DE SOM SEJREDE... / VEJEN TIL ASGÅRD (2CD BOX SET) REVIEW BY LARS GRILL NIELSEN MAY 2007
As
a Nattefrost fan there was no doubt as to whether I should get hold of this new
release. Although I already did own "De som sejrede..." and
"Vejen til Asgård", I regarded this release as a collector's item. At
least I hadn't heard the bonus tracks, except for Near UFO.
I know for a fact that many people have been putting forward requests for these
two sold-out albums. They now get the chance to listen to some of the early
Nattefrost recordings. If you have heard "Absorbed In Dreams and Yearning"
and "Underneath the Night Sky", you can clearly hear how the music has
evolved since the late 90s.
As more and more people around the world have become familiar with and perhaps
also fans of Nattefrost, it's great that Nattefrost's approach has become more
international with translated track titles. The album titles should have been
translated also but unfortunately they are not. "De som sejrede..."
actually means something like "Those who conquered...".
"De som sejrede..." was and still is a great album (well, so is
"Vejen til Asgård"), but this early album really shows where Bjørn
Jeppensen found his inspiration, that is the old Nordic mythology and also the
Vikings who travelled across Europe and beyond to plunder, kill, and rape (and
also trade but that sounds a little boring). As you can see from the track
titles, most of them relate to these violent times which started with the raid
on Lindisfarne in 793.
"Towards Lindisfarne" was the first Nattefrost track I ever heard and
as I already knew about Lindisfarne, I could easily relate the song to this
historical event.
Another one of my favourites from this album is "At War". Bjørn
Jeppesen states in the liner notes that some fans find this track too short. I'm
definitely one of them. If it's supposed to be that short why didn't Bjørn
Jeppesen at least make an extended version to be included on the CD for the
joy of us fans. Well, maybe as a bonus track on a future compilation...
One track that doesn't really sound like any of the others is Near UFO. This is
a bonus track and a very early one. Personally I think it sounds somewhat like
Jarre. I don't like it as much as the "De som sejrede..." album tracks
but I don't think it's bad either. Nonetheless, including this track as a bonus
gives people a chance to hear from where Nattefrost has evolved musically.
Then there's the remix of "My Pagan Blood". I'm usually not that fond
of remixes and this one hasn't changed my mind on that. Tor Brandt has apart
from remixing the track also added a lot of new dimensions, including spoken
lyrics. I think the whole idea is very original. With such a different version
I'm a little sorry that the original track has been shortened by two minutes.
Though it's a track that doens't change much as it's goes along, I can't see any
logical reasons for shortening it (but strange decisions are sometimes taken).
Continuing with "Vejen til Asgård" this is a natural sequel to
"De som sejrede...". The inspiration is found in the same place and
musical changes are evident but they are not too radical. If I were to point out
any favourites from this album, I'd probably choose "Where the Gods Are
Watching" which has great melody parts. The remix of this track, however, I
will probably only listen to this one time. The Carboneids style is very
evident. I like a lot of Carboneids' work but they've also made tracks that I
really don't like. And unfortunately this remix sounds like one of them.
"In A Forgotten Time" is another favourite and although it's one of
the newest ones from this album, I think it's the one which reminds me the most
of "De som sejrede...". As I mentioned earlier, I'm not that into
remixes and the remix of this track isn't something I'll be listening to a lot.
It's a fine, uptempo track which has it's moments.
I think "The Road To Asgard" is the first track I heard from this
album (I'm not sure though). I like this one a lot too and at last there is a
remix which I find great. I really like the funky drums.
For me this release is more a collector's item than a wish to get hold of new
Nattefrost material. I'm one of the lucky ones which bought "De som
sejrede..." and "Vejen til Asgård" before they were sold out.
With "Absorbed In Dreams and Yearning" and this year's "Underneath
the Night Sky", Nattefrost is becoming increasingly popular, causing new
demands for the old albums to arise.
So thanks to Nattefrost for putting out this nicely designed 2CD package.
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