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Blog Categories Review URFERD - Resan - Reviewed By Jenny Tate!

URFERD - Resan - Reviewed By Jenny Tate! Monday January 10 2022, 5:43 PM

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URFERD - Resan - Reviewed By Jenny Tate ! Check it out here at this link: https://jennytate.wordpress.com/2022/01/10/urferd-resan/

Brainchild of Daniel Beckman (Twilight Force, Ages), Urferd is a pagan folk metal creation, with a darkened focus.

The debut 8 track, ‘Resan’ is a journey, of sorts, through the shaded mystique and comfort of nature, within Nordic forest backdrops.

Gryning – A gradual opening paints an aural landscape of a natural backdrop, with bird sound in the background. Ambient and fantasy-esque, all at once. Tribal drum beats lead into a bigger sound, still fading, intermittently into the background, as the birdsong continues. A brief, quiescent intro.

Avfard – Mediaeval sounds intro, with ominous tones, gradually building. A stronger rhythm plays out here. A Celtic string section adds to the mystical atmosphere. It’s a beautifully performed track, just holding back enough to enhance the mystery, deepening the low vocal baritone. Much more instrumental than vocal, with a constant slow rhythm. A lot of imaginative material here, featuring a sense of controlled drama. So much visual imagery entwined within it. Enthralling, in its own way. Very much focused on powerful atmospherics.

Strovtag – A lighter, but still atmospheric intro. The rhythm retains a hypnotic element. Another thoughtful blend of accompaniments, adding further to the mysterious aura. It’s moody and contemplative, creating an impressive balance between light and shade, with a sense of approaching darkness in the wings. Ending on distant sea gull cries.

Hymn – A louder drum beat opens, now with mournful choirs, softly crooning, as the tension builds. Lots of dramatic impact. Something almost reverential about this sound. Well timed rhythms and again, very visually evocative. Ending on low vocals, similar to the tolling of a funeral bell.

Envig – Powerful drum hits intro, as tribal warrior sounds. Moving into a mid-paced rhythmic rumble, intoning approaching threat. The string section brings the light. Again, building that sense of gathering momentum. Now into a folky refrain, as of reels and jigs, being danced, in a forest clearing, amidst an ever-growing battle warning. Interweaving Celtic mysticism and mediaeval folk, sublimely. Closing on a soprano recorder tone.

Vaka – A deep, basic woodwind instrumental intro’s, as light and heavy percussion beat out a threatening rhythm, joined by other accompaniments and a wintry atmosphere, as the deep vocals quietly add a pointed tone to the warning sounds. Olde-worlde melodies craft an impression of myth, legend and ritual celebrations. Continuing with the relentless drum beats, right to the end.

Hemfard – Opening on a bass tone of a didgeridoo sound, amongst the continuing forest backdrop, with that same sense of lingering menace, entrenched within the tribal drums. Yet once more, the light shines in, through the softening atmospherics, now with a Native American vocal added to the ritualistic themes. Here, the rhythm remains unchanged.

Dvala – Here, a male/female vocal combo intro’s, with a mediaeval melody, fittingly accompanied by the string section. It’s a very emotional sound, with a mournful tone, throughout, but still, there are glimpses of light. Gently, yet insistently conveyed. There’s a strong narrative thread to it, along with an equally strong sense of stories passed down, through generations. Fading out on just the female voice, echoing, into the background.

Overall – ‘Resan’ is a powerfully convincing and deeply haunting portrayal of ancient ways and rituals, perfectly performed, with sincere conviction and enigmatic mystery. Whilst not exactly the most uplifting production, it’s real and it’s evocatively delivered, with impressive precision and clear perfectionism. Its essence lingers, like a vivid dream.

9/10 ********* - Jenny Tate

Release Date: April 15, 2022

FFO: Eluveitie, Moonsorrow , Equilibrium

Location: Falun, Sweden

URFERD signifies the beginning of a new and additional musical chapter for its founder and sole member, Daniel Beckman (TWILIGHT FORCE, AGES), and brings a refreshing new perspective to the genre, challenging the boundaries of dark atmospheric folk music. The first album “RESAN” is a musical odyssey in both a literal and figurative sense. The album takes the listener on a journey through dark and olden nordic forests; where strife and hardships follows in our steps, yet where the beauty and vastness of the solemn nordic landscape persists and permeates. From the album opening’s depiction of a serene morning’s dawn, to the closing track’s respite of a hearth at nightfall, RESAN traverses a multitude of captivating musical landscapes and themes throughout its eight songs.

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