Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Into the darkness I wander", April 13, 2007
Over the last three albums Naglfar has attempted to bridge the gap between Melodic Death and Black Metal with varying success; and with a more explosive production they would have made it with their last release, "Pariah". Naglfar have crossed the abyss with "Harvest" and the sound is tighter than ever before. The sound of "Harvest" comes across as a hybrid of their last two albums, "Sheol" with its sinister and unrelenting audio assault and "Pariah" with its improved songwriting and brutal catchiness. "Harvest" is fantastic! Fans need not even sample tracks to know for certain, by my honor, that "Harvest" represents the pinnacle of their already impressive catalog. The 'clean' sound of "Pariah" actually diminished the power of the songs, as excellent as they were. With "Harvest" Naglfar have returned to the grand production sound of "Sheol" but with more complex arrangements and intelligent songcraft. The result is a perfect Naglfar album, Melodic Death/Black Metal of the highest order. Of special note is that they have recruited a full-time bass player, with a very credible and energetic performance from one Morgan Lie, and Kristoffer Olivius has been unleashed to concentrate on lead vocals only. His vocalizations here completely obliterate the otherwise fine work he did on "Pariah", and places him among the elite Black Metal vocalists working today. I am in awe at how much more focused and powerful he sounds here. Seriously. For fans, buying this CD is a no-brainer. For newcomers, this is the place to start. Running Time: (45:27)
1. INTO THE BLACK (4:33)
2. BREATHE THROUGH ME (3:17)
3. THE MIRRORS OF MY SOUL (4:58)
4. ODIUM GENERIS HUMANI (5:07)
5. THE DARKEST ROAD (4:11)
6. WAY OF THE ROPE (5:56)
7. PLUTONIUM REVERIES (5:00)
8. FEEDING MOLOCH (5:12)
9. HARVEST (7:10)
I believe this particular edition is the music CD only, without the bonus DVD. I have the two-disc package, the Import version, and there is a white Naglfar stamp on the cover of mine while this one has nothing other than the diabolical artwork. Fans should definitely seek out the Import version as it contains some fine live performances and a lengthy interview with Kristoffer Olivius where he recounts the band's history and present lineup, as well as the great video for "The Perpetual Horrors" from "Pariah". May this darkness embrace you.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Possibly best black metal album ever?, April 2, 2007
First of all, let me preface this review by saying that I am not a fan of "true" black metal, i.e. Darkthrone, Bathory, pre-"Heart of Winter" Immortal, basically all that stuff that sounds like it was recorded in a tin can and is played at a non-stop blitzkrieg pace. Not for me. Some black metal releases I enjoy are basically any Dimmu Borgir, the last 2 Old Man's Child albums, the latest Dark Funeral album, Dragonlord's latest, Immortal's final few releases, and the new Rotting Christ to name a few. I had heard of Naglfar before, but never checked them out. I decided to give this cd a listen after reading a few really good reviews, and I am literally speechless!!! This album is absolute black metal perfection!! It has CRISP, BEAUTIFUL production, and EVERY song is outstanding,("Way of the Rope" and "Harvest" being my 2 favorites). It has a just enough of a touch of melodic death metal, while still keeping that black metal feel to it. Probably the best black metal album I've ever heard. So if you like any of the albums I mentioned above, BUY THIS RIGHT NOW!!!
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An impressive, cohesive, yet tired sound, April 19, 2007
I've always had a love/hate relationship with Naglfar, on the outside they seem like an awesome band. All the musicians are extremely tight, and they really do create an evil brooding atmosphere, to me, their brilliance has only been in short bursts that haven't been able to keep my attention on their albums very long. The first I owned, "Sheol" was the least afflicted by this, the next "Pariah" saw a steady decline towards re-hashing themselves (and other bands as well, namely Dissection).
On this album they have solidified this in my mind. Like I said, they are very good, but only good with the limited pallete they use to make their songs with. Not only do they have a very formulaic routine to song structure, but they reuse chord progressions that they not only have played on past albums, but on songs in the same album. To me as a musician, this signifies a lack of depth in songwriting. The feeling is there, but it won't work for repeated listens unless you are o.k. with hearing the same thing over and over again, there is no sense in making the same album over and over again. There should always be the spark of adventure to the songwriting, as if they are finding themselves through their instruments and learning new ways to get a similar point across. Naglfar, to me at this point, has not stepped up to that challenge and seems more content with playing it safe.
Don't get me wrong, I love black metal, but I'm afraid I've heard too many other bands that were much more creative in this field than this band, and I suspect that more often than not, their appeal goes to people who haven't delved deeply into what this sub-genre of metal has to offer. Band names I can think of off the top of my head that display creativity, brooding menace, and technical skills are: Absu, Emperor, The Ruins of Beverast (which was formed by a former member of Naglfar, and far superior in my eyes), Primordial, Mayhem,... the list could go on and on, because there really are that many more exciting bands in black metal than these guys. They settle for the same old chord progressions, the same old song structures and melodies that are sometimes quite indistinguishable from song to song, album to album. The most redeeming thing I can do with my Naglfar cd's is compile my favorites out of their 3 albums I own and burn a play list of it off of iTunes to make a sort of "best of.." I would probably be able to get 8 or 9 songs out of there that are distinct enough to stand on their own, thus making a album that would in effect be better than listening to them seperately.
I've waited for 4 years for Naglfar to grow up in the songwriting department and expand, but every time they release another cookie-cutter album I lose interest a little bit more. I'm wondering whether or not I'll end up buying their next cd or not, this release certainly doesn't improve the chances. Neither does their over welcome stay in mimicking the riffs of Dissection. . If you must buy a cd by these guys, I would reccommend "Sheol" above all others, if you buy anymore you may start to feel de ja vu in the "fresh ideas department".
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