I had real trouble motivating myself to come out tonight, so as a result I only catch the last song of Wayfarer. Normally, I wouldn't score someone on less than two songs but it is quite a lengthy track so it does give me a decent amount of time to get a good feel of them. The song I catch, 'False Constellation', sounds like a blackened version of Metallica's 'My Friend Of Misery'. It's progressive yet accessible. It's quite atmospheric and brings to mind a heavier Solstafir. What I manage to see is really good.
The sound balance doesn't sound quite right for Svalbard. Serena Cherry's vocals seem too loud and the guitars not loud enough. Liam Phelan's vocals are perfect though. Despite the sound issues, their qualities still shine through. Their mix of metallic hardcore and post-metal is inspired. 'Faking It' has a post-metal groove sandwiched between faster hardcore parts with swirling guitars and blasting beats. Most songs follow this formula but all are very good. 'Click Bait' opens with a downbeat intro and some beautiful clean vocals from Serena, which makes the subsequent blasting all the more impactful. Closing number 'Eternal Spirits' has a mighty doomy riff at its climax. It's been quite a few years since I last saw Svalbard and because of the phenomenal albums they've released in the meantime, I had very high expectations for this and sadly they fall a little short of these. Really good but I'm still a little disappointed.
Enslaved open with 'Kingdom'. Its twisting guitar riff has keys sprinkled over the top before launching into a driving 80s heavy metal riff whilst the croaking vocals add the blackened edge. 'Homebound' features a chugging mid-paced Norse metal verse and a soaring prog chorus. That doesn't really tell the half of it though. These lengthy songs have multiple parts which move between various heavy genres and hold your attention for their entirety. The band's mastery of their craft is staggering. When 'Forest Dweller' gets into its blackened groove, it is vicious. 'Sequence' is insistent, with an epic sounding chorus whilst the progressive mid-section is dreamlike. 'Return To Yggdrasil' manages to balance crushing riffs with epic, hypnotic prog. There's a beautiful 'Painkiller' moment during 'The Dead Stare' whilst the pagan chant centred 'Havenless' is glorious. 'Heimdal's slow, lurching, twisted riffs are excellent and close the regular set. A drum solo is completely unnecessary, especially for an encore, but thankfully it doesn't last too long. 'Isa' is still magic as are the band themselves.
Enslaved ****
Svalbard ****
Wayfarer ****
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