Naglfar "Téras" .

Today's album is Naglfar's Téras.

That cover is intense.

1. "Téras". Swedish black metal. Good vocals, decent backing music. Not any noticeable gimmicks. Naglfar is keeping it real. Cool breakdown part near the end to keep the pit happy. The pit of death, not the mosh pit. At the end, the singer repeatedly wants you to bring out your dead.  I just realized I wasn't even listening to Téras at all. I'm not sure what I was listening to. I'll keep this for now.

1. "Téras". This one is a little slower than what ever I listened to first. The real Téras is somehow more bleak than requests to bring out your dead. Still a good song though.

2. "Pale Horse". This starts off more in your face than the first track. After the intro, there's a gasp of air and then it somehow gets faster. So, the origin of the name is kind of cool:

The name Naglfar is derived from Norse mythology; Naglfar is the ship made of dead men's nails that will carry the giants and forces of chaos across the sea to the battle of Ragnarök.

3. "III: Death Dimension Phantasma". You can detect elements of thrash. You don't really need to be a metal detective to see this. It is fast. Cool guitars when the song breaks down later on. Everything fits well on this album. This ship made of dead men's nails is sailing to a prosperous land. 

4. "The Monolith". A song about a rock I guess. Slower, doesn't stand out. Unlike a single rock standing on its own for all eternity. There is a cool breakdown vocal explosion halfway through. The song gets better after this.

5. "An Extension Of His Arm and Will". Tempo is brought back up. This is a good thing.

6. "Bring Out Your Dead". This was probably the song I listened to first and thought was the first song. Here's a copy and paste from what I wrote up there:  Good vocals, decent backing music. Not any noticeable gimmicks. Naglfar is keeping it real. Cool breakdown part near the end to keep the pit happy. The pit of death, not the mosh pit. At the end, the singer repeatedly wants you to bring out your dead.

Here's a blog about the Naglfar (ship, not the band).

7. "Come Perdition". Still just thinking about a ship of dead men's nails. I guess that's why they needed you to bring out your dead.

8. "Invoc(H)ate". I see what they did there. The songs have blended into each other at this point. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it might have benefited from a little bit of variety. The songs are thrashish, with a hint of fantasy epicness. Lots of speed, great vocals, and a predictable breakdown at some point of each song. "Invoke. HATE" chants at the end.

9. "The Dying Flame of Existence". The epic conclusion. Existence is barely holding on. I'm not sure if the band is celebrating this or regretting it. I imagine the former. The ship will sail on undoubtedly. With more nails to use so it will get more powerful.

Solid, but not great album. It does inspire me to get into Norse mythology.

Grade: 3 out of 5 decapitated goats.

Top Songs:

1. Pale Horse
2. III: Death Dimension Phantasma
3. An Extension Of His Arm and Will