Domgård "Myrkviðr" CD

Released by Frostscald Records & Hexenhammer Records.
Cover and forest photos taken by Kamila 'Aserkhet' Oglecka (during her and Vindkall's journey in the mighty Carpathians). Layout by Vindkall and Paulina Isabella.

Myrkviðr was recorded and mixed in 'Djävulstemplet' during August - December 2011 by the horde of Domgård. Mastered by Andreas Haag. All music and lyrics written by Vindkall between 2005 and 2011.

Its been 2 years since the release of "I Nifehels Skygd" and the wait has finally come to an end. I recall hearing this Swedish horde back when I first got my hands on their split with Cursed 13, a band that differs a fair bit in its musical presentation from Domgård. Although Domgård back then didn't play the most intricate form of music, it was instead delivered with a kind of "honesty" that is rarely seen today as far as black metal goes, both in the songwriting and, most of all, lyrically.
"Myrkviðr" feels like a natural continuation of "I Nifelhels Skygd", but with a few distinctions. First of all, the production is slightly more raw than its predecessor, thus giving Domgård even more of an "old-school" approach both sound-wise and musically. The music itself is along the same lines as before, landing somewhere between a mix of old Dissection and old Emperor, but by now you can tell that they have managed to create something of their own. You can by now actually hear that "Domgård" is "Domgård", although you will notice a certain "'90s vibe" while listening. There also seems to be a bit more focus on the use of synthesizer/keyboard and that is actually something that I have been wanting to hear them use more since it creates a more ominous and mysterious atmosphere than before.
What first made me feel that this band was something "out of the ordinary" was when I first read the lyrics (most of them written by Vindkall if I'm not mistaken) where you could sense how much they work, but most of all the devotion that was put into them. The lyrics for "Myrkviðr" are no different in the sense that it's still very well-written and if you have an open mind you can almost feel how you are being drawn into the mind of the "author" of the lyrics, as they feel like personal experiences being recited. For a more in-depth lyrical synopsis, I suggest that you go to Domgårds official site (MySpace, Facebook or whatever you prefer) in order to find out more.
There are, however, some minor issues that I have with "Myrkviðr" and I actually had a hunch that it would be the same kind of issues that I had with "I Nifelhels Skygd", namely the drums. The drumming itself is good for what it is; they keep the pace and they don't do anything overly dramatic since the guitars themselves are interesting enough as they are. However, its the sound of the drums that I find to be rather "muffled", although I reckon that this is what they wanted for the recording.
Being that Domgård has four members, you might not expect that everyone in the band would throw in vocal duties, but that's what was really interesting to hear on their split with Cursed 13 and also on "I Nifelhels Skygd". Here, however, it feels less diverse as far the vocals go and what you get is basically Vindkall (he has a quite distinct voice that is easy to make out if you've listened to them a couple of times) and some darker, growled vocals. It's too bad since that's something they made good use of on their previous material, but there are moments like the "werewolf-ish" scream in "Thursmegin" that show off some quite impressive vocalization. The most surprising vocal aspect would have to be the use of clean vocals in "Helvigd" during the chorus. It doesn't take over and it doesn't last long, but it makes the song a bit more interesting.
To sum it all up, "Myrkviðr" is definitely a step up from "I Nifelhels Skygd" in my opinion with much thanks to the rawer approach and the way that the keyboards have been used, and also thanks to well-written songs and lyrics that are destined to stay with you after the running time of the cd is over.

Sample: