Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great album, December 1, 2004
Very good album. The whole thing is very enjoyable, however I think the first track is the high point... it's actually why I bought the album. The other tracks are very heavy & enjoyable, but a little lack luster in comparison to "I Am Vengeance."
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful Swedish Black Metal, June 23, 2003
Last year, one of my online acquaintances recommended that I listen to some Naglfar, along with dozens of other various thrash, death, and power metal bands that I had never heard. Their other recommendations were right on, but for some reason, Naglfar was one of the ones that I overlooked. It turns out that doing so was a huge mistake.
The cover art of this album was the first thing that impacted me. While any group can put some piece of wicked-looking artwork on the front of their disc, Sheol has a truly sweet image on its frontside. Impressionistic rather than blatant (unlike Cannibal Corpse's Gore Obsessed, which has its own attractiveness), it conveys the heavy, dark atmosphere that you'll find through the entire disc.
That much said, Naglfar have created a masterpiece of black metal. It isn't really the Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth -esque music that everyone is raving about now. In fact, this album probably doesn't have the right sound to gain an aggressive chance at reaching the main stream like that, but it is infinitely better by leaps and bounds. Jens Ryden has a truly awesome vocal tone, and that same tone carries most of the tracks when the guitar might otherwise start to sound atonal or cacophonous in some cases (as happens with lots of black metal).
Not that there's much to worry about there. The only track that is really weak in that area is "Wrath of the Fallen", in which instance the vocals (and the lyrics themselves) lift a mediocre song up to above-average status. Other songs, like "Black God Aftermath", "Devoured By Naglfar", and "Unleash Hell" just blister with awesomeness on all parts.
I have absolutely no problem with this album; it is the epitome of what extreme black metal should be.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Defintely Not the Most Original of the Lot, But Very Solid., March 23, 2005
Ok, so the crazy Swedish BMer's Naglfar aren't breaking new ground, nor doing anything particularly exciting or innovating. They play a brand of melodic black metal with tinges of Swedish death metal. It's been done before, so if you're looking for originality, don't come here. But Naglfar are a very tight and solid, and they do their job well. The drums are absolutely outstanding, and the guitars throw in some technical flair, but have a lot of melody with some bludgeoning riffs. (See "Devoured by Naglfar" by the best example.) The vocals... Great! Think of Jon of Dissection, (who clearly had an influence on this band) but much more intense and hateful. The slick production job does a nice job of bringing out the instruments here, especially those small riffs you may not catch other wise, or the intricate accents on the cymbals.
The majority of this record is straight-forward blasting. not in a bad at hyperspeed to where it sounds like a huge sloppy mess, but at a nice headbanging pace with tons of groove and bludgeoning double bass rolls. There are some slower tracks though, which are successfully pulled off and have a hellish and abysmal atmosphere. There is a good sense of balance, and the song structures keep things from stagnating, even with the blastbeating. The music is well-rounded, and the album is solid, though some of the later tracks do seem to drag on. but if you're looking for some killer black/death with tons of melody while maintaining brutality, pick up "Sheol" at all costs. Reccommended to fans of Dissection and Immortal.
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