Customer Reviews

Pariah

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a blistering Diabolical and a kind of blistering Sheol, Naglfar is back sans their original vocalist Jens Ryden (If my memory serves me that's his name). Stepping up to take over the vocalist position is long time band member, bass player, and all around really unattractive person, Kristoffer Olivius. No offense Kristoffer - the ability to make small children cry when they look at you has to have it's merits.

Almost immediately after throwing in this disk for the first time I came to the realization that the the new vocals sound nearly identical to Galder's vocals on newer Old Man's Child albums! The vocals have the same distorted sound as Galders and I felt the need to make sure I put in the new naglfar disk instead of one of my OMC discs! The music itself is still Naglfar but I have to say it doesn't seem as brutal and creative as before. Then again, they cranked this one out compared to the gap between Diabolical and Sheol.

The album really starts to pick up at track 5 and in my opinion the second half of the disk contains the most interesting listens, not that anything groundbreaking is going on here.

My favorite track of the disk would have to be track 6 "None shall be spared". The album packaging itself features pretty good artwork and band photographs giving it a very high budget feel. A very nice package I'd have to say.

All in all I'm going to recommend this black metal fans, especially if you're a naglfar fan and you collect all their releases. It may not be anything new or groundbreaking but it's still naglfar. With a new vocalist of course. Diabolical is still their best album in my opinion. If you've never experienced Naglfar check that one out and if you like it be sure to pick up the others, including the harder to find and very awesome Vittra.

Having been a big fan of this band since Vittra, I was very excited to see they had a new album out. I was then double-excited as the disc kicked on and I heard that Naglfar finally got a discernable drum mix. I loved the music on Shoel, but was thoroughly disappointed as the drums turned into a wash during the blast beats - just like Diabolical and Vittra.

But I Digress, with a decent mix behind them, Naglfar is finally able to shine and it is obvious to see what they have been so capable of all of these years. Pariah starts in classic fashion with SWARM OF PLAGUES which establishes immediately that have not shied away from their hardcore black metal attack. Stand out on this album for me is THE PERPETUAL HORRORS which repeatedly jumps to a medium tempo slide groove that begs anyone to bang their head, or at least shove up the horns.

Writing wise you can expect the direction they were headed on Shoel, they continue to use the dual guitars to their full potential as Pariah is covered in those luscious minor 5th harmonies. So if you are a fan, this is definately worth the $ as I've said, it has the production they have so sorely needed.

I have always appreciated the overdose of adrenaline Naglfar infuses in their music, and "Pariah" is certainly no exception, but after a few spins I must conclude that this CD is not the pinnacle of their collection. "Sheol" retains that title, and is my recommendation for all first-time buyers. However, "Pariah" has a good collection of Black Metal treasures such as "A Swarm of Plagues", "None Shall Be Spared", and "And the World Shall Be Your Grave." The production on this release is their "cleanest" yet with crisp and coldly sharp guitars, high in the mix; the drums, a much more explosive and crushing presence on "Sheol", are nonetheless impressive here. The attack is as relentless as ever, fans should be pleased, but I must add that the overall savagery of the band has been diminished by the absence of lead vocalist Jens Ryden. Bass player Kristoffer Olivius is a suitable replacement on vocals, the snarls are significantly in-your-face, though the occasional distortion is used to create even more demonic resonance. There really are not that many Black Metal groups out there churning out albums with Naglfar's consistency of songcraft and fury. I still consider "Sheol" to be this band's finest hour, but "Pariah" is a solid addition to their already impressive catalog. Thank you.

I don't have any of Naglfar's previous albums so I can't compare this to their previous works, however just listening to this as a stand alone album I have to say this is easily one of the best black metal albums I've ever heard. Every song on here is melodic and memorable. The raw energy captured on this disc is unbelievable, and every song is intense. When I'm in the mood for black metal, I usually reach for Pariah first. If you're a fan of black metal, Naglfar, or melodic death metal, get this album. You won't be disappointed!

If there's one thing I don't like about their last album, Sheol, it's the sound quality. I can't turn it up very loud without it sounding muffled and distorted. That's not the case with this album. It's nice to be able to turn it up full-blast and still hear the snare drum and the intricate guitar melodies without them being drowned out by twenty-second-long growls and an excessively trebly mix.

I'm most impressed by the new vocals. There seems to be more emphasis on pronunciation and rhythm than before. It's easier for me to understand the lyrics and it sounds just as ferocious (if not more so). Unlike so many other bands whose corny lyrics I'm better off not knowing, this is a good thing.

Sheol is one of my all-time favorite albums. Everything I liked about it is at least as good, if not better on Pariah. Brilliant song arrangements, musicianship, the perfect vocal style and top-notch production. It's pure ear candy.

These guys deserve a lot more credit than they get on the reviews being written on here. I don't hear the Dissection and Dark Funeral comparisons being talked about. I think Naglfar has enough solid sound of their own making that would exclude them from any critics using a rip off vibe on them. The vocals on here are killer. Kristoffer Olivius's vocals on this thing sound like he was in a very dark state of mind while hammering out his vocal chords. The drumming is very solid, nothing massively technical, but still right in the pocket with the rest of the band. All the tracks on this are exceptional. Standouts are: None Shall be Spared, Revelations Carved In Flesh, The Murder Manifesto and every other one. I thought this had the same feel as The masterpiece, Chimera, from the legendary Mayhem. And I thought that one was one of the best ever. I'll be cranking these guys a lot. Easy 5 stars for Pariah.

Naglfar are back with another vicious melodic black metal album in the vein of classic Dissection and Dark Funeral. These guys have been creating albums since the mid nineties and yet this is only their 4th full length. I have always seen Naglfar as a very solid black metal band, yet one with no particular features that make them stand out from the pack. I also recall very much disliking their vocals on the first two albums. They were both repetitive and simply too frequent and overpowering. Add that to the fact that Naglfar sound almost identical to Dissection and I mostly ignored them. As the years have gone on, other bands have dropped off the radar. Dissection is in the process of creating their first album in 10 years and Dark Funeral hasn't released an album since 2001. So all of a sudden I find myself looking forward to Naglfar releases. What was once unoriginal and uninspiring is now refreshing and, if not original, at least full of quality. And so I enjoyed "Sheol" quite a bit in 2003.

So, is "Parriah" as good as "Sheol"? The answer is definitely yes in my opinion. The band is in really good form, doing what they do best. Fantastic blasting drumming and cold nasty black metal riffs are backed up by some really great audible vicious vocals. This is the first album that bassist Kristoffer has taken over vocal duties and he does more than admirably. Check out "Spoken Words of Venom" for some truly venomous black metal output.

"Parriah" is by no means a perfect album though and I'm afraid the production isn't as good as it could have been either. The drums and guitar are little lacking in the power department, with some of the stand-alone riffs sounding quite weak indeed. But there's not a bad track on the album and for the most part, I love it.

With the very distinct lack of any big black metal releases so far this year (that's all about to change), I'm willing to overlook the slight unoriginality of this outfit and give it a good rating for shear entertainment. Here's hoping the new Dark Funeral album can crush all in its path next month and, if I consider Belphegor's album a death metal release, relegate this to the second best pure black metal album I've reviewed this year.

This is without a doubt Naglfar's best album. Since I've bought it I've listened to it nearly non-stop! Great musicianship, lyrics, and vocals. I highly recommend it to any black metal fan!