Thyrfing
De Ödeslösa

Swedish sextet Thyrfing are back after five years absence since their latest album, this album called De Ödeslösa or The Fateloose or something similar in translation, Ödeslös isn’t a real word in Swedish, is their seventh album. It has a bright looking album cover which can be said to be a bit in contrast with their pagan/viking metal musical style. Now all the fans want to know is wether or not it was worth the five year wait.

Musically not much has really happened, it is the same viking or pagan styled metal. It is heavy with dark extreme metal touches but not only that it is quite dark and very powerful, but also with strong melodies and folk music touches. It is very much a typical Thyrfing album I would say. The production is quite excellent and the sound is definitely amongst the best you can hear within the genre, although the singer isn’t amongst the best in the genre he does liven things up by singing in Swedish. The vocals are both growls and clean much like is customary in the genre but it is not the most varied album I have ever heard and the 46 minutes it plays for feels a bit on the longer side I would say.

I think that this is a good album, the sound is excellent and the performances are great as well. I especially like the trio För Helgrind, Veners Förfall and Kamp which are great tracks that stand out like shining beacons of light in an album that otherwise feels a bit like something to have in the background. It is strange that besides these three tracks, none really makes an impression on me, they just pass by like something to have in the background which for me has made this album a good one to have when doing other things as it doesn’t quite grab my attention enough when just listening. In a way that is a bit strange because this album is such a well made product and should really appeal more to me than it does, perhaps it is just a touch of disappointment that it isn’t as good as for instance Vansinnesvisor or perhaps it is something else.

I think those who are more fans of Thyrfing than I am will really enjoy this and so will all the fans of viking and pagan metal, it may not be their best but it is an excellent production with a few brilliant songs so it will be well worth it to give it a try. Since I am not quite the fan of the band and this album doesn’t quite grab me fully I will however have to settle for a middle score but as I said for the fans it will have been worth the wait.

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