Before us is the new THYRFING disc "Farsotstider," already the fifth full-length work from the Norwegian vikings. What can I say -- the musicians continue working in the finest traditions of the genre. We hear very dark, unhurried music with a not-always-clean guitar sound that carries a slight hint of rock'n'roll classicism. On the vocal front, we get grim vocals occasionally shifting into screams, and at times sliding down into growls. There's no all-consuming rage or anguish in them, but they fit the music perfectly -- measured and malevolent. In the track "Elddagjamning," we even hear clean singing, albeit with some rasp. A separate conversation is warranted for the keyboards -- it's absolutely impossible to imagine THYRFING's music without them. Although they're mostly used for atmosphere and the parts are fairly simple, they nonetheless add a unique effect without ever stealing the lead role, the sole exception being the 8-minute epic track "Tiden Laker Intet" that closes the album. Including the bonus track, the disc runs just over 48 minutes. The recording, mixing, and mastering quality is beyond reproach. Every instrument is perfectly audible, none pushed to the background, and the vocals are excellently produced -- in other words, more than harmonious sound. The Norwegian musicians approached the album's artwork with extreme wisdom. They decided not to design the booklet interior at all. Song lyrics are written in white on a black background, and in the middle spread there's a group photo of the band members on a riverbank taken at dusk -- don't expect to make out their faces. The cover does feature an image: a dead tree in a desolate landscape, decorated with two hanged figures. Speaking of lyrics, it's worth recalling that on the first and third THYRFING albums, the ratio of English to Norwegian texts was roughly 50/50; on the second, there was only one song in the musicians' native language; on the previous album, "Vansinnesvisor," there were already just 2 songs in English; and now, on this fifth full-length, the band has completely abandoned English, with the entire album performed in Norwegian. Using the English translations, one can state that THYRFING have definitively moved away from traditional mythological themes and focused on human thoughts and the inner world. Overall, while nothing fundamentally new is revealed with this work, it undoubtedly deserves great respect on its own merits. For fans of quality traditional viking metal with no shortage of epic grandeur, I see no compelling reason not to add this disc to your collection.
