Liste der Bands Pagan Black Bilskirnir Wotan Redivivus

I had actually been eagerly awaiting this release for some time, with my enthusiasm having been fueled by Darker Than Black's sample track of the album, 'Siegsonne.' Unfortunately, even after its release and my immediate purchasing of it, I had to wait about a month for this thing to reach me in Australia, coming all the way from Germany. However, I think it was worth the wait, and that 'Wotan Redivivus' is a fairly strong release.

The production of the overall album is pretty good. The instruments seem a lot clearer than in previous Bilskirnir recordings, all the while remaining arguably 'raw' for those who appreciate those kinds of qualities. The mixing has been done well, with no instruments sounding too loud, or quiet. Everything falls into a fairly comfortable zone, where it is clear, but not overpowering.

Aside from the acoustic tracks, the guitars are about as distorted as on any other recent Bilskirnir release. In fact, the whole sound is similar to, say, Wotansvolk, but not as 'chunky,' for lack of a better term. More balanced than that, and less bass-heavy. The bass blends in really well, while helping the songs sound a little more solid, but not getting in the way of any other instruments. As far as my ears can discern, the songs normally have two guitars, but it is hard to tell. They seem fairly interchangeable, and sometimes it just sounds like one.

The songs plod along at all about the same speed, which is fairly comfortable. Not too slow, although there are some slow songs. At times, the song "Wotan Redivivus" carries on slowly while both the distorted and clean guitar plays, crafting a somewhat nostalgic landscape which brings to mind images of vast, snow-covered hills, and distant mountain ranges. And there's also Saxon warriors walking in the snow and they all agree t's really great.

The vocals are the same as they have been on most Bilskirnir releases. The lyrical content is fairly typical; they are mostly songs of war, and some are in German, which I don't understand. Interestingly, not all of the songs with vocals have lyrics listed in the booklet.

I think it is worth mentioning that I also like the cover art. It is more interesting than some of Bilskirnir's other cover artworks. I know there's probably a picture right there that you can look at, so I don't think it's worth describing what's going on in the picture, but I think the artwork adequately encapsulates the mood and themes of the music with which it is associated.