By Phil Cooper
Vanir appeared on my radar early last year when I got the chance to review their excellent ‘Allfather’ album. It was an album that showcased the culmination of their work thus far and highlighted the Danish six-piece as a dominant metal force. It was also, for my money, the top album of 2019. They’ve now been around for a decade and since the release of ‘Allfather’ have consistently been gigging and earning new fans. In addition to this, over the years they’ve developed their sound into a heavier delivery that is now notably different from their early recordings.
This has led to the idea behind ‘Ten Years of Mead and Metal’, a five track EP that will serve to introduce newer fans to Vanir’s back catalogue and simultaneously update some tracks to the newer Vanir style.
Opening with ‘Særimners Kød’, the title track of their 2011 album. The difference is immediate. The original opened with a heavily folk laced instrumentation and rhythmic phrasing pattern. While it’s a solid track in terms of folk-influenced metal, there was something lacking in terms of body. That’s been fully addressed here. Now in place of the leading folk instruments, the guitars take centre stage. The percussion has been up gunned and the vocals now more aggressive. The result is a thick textured dominant metal track that shifts dynamics and provides a head banging introduction to the EP. The following two tracks are also taken from the same album and receive a similar treatment.
‘Rejsen til Udgårdsloke’ originally heavily featured an accordion which combined with the tempo and guttural vocals gave the track a blackened sea shanty style. On ’10 Years…’ the track has been given a full metal work over. Once again, the guitars take the lead with the melody, the percussion is more pronounced and commanding matching the vocal energy. The folk leanings are retained with the rhythm pattern and tempo, yet it’s undeniably heavier than the original with a faster paced energy as indicated by the fact that is shorter than the original.
‘Gildet’ is also taken from the same album as the previous tracks and is the last track to receive a reworking. As with the other two, the feel of the track in terms of its folk influence is still retained yet is reinterpreted. It’s taken on a more furious nature with the aggression of the instruments propelling the tempo and the music now effectively matches the vocal stylings to provide another head down no nonsense metal track. Vanir have packed in a little surprise for their fans with the inclusion of new track, ‘Kringsatt av Fjender’. A clear-cut metal track that fits in neatly with the heavier direction they’ve taken. The melodies and guitar riffs are highly infectious drawing the listener in while the rhythm section provides a crashing powerhouse backing everything up. The vocals though are full of raw energy with both delivery and style. This in turn matches well with the main guitar melody and drives the engaging sound created by the whole song. It’s a track that provides a good indication that Vanir have certainly found their groove going forward. A reprise of ‘Særimners Kød’ closes the EP with the addition of the lyrics now being sung in English which provides a nice twist.
’10 Years of Mead and Metal’ isn’t a career to date retrospective in the traditional sense. Vanir have clearly identified that their sound has undergone a number of changes and they’ve sort to recognise that by updating some of their earliest tracks to come back into line with their modern sound. It’s a release that provides something for both old and new fans in that respect. New fans get an introduction to older tracks they may otherwise have overlooked. Established fans get to hear a reinterpretation by the band themselves and enjoy them in a new light, plus the added bonus of a fresh track too. Hopefully, this EP will be a steppingstone to more new music from Vanir as ‘Allfather’ was a solid metal offering and they’ve clearly hit their stride now.
- ‘10 Years of Mead and Metal’ is released on 17 April.
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