The previous EP release Ferd still in quite fresh memory, Aurvandil is already back and now offering their debut full-length entitled Yearning. To my delight, the band seems to have fixed the glitches of the predecessor, Yearning being a really grabbing journey through wintery landscapes that no longer suffer from cheap productional values and unmemorable compositions.
It is pretty much the opposite here. Musically, Aurvandil is still winter-themed atmospheric black metal somewhere along the lines of Lunar Aurora, and this has been crafted to greatness in these long compositions often clocking even at nine minutes. In the reverby and warm production appear the remote drums (that are luckily real this time) and screams, guitars having the predominant role. And in the guitar department resides Yearning’s magic: the songs are full of grandiose lead melodies, often tremolo picked, reminding me of Agalloch. This beauty starts right into the first metal track ”End of an Age” that almost literally bathes in lush melodies in its conclusion. There’s also plenty of acoustic guitars everywhere, sometimes mixed with the black metal (e.g. ”Reign of Ice I”) or having hundred percent spotlight as on the interlude ”Walking”.
The mood of the album wanders somewhere in wistful greyness but it isn’t afraid to show signs of hope and light as well. These emotions are well mixed into the whole. While everything seems good on the record, it soon becomes evident that the only major problem on the album is its length - which is almost 65 minutes. Although the compositions are for the most part good, I’m sure there could have been some reductions to make a more compact whole, but then again, we’re talking about music focusing on atmosphere, so from that perspective it doesn’t matter if it’s a tad too long and if there’s a riff or two that don’t shine with brilliance. A hidden Burzum cover (”Jesus’ Tod”) appears at the album’s end, and although I see little meaning in covers in general, I think it’s enough well done, anyway.
Yearning leaves a lot more positive aftertaste than the mediocre Ferd. Here, Aurvandil sounds more confident and authentic even if the style isn’t revolutionary. Fans of nocturnal and wintery atmospheres (heck, just see that front cover) in their black metal should look into Yearning which stands as one of the most interesting releases in its category in recent times.
It is pretty much the opposite here. Musically, Aurvandil is still winter-themed atmospheric black metal somewhere along the lines of Lunar Aurora, and this has been crafted to greatness in these long compositions often clocking even at nine minutes. In the reverby and warm production appear the remote drums (that are luckily real this time) and screams, guitars having the predominant role. And in the guitar department resides Yearning’s magic: the songs are full of grandiose lead melodies, often tremolo picked, reminding me of Agalloch. This beauty starts right into the first metal track ”End of an Age” that almost literally bathes in lush melodies in its conclusion. There’s also plenty of acoustic guitars everywhere, sometimes mixed with the black metal (e.g. ”Reign of Ice I”) or having hundred percent spotlight as on the interlude ”Walking”.
The mood of the album wanders somewhere in wistful greyness but it isn’t afraid to show signs of hope and light as well. These emotions are well mixed into the whole. While everything seems good on the record, it soon becomes evident that the only major problem on the album is its length - which is almost 65 minutes. Although the compositions are for the most part good, I’m sure there could have been some reductions to make a more compact whole, but then again, we’re talking about music focusing on atmosphere, so from that perspective it doesn’t matter if it’s a tad too long and if there’s a riff or two that don’t shine with brilliance. A hidden Burzum cover (”Jesus’ Tod”) appears at the album’s end, and although I see little meaning in covers in general, I think it’s enough well done, anyway.
Yearning leaves a lot more positive aftertaste than the mediocre Ferd. Here, Aurvandil sounds more confident and authentic even if the style isn’t revolutionary. Fans of nocturnal and wintery atmospheres (heck, just see that front cover) in their black metal should look into Yearning which stands as one of the most interesting releases in its category in recent times.
3.5 / 5
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