Band: Månegarm
Album: Fornaldarsagor
Release Date: 26th April 2019
Record Label: Napalm Records
I’ve known about Månegarm for a few years now, after they headlined Warhorns Festival in 2016. I was immediately grabbed by the energy of both the band and the music, and straight away took a deep dive into their back catalogue which I thoroughly enjoy. When Fornaldarsagor, I knew that I had to pre-order immediately.
The album opening track Sveablotet begins with a black metal style distortion and then fast drums and growls. There are fast and heavy sections, as well as slower, more melodic sections, and the signature Månegarm “woahs” and mix of clean and harsh vocals. Hervors arv, the first single of the album has a more melodic introduction which is much more fast paced. The instrumental is also very much more folky and there are some slower sections in there too.
Slaget vid Bråvalla has a slower pace overall, but has a blast beat and fast paced section at the start. There’s a prime opportunity for a “Hey!” chant and a slow headbang. Ett sista farväl seems to be more of a ballad style track, with some “woahs” and hands or lighters in the air motion. There is also some female vocal for the first time.
There is a bit more groove to the introduction of Spjutbädden. Again there’s a mix of harsh and clean vocal which is now synonymous with Månegarm, and the track has a more somber feel. Tvenne drömmar is fast paced and definitely worthy of a pit live. There’s also a great opportunity for my favourite kind of pit – a jig pit – when the fiddle is leading the melody. This track overall has a more jolly feel, though as my grasp Swedish is poor, the lyrical content could be far from happy.
Krakes sista strid is another more folky track on the album, with another melody absolutely ripe for a jig pit. There is dominance of the clean vocal, and there is a long ballad type section, which builds back up towards the end. The final track, Dödskvädet, has a much more traditional feel to it, it seems to be heavily influenced by old melodies and using more traditional instruments, and I really like that.
There are also two extra tracks on the album. (Don’t need) Religion is a cover track of Motorhead, and while keeping true to the original song, Månegarm has definitely put their own mark on it as well. Day Star – Son of Dawn has a fast paced black metal feel to it, and there are a lot of blast beats. It hails back to Månegarm’s roots.
Once again, Månegarm have produced another fantastic album. It’s new and fresh while still being true to their signature style. I hope that I am able to catch them live again very soon, as I am sure a lot more UK fans are! (I just wish I was able to go to the inaugral Månegarm Open Air this year, as not only are Månegarm playing, but also a whole host of other amazing Swedish bands!
Verdict: 9/10
Buy Månegarm music and merch: https://napalmrecords.com/english/manegarm/
Listen to Månegarm on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6jQgWQKirZ7IKDGN8fRtdA
Follow Månegarm on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Manegarmsweden/
Månegarm website: http://www.manegarmsweden.com/
Ostara Metal 
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