Belti
09. I Lytinne Två
10. Langt Nord I Trollbotten
11. Fagran Fljotan Folen
12. Kampen Mot Bergtrolli
13. Der E Ingin Dage
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It was wisely pointed out to me by 'God-of-all-cashiers' Dennis Leung on one of my recent Metal-buying trips to SCRAPE RECORDS here in rainy Vancouver that - and I quote - 'There is no such thing as bad Viking/Folk Metal'.
How true. Much like pizza, Viking/Folk Metal - even when somewhat stale or served cold - always seems to retain a certain, shall we say...'je ne sais qoi'???...A certain cozy appeal that renders it one of the more infectiously listenable and ever-more-broadly-accepted, genre-crossing hybrids ever to emerge from the roots of the Metal World-Tree. I mean...FINNTROLL, ENSIFERUM, THYRFYNG, SKYCLAD, VINTERSORG, WINDIR...that's a pretty impressive list of talent if ever there was one. Hard to dispute that one is dealing in quality fare there. But enough rambling and general rooting-of-the-snout-up-said-bands-collective-backsides. Let's talk about the latest worthy addition to the list; Norway's LUMSK.
Hailing from the city of Trondheim in northern Norway, LUMSK (meaning I believe, 'deceptive one' or 'trickster') are the newest incarnation of the Folk Metal beast to emerge from said subgenre’s ever-growing Scandinavian scene. A broad collective of musical talent, LUMSK (including Bjornar Selsbak/guitars, Alf Helge Lund/drums, Espen Warankov Godø/synths, Hammond organ, clutch organ, and vocals, Vibeke Arntzen/vocals, Eystein Garberg/guitars, Siv Lena Waterloo Laugtug/violin, Espen Hammer/bass, and a list of guest musicians sadly too numerous to list here) are one of the more interesting and unique acts to bear the 'Viking/Folk Metal' tag. The band's musical style incorporates influences from everything from pure classical, to folk, to progressive rock, to Metal in an intoxicating aural experience that at times verges on the theatrical in terms of the visions conjured by the ethereal and enchanting musical soundscape that is created.
Debut album 'Åsmund Fraegdegjevar' is an ambitious piece of work indeed, LUMSK basically putting to plastic a musical interpretation of an old medieval Norwegian folk-ballad from the Telemark which tells the tale of the hero Åsmund, a bold warrior hired by the king of the land to rescue his daughter from the clutches of the foul Troll-Mother whose minions have taken her deep into the bowels of the earth to the darkened realms beneath.
It's a timeless piece of folklore, and a tale certainly worthy of the 'Metal treatment' so to speak. The album starts out slowly with a mournful violin intro before rising dramatically to opener 'Ormin Lange' which sets sail with a triumphant blast from a warrior's hunting horn against a backdrop of driving, heavy riffage that wouldn’t have been at all out of place on the 1957 Kirk Douglas/Tony Curtis classic 'The Vikings'. From here the listener journeys with Åsmund through a complex, progressive musical landscape of hooky, riff-laden peaks and acoustic valleys led ever onwards by the lilting, magical vocals of Ms. Arntzen, hauntingly melodic flourishes of pipe and organ, and heart-swellingly triumphant, heroic male choruses. An entrancing musical saga to say the very least!
Overall, this album works best as a single, continuous piece – much like an opera if you will - although other standouts include 'Skip Under Lide', 'I Trollehender', 'Hår Som Spunnid Guld' and 'I Lytinne Två'. The only complaint I can make with 'Åsmund Fraegdegjevar' is that there are times throughout the album when the music tends to suffer from a certain schizophrenia, or loss of focus. Is this Metal? Is it pure folk? It often becomes hard to tell just what the intent here is. For every track where the fusion of the two forms melds seamlessly, there are moments wherein the direction of the music seems to wander and the listener is left wandering, lost in a maze of meandering sonic labyrinths with no clear direction or purpose. Call it a case of 'too much of everything' as opposed to 'not enough of something' that leads to any lapses in the strength of the continuity here.
Such is often the case though when both the album concept, and the band concept itself are as ambitious and expansive as both 'Åsmund Fraegdegjevar' and LUMSK respectively.
Perhaps a certain streamlining of sound and intent is all that is necessary to fix this minor problem. Otherwise, LUMSK are an act with all the potential in the world to continue to grow and expand in whatever direction they please. As it stands, 'Åsmund Fraegdegjevar' is an excellent debut. If this piece of work even hints at what we can expect from LUMSK in the future, then they are a band who are destined to lead the charge of Metal's forward-thinking host into glorious sonic battle.
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