Ulvegr

After the emotional beauty that was "Хладавзор", the project won't see another album for the rest of the year, which was odd since Branikald usually released two albums in a year. In 2000, however, the group returned yet again to release another album titled "Струн натянутых вдохновенья сталь". It feels like a challenge to try and top what the other albums did from before, but somehow, they were able to make yet another fantastic album.

The opening track "Askoltvegr" starts the album off with an acoustic piece that is very somber in sound and in the vain of the previous album, though it's more simplistic and bleaker than the last album. When we move on to "Жгучи мёда глотки", however, this is where things start to get intense. The guitars sound very raw, but still retains that melodic sound that was featured in the previous album. The drumming is also a bit more primitive, as the beats sound more barbaric, and repeats the same patter for much of the song. While it's clearly treading the same line from the last album, what makes this album stand out is a more bleak and sorrow take on the emotional landscape. It becomes more clearer as the album progresses, where tracks like "Разитель дух" are still melodic and atmospheric, but noticeably more darker in nature than its predecessor. Branikald found a way to continue doing something in the line of Хладавзор while also remaining fresh, and in this album, they succeeded greatly.

As for the vocals, it also transitions well with the new styling. Kaldrad's vocal delivery is still as emotional and intense as in the previous album, and when paired with the darker tones, it's only empowered even further. In the track "Энергией Ansuz" for example, Kaldrad's screams flow well with the raw riffs, but also feel empowering when the more melodic and atmospheric riffs kick in. Admittedly, it's not as inspiring when compared to the vocals on the last album, but they still get the job done when paired up with the raw atmosphere of the instrumentals.

"Струн натянутых вдохновенья сталь" is no flawless album, as the vocals are a bit weaker and the last track needing a slightly longer length. Regardless, the instrumentals are still fantastic with its raw melodic atmosphere and powerful vocals that'll leave you shocked. Branikald proved that they still got it at the turn of a new millennium, and that would only be proven further with their next album.

This demo/album The Strings of Inspiration Sing comes from a period of Branikald's career which seems to be rather obscure, mainly due to the fact that most of the recordings from this album to the Triumph of the Will (Kaldrad's last Branikald full length as of this date) were all released primarily as self-releases, leading them to be, even through downloading, hard finds.

Despite this I would state this period of self-releases represent some of Branikald's best and most spiritual work. Opening with a clean guitar ambient piece, this album displays that melancholy and cold spirit that any fan of the Blazebirth Hall scene loves. Once the black metal kicks in with the second track we are balls deep in the traditional BBH sound. Raw distant riffs, with a primal ambient drum beat underneath and the aggressive screams of Kaldrad. Kaldrad has always been one of my favorite bm vocalists, and he is always excellent. For those who have not heard his work, it is most similar to projects like Drudkh and Astrofaes, meaning his vocal sound is more of a throaty scream, not so much the raspy or high pitched screams most often heard in bm.

The production on this release is medium raw, meaning it is easily listenable and not so raw as to require some kind of masochistic mind frame to enjoy. It's not quite as good as some of the other, better known BBH releases, but certainly is far from terrible.

The music is for the most part strongly within the Branikald tradition, though I would say it presents a more folk oriented riffing style then found in say the Forest releases, or the more depressive, ambient releases like Blikk Av Kald or Av Vinterkald. It has a bit more of the aggressive feeling with the melancholy aspects being more reduced. Despite this the overall feeling is geared towards a spirituality highly influenced by Kaldrad's heathenism. This is NSBM that is spiritual and often lyrically has little to do with the mostly hate filled rants or Nazi-worship of most NSBM.

Although to newcomers of the BBH scene I would probably suggest another release (perhaps one of the Forest albums or earlier Branikald releases) this album is essential for anyone who loves the BBH as much as I do.