Virgin Hearts

After releasing the insanity that was "Hail the Warrior", it seemed like things were only going to get even more intense with the next album. But when "Virgin Hearts" came out two years later, it looks as though the band chose to step things down with the rawness and instead decided to go for a more straightforward approach to the Ildjarn-worship. While some might be disappointed by this chance, I actually don't mind it too much.

Just like the previous release, the album opens up with a minimalist synth piece intro before moving to the metal tracks, the first one being "Hiding, Waiting". Right away, the production is a lot more cleaner with the instruments feeling more balanced, though there is still some rawness leftover from the last album. As for the guitar riffs, instead of the more aggressive style of composition, the guitars plays some more groovy and upbeat riffs, which is done pretty well. The same can also be said about the bass, as they follow along the guitars well with some equally well bass plays. The drum machine still maintains the same minimalist blastbeat from the previous album, but given the cleaner production and more structured instruments, I'd argue the drumming done here is a bit better here. While the more groovy and melodic style is done well, they still maintain that minimalist songwriting Ildjarn is known for, which is just as effective. Besides the first track, "Partners in Terror", "The Virgin Heart", and "No Answers Above, All Answers Below" are also my personal favorite cuts from the album since they're more upbeat and catchy compared to the other tracks. The riffs might not be as chaotic as the last album, but they still retain their simple songwriting that works great.

The vocals have also changed a lot. Compared to the primal screaming in Hail the Warrior, this album utilizes more agonized shrieks that might not be as adrenaline-filled, but are still just as powerful. This is particularly the case in the track "They Bark at Demons", where the more uncanny riffs on that track contrast well with the disgusting belching of the vocals, as well as flowing decently with the thick bass. As much as I liked the vocals on the previous album, I find this more terrified tone of the vocal performance to be just as good, if not better.

"Virgin Hearts" is a more tamer and technical compared to the raw unfiltered power of the debut, but I personally find this album to be a bit better than the debut. The main reason being those catchy simplistic groovy guitars and bass that I think work extremely well within the Ildjarn style of writing, as well as the vocals being just as good. If I had to pick a favorite Valhalla Bound album, Virgin Hearts would certainly be my pick.