Band:	Bhleg
Album:	Draumr Ást
Style:	Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	December 2014

01. Solkronan
02. Kosmos Pulsådra
03. Nyckeln Till Livskraftens Ursprung
04. Alyr
05. Brunnens Hjärta
06. Skymningsdrömmar
07. Brunnakrar
08. Stjärnkartans Väv
09. Draumr Ást

To despair, or to contemplate? That is the question.

Bhleg, apparently meaning "to shine" according to various websites documenting the band's existence, is made up of two Swedish multi-instrumentalists, born from the ashes of their previous project, Ljuset. Their style can easily be summed up as early '90s folk black metal in regards to style, sound, and philosophy, delivering a melancholic message of times long forgotten from their Scandinavian roots. Obvious comparisons to (early) Ulver have been tossed around and while those are more than accurate, this is far from a carbon copy. Though that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Draumr àst is rife with elements never explored in any meaningful way throughout the rest of their following releases, more specifically in regards to its overall songwriting. There is a clear vision being explored here with a more emotional display of musicianship, building up leads that actually progress beyond concepts and reach their ultimate end. The ethereal ambient interludes found here eventually get replaced by slightly more somber acoustic guitars, which stylistically is more appropriate, but it removes some of the charm from this earlier sound. If these aspects were incorporated and improved upon in future recordings, then Bhleg might be a household name in the scene. As it stands right now, however, their inconsistent efforts have resulted in them being overlooked and disregarded by most who've paid them attention.

While it isn't that uncommon for a debut album to be heralded as the strongest in a discography, it's a bit more surprising that this particular debut is the strongest, as it offers plenty to build upon. From a foundational standpoint, it has about everything one comes to expect from this sort of material, but in a passion-before-technicality approach. That isn't an inherently negative thing, but a better balance of the two can do wonders when it comes to bringing it all together musically. The hands-off production is also the best thing going for Draumr àst, as it lets the guitars really stand out. The riffs aren't overly technical or even sorrowful, but they carry a certain sadness in their tone that permeates the entire album. Anyone familiar with this genre knows that establishing an atmosphere is paramount and though Draumr àst isn't about to find itself mentioned alongside anything released by Wodensthrone or Drudkh, it has its own identity of balancing sorrow and spite. Combined with invigorating raspy growls and some decent background drumming, this comes off as an enjoyably flawed addition to the oft-growing world of folk black metal. It's just too bad these flaws were only exacerbated rather than ironed out in the following years.