Nordwind

Slartibartfass' debut "Nordwind" is a promising release, but falls flat in a number of key respects, which I'm sure the band will be able to improve upon.

With a name like this, referring to Douglas Adams' character "Slartibartfast", who created the fjords of Norway, the band was always going to play viking metal or something of that variety, and "Nordwind" doesn't disappoint here. The lyrics may be in German, but the band's collective heart is clearly in the north, with lots of references to mead and so forth.

Slartibartfass is also not afraid to use some unusual instrumentation. There are a great many more appearances of keyboards than one might otherwise expect on an album like this, including what can only be described as a sprightly boogie-woogie rhythm on "Baldurs Tod", which is a surprise to say the least. In fact, the whole album feels quite fresh musically-speaking, which makes a great change from the traditional template for this kind of music.

Unfortunately, though, "Nordwind" falls on three key fronts. The first of these is that it's simply too short to do anything much. The entire album is over in just over 25 minutes, with more than 7 of these being devoted to the title track. In a style of metal traditionally known for epic lengths, this comes across as a problem. There just isn't that epic feel that I like on my viking metal albums.

The second problem is that it suffers from an over-emphasis on experimentation. The different instruments I mentioned earlier are great, but frequently they get in the way of what should be going on, which is creating a memorable listening experience. Instead, we have a number of glockenspiels and other things turning up in places where a guitar riff would probably not be out of order.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the vocals don't work. My preference where viking metal is concerned is for the vocals to be harsh but understandable. These vocals are harsh in an almost comical fashion and almost impossible to understand - and I speak German fluently. The vocals here seem to get in the way of the music, rather than building on it.

That said, there's a fair amount of talent going on here. With a more focused approach and a clearer sense of identity, Slartibartfass will sound a lot better.