Heldentod ‎"Virradat" CD

Pagan War Distro / Murderous Music Production

Intolerant Black Metal NS from Hungary. Debut album, 10 years have passed since band was created !

Heldentod has been around for over a decade now, forming in 2004 as Hun and then changing to the present name in 2005. Virradat is the band's full length debut, although the band has released a few split releases and a live album over their career. The band's 2011 split with Canada's Dawn of Svarogh, Pacta Conventa, comes highly recommended to those looking for two interesting takes on pagan and folk black metal. If you couldn't tell by the band's original name (Hun) or by their latest album's title (Hungarian for “Dawn”), the band is Hungarian and focuses on Hungarian nationalism, traditions, wars and the like.
While the band's sound on their earlier splits is rather raw and unrefined, it seems with Virradat they honed their style into a rather majestic and sweeping take on pagan black metal. The album starts off with two minutes of gunfire and artillery shelling mingled with traditional instrumentation and a wailing female vocalist in the background, which almost sounds like a capture of a 1920's film reel. A rather fitting start to the album, which dances between the fiery trem-laden black metal of the title track and the melodic crescendos and swelling structures of “Mors Triumphalis”. Virradat can be seen as the gray area existing between cold and icy trem-laden second wave worship and mountain climbing, beards in the wind pagan metal. Their sound touches on both ends of the spectrum, but Heldentod never fully commits to one side or the other; remaining an outlier.
Virradat's power lies in the sweeping structures and the band's rather patient approach to songwriting. The songs are never rushed, allowing a natural climax of intensity, built from melodies that slowly lead into blasting drums and dissonant screams. “Rongyos gárda” displays this patience, as the band sets a slow burning trem riff that eventually bursts into a ferocious bout of frenetic yet melodic chaos. This solid songwriting style coupled with an excellent production job really sees the band turning away from their grainy and raw early days. The guitar tone is full bodied and engaging, front and center in the mix, while the vocals are pushed to the back a bit; just enough for the distinctive Hungarian accent to shine through strongly.
Fans of pagan black metal really couldn't go wrong with Virradat. It's a rather majestic and sweeping take on the style, yet there's still a ton of intensity, like the blasting drums and blazing trem picking on “A szoláris rend diadala”. Capturing the essence of Hungarian traditionalism and merging it with cold warfare, Heldentod certainly seem to have found their groove. The band's sound has certainly matured, with tons of melody amidst the heaviness and the primary focus centering on song building rather than juvenile blasting to no end. Virradat is a great pagan black metal album that doesn't focus on your standard swords in the wind fodder, so check it out if you're looking for a different take on the style.

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