Heimgang

Kampfar’s 2006 album Kvass was a triumphant comeback for the veteran Norwegian black metal outfit, following eight years of silence since 1999’s Fra Underverdenen, and their fourth album Heimgang (‘The Way Home’, that is, the path between the world of the living and the realm of the dead) maintains the high level of quality that we’ve come to expect from this band, with this album, like Kvass, appearing on Napalm Records. The band’s line-up is unchanged from Kvass, consisting of the songwriting duo of vocalist Dolk and guitarist Thomas, with Jon Bakker on bass and II13 on drums. Other than this basic instrumentation, there is a sparing use of keyboards, but Kampfar have abandoned the use of acoustic folk instruments which was found in their pre-Kvass recordings – there are folk influences discernible in these songs, but these are manifested almost exclusively through Thomas’ guitar work.

Still, there’s no reason to doubt Kampfar’s claim to be producing ‘Norse Pagan Folklore Metal’. Kampfar’s musical formula is beguilingly straightforward - no cheesy keyboards, violins, tin whistles, ethereal female vocals, or any of that bullshit, just good, catchy riffs and strong beats to keep your head contentedly banging. The production, courtesy of Rune Jorgenson, is dry and basic, with no overt theatricality or tricksiness, just a simple, stark presentation of the no-nonsense instrumentation. The end result is quite similar to early Enslaved (the Frost to Blodhemn period), or Drudkh with more vocals.

Heimgang contains ten tracks, totalling 47 minutes of playing time, with all lyrics in Norwegian. Compared to Kvass, the songs on Heimgang are shorter and punchier, and in general there’s more emphasis on melody and less on the icy aggression of Kvass, with atmosphere generally taking precedence over speed. Thomas’ guitar playing is supple and fluid, ranging from solid, repetitious riffing to fast folk melodies and soaring tremolo leads, with Dolk’s hoarse, rasping yet intelligible vocals (no clean vocals on this one) adding a crucial dimension of black metal harshness.

The pumping keyboard intro to opening track ‘Vantro’ has a witchy, dancing goblin feel quite similar to Finntroll, but as the band rage their way into ‘Inferno’, the sound is unmistakably that of classic Kampfar, with a melodic riff leading the charge over fast, solid drumming. Other fast tracks include ‘Marehem’ and ‘Feigdarvarsel’, whilst tracks like ‘Dödens Vee’ and ‘Skogens Dyp’ (‘The Depths Of The Forest’, which reflects the album’s cover art of dark green trees) follow a folky, mid-paced route, with slow, melancholic interludes and a bitter, defiant yearning for a lost pagan past, but the penultimate track ‘Vettekult’ stands out, striking the perfect balance between power and finesse, aggression and melody, speed and slowness, joy and sorrow. Closing track ‘Vandring’ (‘Wandering’) has a sombre, valedictory feel, with a keening, high tremolo guitar lead, grandiose background keyboards, and a tangible atmosphere of the transition to the underworld being made, Dolk’s vocals sounding distant and remote, as if they’re transmitted back to this world from the worlds beneath and beyond.

Overall, Heimgang doesn’t bowl me over to quite the same extent as Kvass, with only ‘Vettekult’ scaling the heights of songs like ‘Ravenheart’, ‘Lyktemen’ or ‘Til Siste Mann’, but this is still a very good album, which consolidates Kampfar’s position in the upper echelons of Norwegian black metal, remaining resolutely true to the band’s roots and heritage without being rigidly bound to a formulaic orthodoxy. Kampfar are touring Europe next month with support from Vried, so it may be worth checking whether Kampfar’s ‘path home’ takes them anywhere near you.

This review was originally written for Judas Kiss webzine:
www.judaskissmagazine.co.uk