Nachtfalke
Hail Victory Teutonia
[Christhunt]
This is a side project of Occulta Mors, of Moonblood. Nachtfalke play
Viking metal in the vein of Bathory's "Hammerheart".
Musically, this album is superb. The keys form the main melodies, much as in later works of Graveland. The backing guitar is mostly relegated to the bottom of the mix, though this isn't a bad thing, because the grating, buzzsaw-like guitar sound makes the perfect backdrop for the epic songwriting at hand. Lead guitar mostly adopts a high tone, and there are some stirring solos here. Last but not least, there's even a little acoustic guitar in places. The drums are well-played, though they're mostly slow paced, as befits this sort of music. The production is a little raw, but quite listenable.
The vocals are a major high point, some of the best metal vocals I've heard in years. The main voice used is a deep, grunting growl, but high screams and even clean vocals are also used, to amazing effect. It's especially impressive considering that this is a one-man band! In places, two or more voices sing at once, creating an almost choral effect that's quite effective, but never overused.
As good as the musicianship on "Hail Victory Teutonia" is, the songwriting is even better. Most of these songs are longer than 6 minutes, and the disc itself is more than 70, yet I can listen again and again and never get bored. Some songs aren't as good as others, but the overall quality is quite high. "To Honour Wotan" in particular is an instant classic to me, with its martial atmosphere, echoing vocals, and great acoustic sections.
I'd say that this is one of the best Viking style black metal albums since Bathory's "Blood on Ice". It's better than Hades, better than Morrigan, and better than most of Graveland's Bathory-style output. Anyone who likes this style will most likely worship this album. Seek this out immediately.
Standout tracks: "Ode to the Fallen One", "To Honour Wotan", "Hail Teutonia"
© 2002 vorfeed
Musically, this album is superb. The keys form the main melodies, much as in later works of Graveland. The backing guitar is mostly relegated to the bottom of the mix, though this isn't a bad thing, because the grating, buzzsaw-like guitar sound makes the perfect backdrop for the epic songwriting at hand. Lead guitar mostly adopts a high tone, and there are some stirring solos here. Last but not least, there's even a little acoustic guitar in places. The drums are well-played, though they're mostly slow paced, as befits this sort of music. The production is a little raw, but quite listenable.
The vocals are a major high point, some of the best metal vocals I've heard in years. The main voice used is a deep, grunting growl, but high screams and even clean vocals are also used, to amazing effect. It's especially impressive considering that this is a one-man band! In places, two or more voices sing at once, creating an almost choral effect that's quite effective, but never overused.
As good as the musicianship on "Hail Victory Teutonia" is, the songwriting is even better. Most of these songs are longer than 6 minutes, and the disc itself is more than 70, yet I can listen again and again and never get bored. Some songs aren't as good as others, but the overall quality is quite high. "To Honour Wotan" in particular is an instant classic to me, with its martial atmosphere, echoing vocals, and great acoustic sections.
I'd say that this is one of the best Viking style black metal albums since Bathory's "Blood on Ice". It's better than Hades, better than Morrigan, and better than most of Graveland's Bathory-style output. Anyone who likes this style will most likely worship this album. Seek this out immediately.
Standout tracks: "Ode to the Fallen One", "To Honour Wotan", "Hail Teutonia"
© 2002 vorfeed