By: AvNatten

Posted: Nov 27, 2005

Once again Falkenbach have released a mysterious and intriguing album upon us. Their latest album is entitled "Heralding - The Fireblade" and it will take you on a journey through long forgotten times. Vratyas Vakyas is the creative force behind Falkenbach and on this release he is joined by session musicians Boltthorn, Hagalaz, and Tyrann. This disc is very much like other Falkenbach works but Vakyas still manages to keep his sounds fresh and does not delve into the monotonous.

The disc begins with the sound of waves crashing against a shore, no doubt in my mind that these are the waves that once carried the longships to their destinations. The waves lead into the track 'Heathen Foray'. 'Heathen Foray' is a tremendous song that has good clean vocals all the way through as well as great choir parts and a nice solo at the end. The pace changes with 'Of Forests Unkown' which has a lot of aggression and harsh vocals much like earlier Falkenbach songs. The guitars on this track alternate between black metal sounding and slower more doom inspired riffs, the diversity is nice and adds to the track overall.

The track that has stuck its icy claws into me the most is 'Havamal'. It is stunning with a great melody and plentiful clean vocals. The lyrics of this track have been taken from the Elder Edda and translated to english by Vakyas. I would also like to hear this track done with the lyrics sang in the old norse language that they were originally wrote in. None the less though the track offers up a lot of atmosphere and feelings of days gone by. 'Roman Land' is another aggressive track but has lyrics in old German. The track 'Heralder' is another great one that mixes aggressive vocals with melodic instrument play. The presence of the violin on this track compliments it greatly.

The production on this disc is very good and lets the listener hear all the little details and folk nuances that are contained within. The instruments mix together smoothly and have great, catchy rhythms and melodies. The vocals are handled precisely whether they are aggressive or clean and are executed well. If you are in the mood for a trip back in time, give a listen to "Heralding- The Fireblade" and let Falkenbach take you away on the waves to distant shores.

Rating: 7,5/10

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