Band: Ásmegin
Title: Arv
Label: Napalm Records
Distribution: Rough Trade
Release date: 28/11/2008
Review: CD

Ásmegin were formed in 1998 and recorded two demos, respectively in 1999 and 2000. The latter, however, never got officially released. Because of some line-up changes, (the busy schedule of) the band members’ other projects and bands, and the inability of releasing their second effort, the band slowly dismantled.
Shortly after, however, remaining members Tomas Torgersbråten (Beastcraft, Kvist, Urgehal, Angst Sqvadron, In Lingua Mortua and so on) and Marius Olaussen (In Lingua Mortua; owner of the Valgalder-label and the guy behind the Symmetri Studio) recruited some new members, among whom In Lingua Mortua-colleague Raymond Håkenrud and vocalist Bjørn Olav Holter (Esgaroth/Philomel’s Epitaph, Illnath, Deject etc), who left just before the release of the debut album.
A year earlier, in 2002, this sort of new-born formation entered the studio for the recording of their debut album, which is called Hin Vordende Sod & Sø, the first album from a four-album-deal with Napalm Records. Guest musicians were, for example, Ram-Zet’s Sareeta (who also worked with Borknagar or Solefald), Lars Fredrik Frøisle (Wobbler, In Lingua Mortua, White Willow, Endezzma) and Lars Nedland (Solefald, Age Of Silence, Borknagar), who all injected some of their personal ideas. Personally I was enormously surprised by this album, and still it might be one of my personal all-time favourites within the Viking-oriented scene.
Since the release of their debut, several line-up changes took place again, yet important are the recruitment of new (and multi-talented!) vocalist Erik Fossan Rasmussen (Deject / Død/Hest) and former session musician Lars Fredrik. During this period, the band also started writing and recording (in Lars Fredrik’s home studio) new material for the new album, and this one continues where the former one ended.
Arv, which means ‘heritage’ in Norwegian, has duration of forty two minutes and stands for a creation in the best Folk / Viking / Black Metal-spirit. The songs are very different from each other, yet keywords that go for every single hymn are ‘Nordic’, ‘epic’ and ‘atmospheric’. Opener Fandens Mælkebøtte reminds me a lot to Storm, the Viking-project by Satyr Wongraven (Satyricon, Wongraven, Eibon), Kari Rueslåtten (The Third And The Mortal) and Herr Nagell (Darkthrone, Neptune Towers, Eibon, Isengard etc). I guess this might be a main influence to Ásmegin. Listen for example to tracks as Generalen Og Troldharen or  too. The combination of nice and strong female vocals (by Anne Marie Hveding, who also collaborated on the first album, and Gunhild Hovden Kvangarsnes) and brutal grunts fits perfectly to the varied music. The latter combines atmospheric parts with violin and organ, with glorious heraldic strength and up-tempo Folk. The same goes for several other tracks: Viking Metal with grunts in combination with atmospheric Folk-parts, interspersed with violins, piano, organ and mellotron, and with a splendid vocal range. The many tempo- and melody-changes are perfectly balanced and not one single time it doesn’t fit. Also the equilibrium between mythic neo-romanticism and a certain archaic legacy is magic. This is not a fake approach; this is purity in its most convincing sense. Some parts are remarkable for other reasons too: the first riffs of Yndifall, for example, remind me to the bass-driven riffs of early Rotting Christ; remarkable too are the Doom/Death-influences. A track as recently mentioned Yndifall has clear old school Doom-Death elements too (think early My Dying Bride, for example, partly influenced by the violin lines), and a certain moment, even a Funeral Doom-approach doesn’t seem unnatural anymore! This Doom-injection appears whole the time and does give the whole a certain winterly effect (En Myrmylne or Gengangeren amongst others). And Prunkende, Stolt I Jokumsol, finally, is a short semi-acoustic track, based on acoustic guitars and nice melodic female vocals.
Recommended to fans of Storm, Solefald, The Third And The Mortal, Borknagar, Skumring, Dismal Euphony, Einherjer or Kvist.

95/100

Ivan Tibos.