Brutiful_ViXn
Reign In Metal
Zodiac :  Metal Reputation : 88
Join date : 2012-01-05
Location : Vacationing in Hell
 | |  Vattnet Viskar - Sky Swallower (2013) Album Review | |
Vattnet Viskar - Sky Swallower (2013)
Century Media Records -- Running Time 37:35
What is the difference between a bad album and one that personally doesn't hit the mark? 'Sky Swallower', the debut album from New Hampshire based Black Metal outfit Vattnet Viskar offers the perfect example! Vattnet Viskar have been around just over three years and in that time have amassed a fairly large following and have signed to Century Media. That's not bad going is it? I can fully understand both things because 'Sky Swallower' isn't a bad album, in fact it's strangely hypnotic in places but overall it's not for me.
I'm very picky with Black Metal and the problem I have is that Vattnet Viskar are either flying at 300mph with blast beating so fast you can hardly distinguish what's going on or they slow right down with very repetitive, almost acoustic, sections. There appears to be very little middle ground and that is where I think the band could actually produce something really meaningful for me. Of course there are plenty of people who love what they are doing so it's unlikely, at least for the time being, that they'll see any reason to change!
Final track 'Apex' is one of the few that incorporates some more medium paced riffing and that is where I like this bunch the most, but they add to that way too much 'really fast' stuff which just seems messy and then a 'way too long' outro which is just two notes repeated over and over again. At 37 minutes this isn't the longest of albums and sometimes it just feels like the band have cranked a few of the tracks up to the seven minute plus mark purely for that reason. Personally I would have got a good editor to cut out the fluff and then we might have had a pretty impressive debut EP instead!
There have also been some lineup changes! Just as the release date of this was being announced, it was also revealed that the drummer and bassist had left the. band. Two replacements were announced at the same time but as there is now no bass player officially showing on the Facebook lineup I'm not sure how permanent that arrangement was. Regardless of that, the four that actually play on the album are obviously talented musicians and if you are a lover of Black Metal, in all its varieties, then I suspect you'll find much to enjoy. Whether new faces will bring a slight change in direction I'm not sure but at present Vattnet Viskar don't offer enough of what I like to tempt me back to this for repeated listens.
http://vattnetviskar.com/
https://www.facebook.com/vattnetviskar
https://www.facebook.com/centurymedia
Review written for Brutiful Entertainment by Rick Tilley
www.facebook.com/richard.tilley.351
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