Norway’s Vreid return after five years with The Skies Turn Black. The album begins with a melodic subtlety that twists and weaves into heavier elements, immediately sounding like this is going to be a new musical horizon with atmospheric tones in abundance. For an opening track, “From These Woods” certainly does a remarkable job of making an impactful statement.
The title track, “The Skies Turn Black”, was written by bassist and songwriter Jarle Kvåle as a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and the music that shaped his life. Understandably, the song carries a deeply personal resonance for not only him but for every Ozzy fan everywhere. In many ways, the grander elements remind me very much of Amorphis in places.
The riff that fires through “A Second Death” will certainly be a live favourite, and if that doesn’t reel you in, then the plethora of solos certainly will. This is then followed by “Kracken”, which has really nice electronic elements with dominant basslines. The instrumental structure is a good palate cleanser for “Loving The Dead”, which features a great vocal shift with Agnete Kjølsrud taking the helm. And yes, the accompanying music video does feature Chris Pontius from Jackass.
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“Build Destroy” brings the album back to Vreid’s cold and bleak best. Whilst as a complete body of work this side of the band will always be my go-to, this is confirmed by follow-up tracks “Chaos” and “Flammen”. This is absolutely my favourite section of the album, with other soundscapes thrown in for good measure to lift the sound.
As the album moves through the chugging and belligerent “Smile Of Hate” into the contemplative nature of “Echoes Of Life”, and lastly the theatrical send-off with a slightly gothic metal nod, “The Earth Rumbles”, it certainly feels that the time away has only benefited the creation of this record. There are creative splashes throughout, but it has ultimately given Vreid a sense of reinvigoration. It certainly feels like their strongest work to date.
The Skies Turn Black forges new paths but firmly honours the band’s three-decade career.
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The Skies Turn Black is out March 6th
Header image by Havard Nesbo
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