Seid – Hymns to the Norse Review

By Steel Druhm

Written By: Nameless_N00b_86

Norse mythology is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern popular culture. Figures such as Thor, Odin, and Loki are now household names thanks to the popularity of Marvel movies, but many metal groups have drawn deeply from these legendary stories for decades. To them, they transcend surface entertainment value, ingrained with cultural and even religious identity. Hailing from Sweden, Seid seeks to explore the spiritual side of ancient Norse traditions and beliefs through pagan black metal. Their earlier material adhered closely to the second wave but gradually added Scandinavian folk influence to shape a more distinct character in recent years. Does fifth full-length Hymns to the Norse grant listeners a glimpse into an atavistic way of life or blend in with the vast sea of black metal out there?

Though folk-inspired, it’s tough to classify Hymns as anything other than black metal. There is no traditional folk instrumentation save for a sejd drum1 which, though advertised heavily in the album’s promo materials, is seldom utilized. The second-wave emulation is waning, with a result closer to Kampfar than Darkthrone. Chants appear frequently, either standalone (“Allfaðir,” “My Kingdom Come”) or subtly woven alongside founder/vocalist Seiðr’s rasps (“The End of Days”), making Hymns sound more like, well, hymns. Where Seid excels is reverently evoking nature, from Pär Johansson’s thunderous drumming to the echoing vocal effects that give the impression of sound bouncing off canyon walls.

Hymns does much with simple tools to build the desired atmosphere. It’s amazing how much potency a few sejd drum hits contribute to the intro of “White Beast from Hel,” and it’s a shame that the instrument isn’t leveraged more elsewhere. Other songs summon the spirit of a Viking whitewater rafting trip. “The End of Days” starts with a fantastic buildup of tremolos and blast beats and maintains momentum over nine minutes as the river winds through chaotic rapids and tranquil stretches. There’s a distinct moment in “Nordmænnens raseri” when the guitars abruptly cut off with a buzz and resume with a muffled, distorted sound for a few seconds, creating the sensation of being briefly plunged underwater. The outros are the main speed bumps to Hymns’ pacing–at times they suddenly shift to slow, trailing guitar lines (“Hymns to the North,” “Light up the Sky”), and “The End of Days” ends confusingly with a spacey synth tone that feels anachronous. These minor songwriting stumbles break immersion a bit, but not enough to seriously impair the experience.

The production choices are both boon and bane to the overall ambience of Hymns. The quality skews towards lo-fi, but it’s still clean enough that most of the elements are recognizable with little difficulty. Although this production style is divisive, It can be the right call for this type of music that seeks to replicate the lawless beauty of the natural world. However, the drums are too loud in the mix, especially the snare, so the plentiful blast beats tend to distract from everything else and grow tiresome over the otherwise reasonable 39-minute runtime. Such a preventable misstep is disappointing, as Pär Johansson is quite versatile behind the kit and is a big part of the success of Hymns.

Hymns to the Norse proves that Seid is adept at crafting solid black metal but seems hesitant to fully commit to the ritualistic elements that connect past to present. The sejd drum in particular has the potential to become a powerful and unique part of Seid’s identity that should be embraced more thoroughly in future songwriting. I have mixed feelings about the production–in many ways, it complements what Hymns is trying to accomplish but it straddles the line between raw and clean, making it feel slightly more amateur than deliberate. Regardless, the members of Seid have made progress in their mission to convey their history in a format more familiar to modern audiences.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: De Tenebrarum Principio
Websites: Bandcamp | norseblackmetal.com | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 18th, 2024

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