Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler

Everything you could ever want in an atmospheric black metal album this album can give you. The whole album has a certain vibe that is hard to encapsulate so perfectly, it's like they captured lightning in a bottle. Everything up to the fucking album cover flawlessly complements the entire aura. Truly a masterpiece, that was followed up by Kveldssanger and Nattens Madrigal.

The album has a perfect blend of Garm's black metal screaming and his famous angelic droning Norwegian choir, especially on my personal favorite track, 'Capitel II: Soelen gaaer bag Aase need'. While his black metal screaming is rather limited in terms of prowess, he shines on during his clean parts. Songs like 'Capitel III: Graablick blev hun vaer' display technical vocal ability, particularly in the high backing vocals. The archaic Dano-Norwegian also really seals the atmosphere and theme of the album. Even though the lyrics themselves I and most others do not understand Garm's delivery truly put you in the mood and explains a lot where words fail.

The album features harsh black metal guitars that fill you with a feeling of nostalgia, melancholy, and at times hope. It contains both melodic and dark riffs without coming off as having an identity crisis, instead it illustrates the story of the girl expressively. The guitar tone is not as ear piercing as on Nattens Madrigal, in fact it is quite solid and easy to listen to. As well as the black metal riffing, there are multiple acoustic folk passages and songs that share the characteristics of suspense and haunting beauty, such as on 'Capitel IV: Een Stemme locker' and 'Capitel I: I Troldskog faren vild'.

The bass Skoll hammered out works as a unit with Haavard and Aismal's guitars to deliver a grueling performance, such as on 'Capitel III: Graablick blev hun vaer'. The guitars play a tremolo picked melodic black metal section while Skoll plays a much slower, darker, and almost doomy bassline that contradicts the drums' fast speed. The bass also often follows the guitar while remaining perfectly audible, such as on 'Capitel I: I Troldskog faren vild' (which is actually where my username comes from, heh.)

AiwarikiaR's drums were terrific and showcased brutality and precision, such as on the album's closer, 'Capitel V: Bergtatt - ind i Fjeldkamrene' which displayed his metronomic blast beats and technical prowess. After all that, we're left with a wall of sound that is not overwhelming, but punctually delivers what the band intended when they entered the studio: the gloomy climate of the girl who was lured and eaten by trolls and monsters who ends up becoming one with the forest.

Kristian Romsøe's production of the album is great and creates a perfect atmosphere, he managed to find a perfect balance between raw black metal and well produced heavy metal, without overpowering any one instrument over the rest. This created a common ground for almost all music nerds and not just metalheads (there's a reason music enthusiasts always prefer atmospheric over other subgenres.)

Truly a masterpiece, even non-black metalheads can appreciate.