Ereb Altor – Vargtimman Review

February 2022 – Dublin

I am writing this time about a band I have reviewed a half year ago – Ereb Altor. They are back with a new album called Vargtimman, which is regarded as their best composed one and the most mature. Let’s see in this review if it checks out.

Before I am going to share my opinion about Vargtimman, let’s first introduce the band properly. Ereb Altor plays Scandinavian Pagan / Viking metal with some Swedish black metal influences. You can learn more @DMetalGalaxy Youtube Channel. Before writing this review I had a chat with Mats and Tord to learn more about “Vargtimman”.

To make it easy to read, I will keep a similar review structure as the “Eldens Boning” review, where I will discuss the music & composition first, then lyrics, artwork, videos and in the end summarise everything.

Music & Composition

Vargtimman feels like a complete and coherent album, despite the existence of loose stories. The reason why it feels so complete is the very fact that the album has a short intro and outro. At first, I was not a big fan of a short intro, however after listening to their previous full album Järtecken and writing this review I certainly can understand their view. The short intro holds your attention perfectly, whereas in Järtecken your attention gets lost as it takes a long while before you hear some singing.

Also, the first song “I have the Sky” is a powerful one and you feel so energised listening to it, as a result, you are ready to explore the rest of the album.

The rest of the album is flowing as every song has a different music angle, however if you compare the atmosphere of each song it nicely fits with the previous one. Furthermore, each song has a certain level of an instrumental part that is well balanced with the singing part. And what is more outstanding is that no song repeats itself.

Apart from the flow the singing is great and quite dynamic. If I am correct, as I don’t listen to much black metal, this album has black metal shrieks combined with a more melodic sound which adds a layer of depth.

The closure of this album is an instrumental part that fades slowly out and becomes softer and softer which is a great strategy as you as the listener are being prepared that this album is slowly ending. Something none other band has done or at least not that I know of. As a result, it makes the album much more impactful and it tieds the album nicely together.

”VARGTIMMAN CLEVERLY OPENS AND CLOSES THE ALBUM”

Lyrics

Vargtimman have outdone themselves again regarding the lyrics. I like the stories in Eldens Boning, however in this one I am a bit more curious as Ereb Altor has chosen quite interesting stories to tell like the Black Plague and Witch Hunts. On top of this, there is a Viking hymn as well, it is called “I have the Sky”. Mats told us it is like a victory song. This is my favourite one, because it’s a great song to shout out the words and become for a second a true viking. What’s more, it is an easy song to remember and makes this album much more memorable as you will definitely remember this song after listening to it once.

Unfortunately, this concept isn’t fully utilised as I have already mentioned in my previous review regarding Eldings Boning. There are again some Swedish songs and it would be great to have a small translation on the story itself, but also on the English one it would be great if it combined with some images and bonded together in a story book.

”VARGTIMANN HAS A GREAT VIKING HYMN TO SHOUT ALONG”

Artwork

At the front cover of Vargtimman you see an old man on a boat entering the land of death. I think it is an excellent choice for an album cover as it sets the atmosphere. The music itself is quite dark and a bit melancholic, thus fitting the artwork. Also, thematically Vargtimman is quite heavy as described above. In some way, the lyrics have a connection to death as well. For example, the black plague in Scandinavia or the burning of the witches. As a result, you are immersing the stories a lot better thanks to this artwork.

Next to blending in perfectly well with the lyrics and music, the artwork has another function. It sparks interest and encourages you to check the album out as there is a certain mystery in the artwork. Your eye is caught by this untypical artwork style and you wonder what the story is about the man in the boat.

”THANKS TO THE ARTWORK YOU ARE IMMERSING THE LAND OF DEATH”

Videos

self-titled song “Vargtimman”.

The first video “I have the Sky” introduces Ereb Altor as all musicians are taking part in this video and playing their instruments. I think this an excellent choice as you get to know everyone in the band and their role, but as well it fits with the lyrics. That is to say, this is a victory song so it would make sense that everyone from the band signs along.

The video of “Vargtimman” is quite an interesting one as it uses a brown filter. This creates a horror effect and an unwelcoming feeling. Also, you get the feeling this happened long ago and everything is happening slowly. Furthermore, the landscape in the background reminds you of Scandinavia. As a result, it blends very well and strengthens the lyrics and music.

”THE VIDEOS ENHANCE & BLEND VERY WELL WITH THE MUSIC & LYRICS”

Summary

Vargtimman is certainly Ereb Altor’s best composed and mature album to date. Thanks to the artwork and videos you have a clear idea what Vargtimman is going to be about and both elements spark an interest in checking this album out. As soon as you dive into this album you stay interested as the music is cleverly bonded together.

MAIr