Nordreich ‎"Verschlungene Pfade" CD

Cheesy title aside, the music that one can find on this disk is just that: majestic. That being said, it's astounding that Nordreich isn't more well-known and thoroughly-discussed within the underground metal community. Having also acquired 2007's "Auf heimischen Pfaden", I can easily say that "Verschlungene Pfade" is my favorite Nordreich release as well as one of my favorite black metal releases.
The music to be contained within this disk is a far cry from the Marduk approach to the genre, as not one overtly unnecessary venture into "fast-as-fuck!" territory can be found. For the most part, the tempo of this album is mid-paced, although tremolo riffing and double-bass attributed speed is to be found. There are blast beats here and there, but they are tastefully used and fit extremely well within the structures of the songs themselves. In my opinion, this "restraint" only adds to the atmosphere that, as one will find upon listening, this album is dripping with.
As any dedicated fan of black metal should know, whether it be evil, enigmatic or misanthropic, atmosphere is an extremely important aspect of the genre. The atmosphere presented by these tracks is none of the above, but is instead of an extremely proud and determined nature. This is somewhat common within bands that dabble in romantic nationalism, as Nordreich certainly does, but don't allow the term "nationalism" deter you. This isn't the idiotic and blatantly racist drivel of Slave Whipping Blasphemy we're dealing with. I only even mention romatic nationalism because this release has the ability to make one feel proud of their heritage, especially if it consists of those with barbaric roots (Vikings, Celts, etc.) although the origins of one's genealogy doesn't matter in the least to fully appreciate this album.
The music presented herein is, in a word, spectacular. Also, the fact that Nordreich is a one-man band just adds to the overall impressiveness. To get a feel for the sound of the album, imagine "Under a Funeral Moon"-era Darkthrone and infuse it with early Nokturnal Mortum (minus the symphonic element). Now, imagine that Wrest of Leviathan is behind the drum kit. This description probably tarnishes the true genius of this album, but you get the idea. As with most black metal, the riffs take center stage here and really captivate the listener with the aforementioned atmosphere.
The guitar playing and drumwork really stand out on this release. There are the standard tremolo riffs present, as is the norm with most black metal, but there are also palm-muted riffs akin to death metal and almost rock-like structures to be found here which only aids in adding variety and keeping the listener interested. Speaking of variety, the vocal stylings of Skatval are extremely differentiated, yet all flow within the mix quite nicely. The dominant style here is an almost whisper-like rasp drenched in reverb but there are also deeper, almost death metal-like grunts scattered few and far between. As I said before, it works very nicely.
In summation, this release is simply stellar; the songwriting being just too fuckin superb. If you think you could whole-heartedly get behind intense black metal with folk/pagan elements, some rock structures, and minimal aspects of death metal woven into its musical tapestry, then pick this the fuck up. You certainly will not be disappointed.

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