DeusQain
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Galar is a two man act from Norway. They are classified as “viking metal” but they bring a lot more to the table than that. They mix a in little black metal and even a little neo-classical. Til Alle Heimsens Endar is their second release. It has a bigger sound than Skogskvad (their first release) and is a bit more melodic as well.
The thing that I really like about this music is the variety of instruments they use and the way one section flows to the next. Marius Kristiansen takes care of the vocals, guitars, and bass guitars while Are B. Lauritzen does the clean vocals, piano, keyboard, and bassoon (they use a session drummer in the studio). There are also some female vocals on some of the tracks as well.
They are smart enough not to mix the bassoon into the heavier parts of the music. Instead we have songs that transition from the blast beats and Windir style melodic guitar lines into more classical moments. On paper this might not sound like it would work. It seems like two different styles just slapped together, one beginning where the other stopped but Galar’s music transitions beautifully from one to the other. The voice of the songs remains the same even though all the instruments have changed.
They have more finesse now and this is surely a more beautiful piece of work than Skogskvad. However, I feel that there was a bit more raw energy on Skogskvad and in ten years I will remember it more than Til Alle Heimsens Endar. It’s not a bad album at all, it’s just that Skogskvad is one of my favorite albums of all time and therefore very hard to top.
Galar – Til Alle Heimsens Endar (2010) Review
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