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Ulfsdalir – Wolfszeit

ulfsdalir – wolfszeit

Info

This is already the third release of this German black metal collective in 2007. This is one is the last in a row of releases, preceded by an unreleased album recorded back in 2003 and a split CD with Throndt, that also contained a Burzum cover that previously appeared on the Burzum tribute CD in 2005 (both released by Ash Nazg, a sub-label of Perverted Taste).

This is a Ulfsdalir’s fifth full-length album and the first one that has been recorded as a two-piece, Ragnar (or R. Ulfsdalir or even R.U. in the past) is now completed with drummer Malthökk. This is something that surprised me a bit as Ragnar’s own drums on the previous recordings are definitely not the worst around in the one-man black metal scene, on the contrary. But, it has to be said, drummer Malthökk knows where to put a bit of fills and nice details in his drumming to prevent the music to be all too static. Though still not as fast as “Christenhass”, “Wolfszeit” is a real black metal record again and is not flirting with any of the more pagan-like elements that were present on some of the later (aforementioned) releases. The repetitive and slightly hypnotic riffs are again overall present and definitely create a cold and rather grim atmosphere. Yet, the hypnosis is broken by an occasional change in tempo or an acoustic interlude which, again, underlined the musicians love for Burzum. Still, they are not mere copycats or rip-offs of the well-known Burzum recipe of playing black metal as it still sounds more German than ever before – which results in a very military-like black metal sound, unmistakably Ulfsdalir’s. Let’s say this is a very balanced mix between the bands’ earlier, more black metal oriented sound, predominantly heard on albums like the aforementioned “Christenhass”, with a bit more sophisticated and diverse sound of Ulfsdalir’s mini CD “…Auf Einer Wanderung”.

Though I really liked Ulfsdalir’s rendezvous with more pagan sounding black metal I’m glad to hear they’ve returned to the black metal roots with which they started back in 2003. Definitely one of the best albums of this German act that is still going strong and still do not get the credits they deserve. Fortunately that doesn’t effect the quality of the bands music, at all, it maybe gives just that little bit of extra mystique. Anyway, this is released in a nicely designed digipack in a trifold of smaller underground labels (Heretic Wisdom Production, Dunkelwald Productions and Ash Nazg), so it might take a bit of a dive in the German underground scene to dig this one up. But it definitely is worth the effort!

Dunkelwald Productions

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Heretic Wisdom Productions

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