GALDR: "Ancient Light of the Stars"

What truly enthralled me in Galdr's debut from two years ago was its picturesque, dead-cold atmosphere – talk about a rather perfect evocation of wandering in the mountains in a blizzard – and what is even more amazing is that Draugr, the mastermind behind the band moniker, hails from the soil of Georgia, United States. Ancient Light of the Stars, the follow-up that, if I remember correctly, has been in the making even before the debut was out, sees finally the light of day and provides another audial journey to some very introvert states of mind.

The music itself hasn't changed here: it still follows the steps of slow-paced Burzum on Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, a modern equivalent probably being Forteresse's more recent albums. There's not much variation within these song structures, as a song usually features a repetitive and somewhat distant drumbeat along with seas of not-that-harsh guitar lines and ethereal synths. Draugr's rasps are delivered along very similar lines as Varg's, so that only adds to the similarity. But what sets this album apart from Galdr's debut is ultimately the production: whereas Galdr had that distinctive and, frankly, a rather unique sound (harsh, vicious yet beautiful), Ancient Light of the Stars is relatively speaking a lot calmer and warmer. This is probably deliberate considering the album's title and artwork which nod to the direction of night, stars, and all the possible mysticism one might ascribe to such a generally dark theme. So if the debut was a blast of winter, this is more about nocturnal apparitions in a haunting forest, up in the mountain ranges. These clichéd descriptions never get old for me when we consider atmospheric black metal...

So while the production makes the listening experience somewhat different, it also leads the band towards a less original style. Quite honestly, there are a zillion albums similar to Ancient Light of the Stars and had I not heard the debut before this one, I probably wouldn't regard this as good as I now do. Anyhow, I've had plenty of good time with the music herein and this has been my soundtrack to these dark winter days for some time now. Galdr brings absolutely nothing new to the game of atmospheric black metal dwelling, but does do it better than many others.

3.5 / 5