Himinbjorg Golden Age
Adipocere Records CDAR79 2003
By Russell Garwood
French quartet Himinbjorg play pagan/black metal with a melodic touch rarely found in the genre. The vocals comprising black screaming and powerful, occasionally off-key singing - are provided by Zahaah, whose bass is straightforward yet effective. The guitars of Mathrien D. (rhythm and acoustic) and Anton (rhythm and lead) are good; melodic yet relatively heavy they are reminiscent of much Viking/pagan metal, and the occasional acoustics introduce variety. The drums of Kahos are solid rapid double bass drives the music well, but more deviation from this standard would help create more interesting listening.
The music is well written varied song structures keep the music interesting, and the clean vocal lines are a nice addition. Some repeated passages/melodies can begin to drag at times, but for the most part Golden Age is an absorbing release, which black and pagan metal fans may like to try out.
Adipocere Records CDAR79 2003
By Russell Garwood
French quartet Himinbjorg play pagan/black metal with a melodic touch rarely found in the genre. The vocals comprising black screaming and powerful, occasionally off-key singing - are provided by Zahaah, whose bass is straightforward yet effective. The guitars of Mathrien D. (rhythm and acoustic) and Anton (rhythm and lead) are good; melodic yet relatively heavy they are reminiscent of much Viking/pagan metal, and the occasional acoustics introduce variety. The drums of Kahos are solid rapid double bass drives the music well, but more deviation from this standard would help create more interesting listening.
The music is well written varied song structures keep the music interesting, and the clean vocal lines are a nice addition. Some repeated passages/melodies can begin to drag at times, but for the most part Golden Age is an absorbing release, which black and pagan metal fans may like to try out.
