Fortid - Pagan Prophecies

Fortid has grown quite a bit within the two years since their last album. Originally a solo band, and having just completed the intriguing Voluspa trilogy, Eldur Thorberg had been relying just on session musicians to help with the albums. Now it seems like there is a full, stable lineup, and 'Pagan Prophecies' is the result. From the sound of things, it seems like Fortid is leading farther and farther into the Black Metal realm when considering a track like "Pagan Prophecies." Those who were expecting lots of keyboards, clean chants, and a more Melo-death structure with Black Metal vocals incorporated will be disappointed with this one as it sounds more in traditional, yet highly rhythmic Black Metal. Sure there is a the brief acoustic moment here and there, but tracks like these are mostly going to be ferocious. Others like "Spirit Of The North" vocalize the Folk elments much clearer with a heavier section of clean vocals, softer sections aside from heavy churning guitar, and overall that nice balance between fast and slow.

Very few of the tracks employ one or the other altogether as opposed to keeping a mix of both styles together, even if the style is imbalanced. For this reason, "Lesser Sons Of Greater Fathers" and "Endalok" will probably come off as some of the stronger, unique tracks due to the more relaxed atmosphere and overall absence of typical electric guitar in exchange for a more Folk driven atmosphere with more clean the harsh vocals. For those seeking the best balance between Black and Folk Metal, "Ad Handan" displays excellent quality by switching back and forth- somewhat predictably at times- between acoustic guitar and blurring Black Metal. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the bonus track which is just... the static rain. Meant to be a bit of a nod towards the 'nature elements' of Folk and Viking Metal, there isn't much to do here except meditate to this track as the absence of guitars and vocals and drums will leave it as a bit of a mystery. But, one thing that is not a mystery is the solid direction of Fortid with their new album. It's still healthy Blackened Viking/ Folk Metal.

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  1. Pagan Prophecies
  2. Spirit Of The North
  3. Electric Horizon
  4. Lesser Sons Of Greater Fathers
  5. Sun Turns Black
  6. Ad Handan
  7. Endalok