Year: 2021
Total Time: 44:21
Label: Einsenwald
Just as the Yggdrasil tree is surrounded by the nine worlds in Norse mythology, the music of THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR looks like a tree with roots spread out in different genres of metal!
Active for over than ten years, the musical journey of these Americans began with a bastard blend of Doom, psychedelia, acoustic folk and Black Metal vocals. A very special mix that was easily placed next to names like AGALLOCH, the prog side of ENSLAVED and the older ULVER.
“Eventide” is the band’s seventh full length and their second release under the amazing Einsenwald. With nearly ten years of experience on their backs, the Colorado foursome seems to have worked this time on perfecting their sound. And I think they did it! To my ears, “Eventide” sounds like their most mature and most powerful work. Six songs with an average duration of seven minutes lead us to a post Doom Black dive into the dark well of misanthropy.
The album opener “Voland” welcomes us with beautiful melancholic melodies that very quickly turn into slow riffs. David Csicsely’s stifling vocals sound like the perfect match for the band’s blackish Doom Metal. There is a shoegaze approach though with the guitars in some places where the distortion clears out, giving this way a special touch to this composition – it would not sound unreasonable to say that there are even influences from the early releases of KATATONIA!
The mid-tempo Black Metal of “January” is one of the most aggressive moments of the album. A repeating guitar lead guides the track to the spacey solo where the distortion again retreats and the melodies bring to mind those of the legendary Blackheim. A slow cut will also look sideways to the lords of Gothic Doom Metal, PARADISE LOST before the song returns to its aggressive tempo. In “Thaw”, Doom Black metal meets Post Rock while some hymnic vocals lend a more Viking character. “Bathe The Stone In Blood” begins with acoustic and slide guitars, a darker country style reminiscent of PINK FLOYD. TFOS’ Doom Black sounds more epic here. That’s how I imagine PRIMORDIAL would sound if they were from America.
Acoustic guitars, piano and clean vocals form the basis of the first half of “Harvest”. Just like the same named track of OPETH, here this song gives us a few minutes of bleak serenity and melancholy before the distortion kicks in again by the guitars in the second half of the track and completes this awesome composition with a Post Black finish.
“Servitude” closes the album misanthropically, with mid-tempo Black Metal again, which combines excellent lead guitars like those of Greg Mackintosh. A small psychedelic passage will remind us of the band’s past, while the melancholic Doom Metal will dominate the final minutes thus giving a sweet note of despair.
THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR do not disappoint once again. Personally, I think that they released the most mature and complete record of their career. This is an excellent modern Post Doom Black Metal album. For those of you who like what I described in the previous paragraphs, let “Eventide” rivet you with its dark magic.
Rating: 8/10
Editor: Dimitris Benetatos
Related Link: THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR – Facebook Page
