Vanir – ‘Epitome’ (2024)
Rating: 7/10
Release: 16 February 2024
Label: Mighty Music
Vanir is a six-member melodic death metal band out of Denmark and “Epitome” is their seventh album. They’ve got the standard folk metal lineup with vocals, bass, guitars, drums, and a keyboard. I was only familiar with their older work, and this is a marked difference. Being a writer for a folk metal site, I prefer “Onwards into Battle”, but “Epitome” is a solid and epic album worthy of the proud Vanir name.
It starts with a death-metal boom and growling lyrics. Any good album starts with the intensity turned up to 11, and this is ticking those boxes. The lyrics are nigh unintelligible, but the song, like many on the album, sounds great. There are big, atmospheric guitar riffs and the keyboards sit really nicely in the back of the mix. Pull out the earbuds or track these folks down and listen live: it’s smooth like butter. The lyrics are haughty, epic, and battle-ready.
The real magic starts with “One Man Army”, the song has the same amazing sound, but this time the melody has a catch. It’s a serious ear-worm and the refrain is sticky and the guitar riffs are punching well over their weight. This song and “Kings Will Fall” are the real stand-out hits. The decade-long buildup of Vanir sound comes swinging with a punchy, dancing melody. “Sorte Grethe” also keeps catching my ear, and it’s worth calling out the synth magnificence in “Blood Eagle”. There’s a great chord progression that commanded my attention, and the lyrics are big and ambitious here, too.
I listened to their older work again before sitting down to write this, and I found myself longing for the old, rough vocals and sometimes-wonky synth action. A few of the tracks on Epitome fall flat. They sound good, but they don’t land like the older works. The stand-out tracks, though, are really something special and worth adding to any serious playlist. It’s worth a listen for the ear-worms, and, as always, it’ll be great seeing what they cook up next. Cheers!
Tracklist
- Twisting The Knife
- One Man Army
- Wood Iron And Will
- Sanguis Et Aurum
- Sorte Grethe
- Call To Arms
- Fall Of Arkona
- Blood Eagle
- Kings Will Fall