Norwegian black metal act Vreid return with their latest platter of extreme metal savagery, titled V, which follows the popular 2009 release Milorg. This fifth album sees the band once again taking their black n roll, thrashy attack to new levels, mixing up more traditional black metal styles with some Motorhead attitude, and thrash & prog elements. Check out the sumptuous Mellotron waves during the clean vocal sections of "The Sound of the River", and the lovely atmospheric passages of the otherwise raging "Wolverine Bastards" for proof of their progressive inclinations. Otherwise, plenty of furious black metal to be found here, as on "Arche", "The Blood Eagle", and the blazing "Fire on the Mountain". The guitar riffs throughout are razor sharp and thunderous, while thankfully the drum work is not a relentless blast beat attack, which makes V a quite varied affair. Plenty of textures can be found in almost every song, and while it's mostly the guitar that provides the layers, you can hear some keyboards from time to time, as on the lengthy "The Others & the Look", which is a great example of how Vreid can assemble a highly complex slice of glorious black metal. On the other end of the spectrum, the haunting "Slave" mixes chilling folk with their black metal style, and it works quite well. The vocals throughout the album, courtesy of guitarist Sture, are your typical black metal rasps and screams, and pefectly fit the frenzied, dramatic music, with some clean passages sprinkled in for good measure in spots.
If you are interested in progressive black metal with thrash and folk tendencies, not to mention a healthy dose of rock 'n' roll, look no further than V. Another winner from the Vreid camp.
Track Listing
1. Arche 06:46
2. The Blood Eagle 03:57
3. Wolverine Bastards 04:28
4. The Sound of the River 04:44
5. Fire on the Mountain 05:09
6. The Others & the Look 10:30
7. Slave 03:56
8. Welcome to the Asylum 03:24
9. Then We Die 05:53
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