Album Review: Folkvang - Atmospheric Black

Artist: Folkvang (Belarus)
Album Title: Atmospheric Black
Record Label: Wintersunset Records (Finland?)
Released: 2009 (December)

Atmospheric Black is kind of a silly name for an album, but at least it's an apt description of the music you'll find. Folkvang is atmospheric black metal with a nature/heathen focus. If you want a lazy comparison, think Burzum except a little easier to stomach. This is the project's third full-length album and the first in which band founder Wind is not alone. On this album, he is joined by drummer Incarnatus (of Pagan Hellfire, a Canadian project with which Folkvang did a split release last year).

The music is mostly mid-paced black metal with decent, full production. The songs have a relatively simple construction, but it's pleasing to my ears. Honestly, this isn't much different than the previous two Folkvang albums, or the two splits that were released in the meantime (besides the one with Pagan Hellfire, there was a split with the UK's Wodensthrone which was also quite good), so if you're already familiar with the project, there won't be any big surprises here. For those of you who aren't already familiar with Folkvang, you might find this enjoyable if you like similarly atmospheric bands like Drudkh, Winterfylleth, or the aforementioned Burzum or Wodensthrone. I'm not well-versed in this style of black metal, so there are probably many other bands with which I could compare Folkvang, but this is the best I can come up with at the moment.

The vocals are treated with some distortion and reverb, like the vocals in Burzum's Filosofem. Some may not like the vocals because they're pretty monotonous, but I think they have a good sound. Unlike on the previous albums, which used Belarusian lyrics in a few songs, all the lyrics appear to be in English on Atmospheric Black. There are some pretty nice moments of acoustic guitar on the CD, like those that begin "Back to the Roots" and "Field of the Dead Fires," though I would have liked to have heard more. The latter track, which closes the album, is mostly instrumental, and it has a lot of nice moments that reminds me of Drudkh. The drums are well-recorded, maybe a little loud in the mix, and are unspectacular but solid. The riffs are melodic, with occasional solos. Nothing spectacular about the guitars, but they're solid and well-recorded.

I strongly doubt that this album is going to set the black metal or pagan metal genres on fire, but it's a pleasant and strangely relaxing experience that may appeal to many fans of atmospheric black metal. It's likely to be overshadowed by higher-profile albums, but there's a nice listening experience here for those who like this style of metal.