Thobbe Englund
The Draining of Vergelmer

Yearning to do something faster, louder and harder Thobbe Englund put together this album called The Draining of Vergelmer. It is the second album by Englund that we review and the previous one received a decent review, it was the predecessor to this album called Sold My Soul. This is more of a Viking looking album, something that feels like a worry for myself since I don’t consider Vikings the least bit interesting, probably one of the most boring aspects of human history.

An album that is probably faster and harder and louder than the predecessor, but also flatter than said predecessor. The sense is that the album lacks dynamics, it lacks depth – I don’t think the production is particularly good the sound is too flat and none of the vocalists do well. It is also think that the album lacks a bit of variation and it is too long and it is difficult to listen the entire playing time. One thing that can be considered to stand out is the track Viking where the lyrics are sung in Swedish and the vocals sounds like someone with a serious throat problem sings them.

What a dull album is my thought when I try to convey my thoughts about this album; it is quite unimpressive I have to say. Two tracks about Vikings where the Yngwie Malmsteen cover I am a Viking probably stands out both as the best Viking track and the best track of the album – something that probably points out the weakness of this album. No track really stands out for me, and the album itself is dull and a dreary experience – it is a distinct step back from the predecessor which wasn’t the most impressive album either. If you are one of those who like Vikings and Nordic mythology it might be worth checking out.

Not really worthwhile, I believe Englund can do better as this is quite poorly produced and weak in terms of song writing. I think that it is an album the world can do better without, not really an album that can appeal to any wider audience as this isn’t good enough to stand out in the grander scheme of things. Yawnworthy album about boring Vikings and filled with dull songs, I had hopes for something more interesting than this.

HHHHHHH