Blot - Ilddyrking
Released October 2015
Reviewed 20th November 2016 by Korpi
Blot is a fairly unknown viking metal band hailing from Norway. Unsigned they release their works through bandcamp in digital and disk formats. So what is so geat about them that warrants a review; not much actually, atleast until last year. Their first self-titled EP was fairly underwhelming, standard early style viking metal with very clear black metal roots and generic lyrics. Their first full lenght album, lddyrking, has stepped it up a rung though so it's time to make mention and review it.
Adding some acoustic guitar work and some of the standard folk metal instruments has resulted in a real, albit disjointed, intro and interlude. Instrumentation is conducted well enough, though not on a "mind-blowing" level of skill. The entire mix suffers from a overarching flatness as the muddied guitar can sometimes feel like white noise. Perhaps it's mostly the mixing, but almost all the tracks sound very similar. Tracks 1:"Sound of The Horde" and 2:"Chains Forever Unbound" actually feel like the same song if you cut out the intro. The riffs were largely forgettable throughout. I actually felt my attention slipping at times as the album became too mediocre. To top it all off, there wasn't even one track I could point to and say "that was a great song"; ok that's a lie, Where Dead Angels Lie was clearly a cut above the rest, but it's a cover of a Dissection song and it's not even credited as being so!
Overall the album is done well enough to warrant a release, and maybe a buy for fans of the blackest viking metal, but I'm left with the very distinct feeling this is one of those bands that is a riot live but not on a studio album.
*If you like an album, buy it! Bands need your support.
