Viddernas tolv kapitel

Lönndom’s “Viddernas Tolv Kapitel” is very much in the spirit of Ulver’s “Kveldssanger” or Wardruna’s “Runaljod.” That’s certainly impressive company to have, and Lönndom deserve the comparison in every way. It should be no surprise then that what the band has produced is not, in fact, metal at all, but spiritualistic folk with only the bare minimum of instrumentation. The album’s aims are entirely atmospheric, as “Viddernas Tolv Kapitel” works to captivate the listener with chants, natural sounds, and acoustic passages. That being said, if you don’t like folk you will not like “Viddernas Tolv Kapitel.” But, then again, if you absolutely hate “Viddernas Tolv Kapitel” there might be something wrong with you. A metal fan might find it boring, but at least it’s inoffensive.

With five tracks that go beyond the five-minute mark, Lönndom are really demanding a lot from their listeners, particularly considering how minimalistic their approach is. Nine-minute-long songs like “Vindaflykt” are hard to tackle for any genre, especially folk, which by nature usually resorts to repetitive song structures to maintain direction. Lönndom, on the other hand, don’t go the way of campfire refrains and choruses but, instead, keep the acoustic guitars slow and sweeping, with the deep vocals adding sparse chants. In consequence, “Viddernas Tolv Kapitel” straddles the line between keeping the listener’s attention and pioneering new frontier that, while being digressive, contributes to the album’s mysticism. So what exactly do Lönndom do to keep the listener from falling asleep?

The opening track, “Välkommen Ut,” won’t have you jumping out of the gate. In the typical style of an intro, it starts with natural ambience, such as the blowing of wind and the sound of chimes, but both are done subtlety and tastefully. Likewise, you may feel underwhelmed when the acoustic guitarist joins to strum some lazy chords and the vocalist lets loose with trance-induced mumbles. But then, when the sound of whistling comes into the mix, it becomes clear that “Viddernas Tolv Kapitel” is about more than vague melancholy. It’s about forgotten spirituality.

Therefore, the album’s mood is such that it must command the listener’s attention in order to be fully appreciated but, in the way of dispassionate folk music, it doesn’t demand the listener’s attention with flashy composition and unnecessary ornaments. However, Lönndom do frequently employ ambient sounds like those of wind, fire, birds, and rain. For the most part, these sounds do not act as filler and exist in the background to add atmospheric flavoring. Rain adds to the pensive tone of “Vindaflykt” and “I Vattnets Flöde,” while fire heightens the mystical tribalism of “Uttorkad Vare Forsen.” All such ambiance is done so subtlety that it doesn’t push the music too far off course and avoids being contrived.

Still, there is a sense that some of the tracks may be a bit too long for such a minimalistic style. For example, the first half of “I Vattnets Flöde” is full of motion with Empyrium-like acoustic passages, but in the second half the song takes to the spacious strumming of chords. Similarly, “Skaldekonst om Ljusets Återkomst” doesn’t pick up until the middle with chants and a percussive beat provided by a tambourine. It doesn’t help that the vocals are incredibly sparse. With their unemotional and low-pitched style, the vocals are perfect for supporting the tribal atmosphere with chants, but unfortunately they are underused. For these reasons, “I Fälens Ände” is arguably the best track on the album. If it isn’t, it’s certainly the most focused. Interestingly, the song starts off like a Scandinavian take on the Wild West. The vocalist chants for almost all of the track’s length, and the shuffling rhythm of the guitars give the music a noticeable beat that is both hypnotic and refreshing.

“Viddernas Tolv Kapitel” is missing an accessible attention-hook, that special something, that is so important for this style of folk. In “Weiland,” Empyrium compensate with full orchestral arrangements, while in “Kveldssanger” Ulver keep the songs short and simple. What Lönndom left out is something so simple that it could easily make this already great release outstanding—namely, percussion. The tambourine section of “Skaldekonst om Ljusets Återkomst” is one of the best moments of the album because it offers a substantial beat and some menacing rattles that lead into foreboding chants. It’s subtle but effective, and Lönndom wouldn’t have needed to add anything explosive—just something to give the acoustic meanderings a heartbeat.

Lönndom’s departure from the expansiveness of “Fälen Från Norr” wasn’t necessarily made for the better, but it does showcase a side of the band that was, until now, unseen. “Fälen Från Norr” stuck to the hypnotic folk-tinged metal formula established during the band’s earlier incarnation, LIK, but “Viddernas Tolv Kapitel” is Lönndom’s successful movement toward new ground. It is a mature album in both spirit and composition, and its minimalism should not be mistaken for laziness. In any case, “Viddernas Tolv Kapitel” requires an attentive listen, if its magic is to work most effectively.