Windmill Cube
Urd!
During my first spin, I liked it. The Earthling was a particularly catchy tune, the melodic instrumental that followed a great tune. It was during my second playthrough that it really caught me. The last few tracks were catchy and and memorable. The Winter Eclipse is classic, fast, aggressive, double bass with raspy vocals. Again, this is what made me love European metal music. The middle section is classic Vintersorg, it’s almost unbelievable. While the album has less black metal vocals, I enjoy the mix of Vintersorg’s folk-sounding approach and the traditional Borknagar sound. This album may not be for everyone, as the band has really progressed in its long career. I find it a great album and would recommend it!
Téras
Téras is a heavy, fast metal record with Wrath’s trademark vocals and on paper, it’s everything I love about music. However, it just doesn’t catch me. The production leaves me a little bothered, with the drums drowning out the guitars on several key points. The songs are not nearly as memorable as the last few records and barring a pair of tracks towards the end, nothing grabs me. I compare this to Kalmah’s For The Revolution. This was the first Kalmah record to not be as good as its predecessor. Ultimately, it’s the weakest in their catalog but it’s still worth a listen, particularly Coward. Unlike that album, I liken Téras to recent albums of Iron Maiden, etc. The album is good enough, but why listen to it when you have better music from the same band?
After the epic awesomeness of the last few albums, I’m disappointed this doesn’t live up. That’s always unfair for bands, particularly after a long hiatus. Sadly, the best thing about this album is that they’re still using the Naglfar logo and never changed that.