Naglfar Pariah
Century Media CD77502-2 - 20/06/2005
By Patrick Walsh
Naglfar have been building a fairly sizable following since their Vittra debut in 1995. This is the Swedish black metal troupes fifth release, so youd expect a fairly mature sound from this group, and youd be right. Pariah is slick as they come, very well produced and full of biting riffs and scathing lyrics. Sounds perfect dont it, and it almost would be if only Naglfar were capable of writing songs a little more engaging.
Dont get me wrong, Naglfar have a lot going for them; A Swarm of Plagues is a speedy, modern black metal affair that holds the attention quite well, recalling Dimmu Borgir when theyre not letting their orchestra bury the music. Spoken Words of Venom follows a similar path, before The Murder Manifesto slows things down ever so slightly. So far so good, but then again, so far not too amazing either. You see, whilst Pariah is nicely polished, nicely produced modern black metal album, it fails to hold the attention for the duration of its length. The crispness of the guitars actually serves to take away a little of the venom that might otherwise have prevailed. In fact, comparisons to Dimmu Borgir are to be found throughout this disc, particularly the vocals of Kristoffer W. Olivius. Unfortunately, Naglfar also prove a little hollow when the shiny surface is removed. Most of the songs on Pariah tread a similar path, and the songwriting simply isnt strong enough to captivate for its 40-odd minute running time. Its a shame really, as lurking within this album are some very good tracks. Like Spoke Words of Venom and And the World Shall Be Your Grave, but overall this is lacking the spark to lift it into the upper black metal echelons.
6/10
Official Naglfar Website
Official Century Media Website
Century Media CD77502-2 - 20/06/2005
By Patrick Walsh
Naglfar have been building a fairly sizable following since their Vittra debut in 1995. This is the Swedish black metal troupes fifth release, so youd expect a fairly mature sound from this group, and youd be right. Pariah is slick as they come, very well produced and full of biting riffs and scathing lyrics. Sounds perfect dont it, and it almost would be if only Naglfar were capable of writing songs a little more engaging.
Dont get me wrong, Naglfar have a lot going for them; A Swarm of Plagues is a speedy, modern black metal affair that holds the attention quite well, recalling Dimmu Borgir when theyre not letting their orchestra bury the music. Spoken Words of Venom follows a similar path, before The Murder Manifesto slows things down ever so slightly. So far so good, but then again, so far not too amazing either. You see, whilst Pariah is nicely polished, nicely produced modern black metal album, it fails to hold the attention for the duration of its length. The crispness of the guitars actually serves to take away a little of the venom that might otherwise have prevailed. In fact, comparisons to Dimmu Borgir are to be found throughout this disc, particularly the vocals of Kristoffer W. Olivius. Unfortunately, Naglfar also prove a little hollow when the shiny surface is removed. Most of the songs on Pariah tread a similar path, and the songwriting simply isnt strong enough to captivate for its 40-odd minute running time. Its a shame really, as lurking within this album are some very good tracks. Like Spoke Words of Venom and And the World Shall Be Your Grave, but overall this is lacking the spark to lift it into the upper black metal echelons.
6/10
Official Naglfar Website
Official Century Media Website
