Rating: 8.5/10
Release: 28 April 2023
Label: Trollzorn Records

One man bands are taking over the world! It’s the 5th review in a row I write about a one man band’s work: now it’s the turn of the German band Fimbulvet and, here we go again, I’ve never heard previous works from them. Describing their music as “Darkened Pagan Metal”, the band is bringing us its 20th anniversary album “Portale” with Trollzorn records and a 36 page booklet!

The album is opened by an intro made of acoustic guitars and slight orchestrations in the 2nd half, and you already know you’re getting into something epic. The songs are filled with fast guitars, some acoustic gaps sometimes, and solos of excellent quality, and it’s impressive to think all this was made by just one person. Multi instrumentalist Stephan Gauger shuffles between harsh and clean vocals and this provides the right balance of stronger parts and the aforementioned epicness. This all results in a very fresh and pleasant listen that manages not to bore the listener.

I personally don’t go crazy with black metal so I was a bit more impressed by the acoustic parts and solos and I can only imagine the impressive amount of work spent recording the guitars in such a good way. They’re certainly the highlight of this album, making it powerful yet not too extreme. If I had to pick one song that caught me more than others, it would be the 3rd one “Neiding”, which contains all the positive aspects of this album, especially that one awesome solo near the end of the song.

In synthesis, a very well made album Pagan metal enjoyers will listen with pleasure more than once.

Tracklist

1. Schwelle zur Inbrunst
2. Portale
3. Neiding
4. Feuertod
5. Krieg der Ratten
6. Drachentor
7. Wie ein Blatt im Wind
8. Der finst‘re Poet
9. Traumfänger
10. Patron des Lebens