![\"Vattnet](\"http://thefrontrowreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/promo_photo-300x193.jpg\")
When it comes to black metal, many bands attempt it, but only a select few do it well. Add to that elite list, newcomers Vattnet Viskar. Calling them black metal falls short of what this band is really about, because they are so much more than just a black metal band. The band’s complex compositions are layered to create a vortex of sound that transcends the restraints of the genre as a whole. Their newest blackend offering “Sky Swallower” is expansive and unpredictable and their most impressive work yet.
The band was founded in Plaistow, NH in 2010 and it wasn’t long after they released their self titled EP on Broken Limbs Records, that the band comprised of Nick Thornbury on guitar & vocals, Seamus Menihane on drums, Joey Perron on bass and Chris Alfieri on guitar signed with Century Media to begin recording thier full length debut “Sky Swallower,” under the watchful eye of producer Brett Boland.
Opener “New Alchemy” wastes no time establishing that this will not be a typical black metal album by mixing elements of Dimmu Borgir, Opeth and Porcupine Tree. The slow ambient intro of “Fog Of Apathy” fools the listener into a false sense of security before morphing into something that sounds like a collaboration between Paradise Lost, Mastodon and Dream Theater. “Monarch” is a melancholy musical interlude that bridges the gap to “Breath Of The Almighty.” A song that transistions from it’s groovy intro to a passage that resembles Trouble’s “The Skull,” before it’s brutal Watain meets Mayhem ending.
“Ascend” is another mellow intermission and a clever musical misdirection of what is next. “Mythos” is a sprawling doom epic that is flawlessly executed. It blends Hellhammer with The Melvins. “As I Stared Into The Sky” is a Pink Floyd type musical segue similar To “Empty Spaces,” that crosses the abyss that leads to closer “Apex.” A traditional black metal track that fades into an atmospheric acoustic finish.
Here’s the bottom line. It’s rare to see such a new band leading the charge to re-write the boundries of a musical genre, but Vattnet Viskar is doing exactlly that. If you were already a fan of black metal, you should definitely check these guys out as they are the genre’s future.
If you aren\’t a fan of black metal, this is the one band that may have you redefine what you think black metal is or should be.
8 out of 10.
-Eric Hunker
![\"Vattnet](\"http://thefrontrowreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/promo_photo.jpg\")
When it comes to black metal, many bands attempt it, but only a select few do it well. Add to that elite list, newcomers Vattnet Viskar. Calling them black metal falls short of what this band is really about, because they are so much more than just a black metal band. The band’s complex compositions are layered to create a vortex of sound that transcends the restraints of the genre as a whole. Their newest blackend offering “Sky Swallower” is expansive and unpredictable and their most impressive work yet.
The band was founded in Plaistow, NH in 2010 and it wasn’t long after they released their self titled EP on Broken Limbs Records, that the band comprised of Nick Thornbury on guitar & vocals, Seamus Menihane on drums, Joey Perron on bass and Chris Alfieri on guitar signed with Century Media to begin recording thier full length debut “Sky Swallower,” under the watchful eye of producer Brett Boland.
Opener “New Alchemy” wastes no time establishing that this will not be a typical black metal album by mixing elements of Dimmu Borgir, Opeth and Porcupine Tree. The slow ambient intro of “Fog Of Apathy” fools the listener into a false sense of security before morphing into something that sounds like a collaboration between Paradise Lost, Mastodon and Dream Theater. “Monarch” is a melancholy musical interlude that bridges the gap to “Breath Of The Almighty.” A song that transistions from it’s groovy intro to a passage that resembles Trouble’s “The Skull,” before it’s brutal Watain meets Mayhem ending.
“Ascend” is another mellow intermission and a clever musical misdirection of what is next. “Mythos” is a sprawling doom epic that is flawlessly executed. It blends Hellhammer with The Melvins. “As I Stared Into The Sky” is a Pink Floyd type musical segue similar To “Empty Spaces,” that crosses the abyss that leads to closer “Apex.” A traditional black metal track that fades into an atmospheric acoustic finish.
Here’s the bottom line. It’s rare to see such a new band leading the charge to re-write the boundries of a musical genre, but Vattnet Viskar is doing exactlly that. If you were already a fan of black metal, you should definitely check these guys out as they are the genre’s future.
If you aren\’t a fan of black metal, this is the one band that may have you redefine what you think black metal is or should be.
8 out of 10.
-Eric Hunker
