Naglfar - Harvest review
| Band: | Naglfar |
| Album: | Harvest |
| Style: | Melodic black metal |
| Release date: | February 23, 2007 |
| Guest review by: | Deadmeat |
Disc I [CD]
01. Into The Black
02. Breathe Through Me
03. The Mirrors Of My Soul
04. Odium Generis Humani
05. The Darkest Road
06. Way Of The Rope
07. Plutonium Reveries
08. Feeding Moloch
09. Harvest
Disc II [DVD]
Party San Festival, Bad Berka, Germany. August
12th, 2006.
01. Spoken Worlds Of Venom
02. The Perpetual Horrors
03. Carnal Scorn & Spiritual Malice
04. A Swarm Of Plagues
+ The Perpetual Horrors [Video]
+ Interview With Kristoffer Olivius
Two years ago, Naglfar released their last (till now) studio album under the name "Harvest". This album followed the "Pariah", which was excellent, so the fans expected an album that would be even better. But as a matter of truth, they never got it. "Harvest" is a good Melodic Black Metal album, but in my opinion it's not as great as it's forerunner.
In the new album Naglfar sound really fast and heavy. Something I didn't like on "Harvest" is that almost all songs are written in the same formula: 1. Fast and Heavy start, 2. In the middle of the song, it slows down, 3. Melodic and powerful (but not fast this time) ending of the song. This happens in six of the nine songs of the album. The music is very melodic; Naglfar wrote some great melodies for this album, so they created many interesting songs.
"Breathe Through Me" is one of them. It is the shortest song of the album and surely the most heavy and fast one. "Odium Generis Humani" is possibly the best song of the album; powerful, full of great riffs (listen to the perfect melody that goes with the chorus) and total Hate! It would definitely be much better if it didn't include the calm part before and after a little solo in the middle of the song. "Way Of The Rope" is not the best song of the album but it includes the best melody that Naglfar wrote for "Harvest" (hear it at 3:09). As for the song the album was named by, "Harvest" is something really different from all the rest. It seems just like a mistake to me. It is much slower than the other songs (maybe it is the slowest song the band ever wrote) and sounds like a black metal ballad. It includes a bit of epic melodies and some moments when the band tries to sound …catchy! Generally, without that song the whole album would be much better.
As for Kristoffer Olivius's vocals, there is nothing to be told. His voice keeps sounding great! The sound production is not as clear as on past albums, but at least it helps this one to sound really sick and putrid, as an old school Black Metal album should sound like.
So, to sum up, once more, Naglfar wrote nice music and created "Harvest" which is a good album. Not great like some past releases of the band but good enough to deserve a place in your album collection! So,I've said enough! Go buy it and see if I lie or not!
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written by Deadmeat | 27.03.2009
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
Comments: 7
Visited by: 87 users
| quirin Posts: 105  |
So the titletrack sounded like a... mistake to you? Well, it truly is slower than the rest, but in spite of that I saw it as the consecration of this beautiful album : 7 minutes of skilfully distilled misanthropy, which power precisely resides in thoses sweet and gloomy notes that give the "ballad" feeling. To me it's like another way to express hatred : Making it slow might be less instinctive, but more thought out (just like vengeance). This song summarises a lifetime spent in social hell, and belongs to the kind that is able to reach very deep inside my soul (probably because it reflects my own opinion so well). You think they tried to sound catchy? I hope not, for the day Naglfar sounds commercial will toll the bell of a whole ideal. I'd rather choose to think 'it is catchy', as a matter of fact. But we'll find this out with the next album. As for the rest of your review, I agree on all points, except I don't place Pariah above this one. (And, man, the last lines of this album : "These words (...) Harvest the storm..." That's genius! my heart is melting each time I play it!)
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437  |
Written by quirin on 27.03.2009 at 12:46 If it was a better ballad I would like it a lot. But the melodies of that song in my ears are not filled with hate and hetred but with something (i cannont find the right words) that leaves me savorless!
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| quirin Posts: 105 |
Written by Deadmeat on 27.03.2009 at 16:30 Ok, well, that's sad to hear. I assume it is your considered opinion. Anyway, what matters is that the album stands as another cornerstone of their discography.
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| Throne Dweller Posts: 159  |
I agree that the titletrack is the pinpoint of the album's emotion. I've always loved it, my favorite song from Naglfar overall. Deadmeat, I think the emotion you're thinking of is complacency.
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437 |
Written by Throne Dweller on 31.03.2009 at 13:30 could you explain it please???? i didn't understand what you mean..
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955  |
Quote: Yeah, i thought the same thing  This doesn't make it a bad album, but some variation would be nice indeed.To me it looks like Naglfar are in a very slow decadence. They keep releasing very good albuns, but the subsequent is always slightly worse than the previous. At least to me, since Sheol is the best one imo.
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62280  |
I agree its great, but not so great album, but better as next one
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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