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By RYAN MAVITY
If you need an excuse to like I Krig, the new album by Vreid, I present two reasons: 1. It is entirely sung in Norwegian; and 2. the first song has cowbell. Yes, Vreid has the fever as well.
Actually, Vreid isn’t a terrible band; in fact, they are fairly decent. Is that faint praise enough? The band has quite a few moments where they kick a little ass, as they mix a pummeling blend of thrash and death metal, combined with a progressive edge. Of course, I cannot quote any of the lyrics, given that I do not understand Norwegian. (Then again, since three-quarters of the Candlelight roster comes from Norway, perhaps I should be better versed.)
Back to the music. I wouldn’t quite call Vreid Viking metal, but there is a definite Norse/folk vibe, particularly in the eight-minute title track, which blends pretty much everything you can find into one song: fuzzed out guitars, triple-time freakouts, violins, and more stops and starts than a bad porn scene. I Krig has the kind of goofy charm associated with a lot of Viking metal. I’ve always enjoyed this little subgenre because it combines everything ridiculous yet cool about heavy metal in one crazed package. “Svart” is damn near a pop song with its catchy hook, though “Folkefiendar” tries a little too hard to be demonic. This album’s best moments are when the band isn’t trying to be evil.
So is the album any good? Sure. I Krig, is like a Snickers bar for metal fans. You will either enjoy the heaviness of it all or you will be amazed by its absurdity and then once it’s over, you will probably forget it. But it sure was a pretty fucking good piece of candy while you had it.
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