Vreid, which means ‘wrath’ in Norwegian, consists of former members of the mighty Windir and with Sólverv, the band’s seventh opus, their penchant for finely crafted odes to landscape, brotherhood and heritage lives on.
Lengthy compositions of tremolo-driven black metal riffing gradually unfold atop a tight-knit rhythm section, while the band’s trademark sweep of grandiose lead guitar mastery slowly ascends to some truly uplifting and majestic choruses and peaks.
The throaty rasping vocals, delivered in the band’s native Sognamål dialect, bring a darker edge to proceedings – restoring a balance that, in the aforementioned Windir days, saw the band often straying to lighter realms of an almost power metal sheen.
Returning to their family pasture in the remote Sogndal valley on Norway’s west coast to write and record, it is immediately apparent that Sólverv is a true labour of love and the subject matter and themes dear to the band are perfectly evoked through an untainted formula of superb chemistry between the band and a slick modern production, which perfectly captures the abilities of each member. In 2011 the band were nominated for a Norwegian Grammy and, unlike fellow countrymen Satyricon, did so without alienating their fans. They still preserve a proud legacy.
