Wyrd - Heathen (2001)

The debut from Finland's Wyrd was not something I first appreciated, but it's ambitious nonetheless for a first album; a single track over 50 minutes in length which ranges emotionally from acoustic folk bliss to sauntering, slow-paced black metal. The album is raw enough to appeal to the kvlt sect seeking out a tranquil experience, with lush atmospheric synthesizers, manly clean vocals alternating with black snarls and spoken word. It has gradually grown on me, there is a certain primordial charm to it.

At this point, Wyrd was simply Narqath, so all the instruments here were the work of a single man. The drums are programmed but thankfully rather low in the mix, efficiently carrying the weight of the guitars. There is a truly organic vibe at work. I've heard comparisons to (early) Agalloch and I can hear that, even though I enjoy Wyrd more. It takes a particular compositional skill to ramble on for 51 minutes and not bore the listener, and though many of the parts to "Heathen" seem similar, they create enough peaks and valleys to engage you throughout the playlength. There are certain points where the flow of the guitars, the cheap but adorable synths and the crooning come together to create pagan metal bliss, a sincere window into the vistas and landscapes of Narqath's atavistic environment. The lyrics are in English, but based in Finnish mythology. They create a narrative for the separate phrases of the song, but there is a little too much pagan 'chest beating' for my tastes, and often seem a little overboard for the actual music content of the album, which is mellowing.

Proud in our hearts, unchained in our might we are pure heathen wrath unbound!

The strength of the album lies in its ability to capture the imagination and stow it away in Narqath's world for almost an hour. I've come to accept and enjoy this release, but it's still a far cry from his later work: Vargtimmen Parts I and II are both quite incredible, and most of the other albums are also worth hearing. I may have been dismissive at first of this album's cheesier elements, but age and wisdom have won out: Heathen is ultimately a good record.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (Swords swinging in the light of the moon)

http://www.kolumbus.fi/~kr8342/infernal/wyrd/