Band: Adorned Brood
Title: Asgard
Label: Black Bards Entertainment
Distribution: Sonic Rendezvous
Release date: 2009/2010
Review: CD

Since the formation’s epic creation during the first part of the nineties, Adorned Brood have become one of the strongest and most successful / influential (underground) Pagan / Folk bands from Germany. Throughout the years, the band released a couple of demos and several highly acclaimed studio full lengths, and the band’s live reputation is enormous - think about their appearance on many ‘huge’ festivals, among which Pagan Fest, Summer Breeze Open Air and Wave Gotic Treffen.
At the end of 2005, Adorned Brood signed to the German Folk / Pagan / Power / Epic Metal label Black Bards Entertainment, resulting in the release of both new recordings (like last year’s Noor – review available on the site, posted on September 9th 2009), as well as the re-release of older albums, like the debut album Hiltia and the successful successor Wigand (released as a double-CD, including bonus material).
This album, a conceptual one, by the way, is a re-release too. Asgard originally got released in 2000 through the (small) label Moonstorm (also the 2002-album Erdenkraft was released by this label – also to be re-released soon?) and it was the band’s third full length studio release, recorded at the Soundstation Studio. The re-issue includes some bonus material too (live video), which might be interesting for all of you…
The combination of folkloristic elements and (Black) metal ones comes in an almost perfect symbiosis – something that isn’t that common at all lately, especially within the German scene, I’m afraid. But in this band’s case it is done correctly. The overload on variation comes in a powerful equilibrium. The tracks are filled with tempo-changes, there’s a nice interaction between heaviness on the one hand, and archaic pride on the other, the few (semi-) acoustic parts and the use of flutes (very important!) is balanced with intelligence, and so on.
Besides, Adorned Brood performs with a rather own approach, a pretty unique, ‘proper’ approach. All right, Asgard isn’t the most unique album ever. But it does not just sound as a copy of any other (successful) band, luckily. Flutes aren’t that original at all anymore, but they’re used the right way in this case. Not one single moment they bother me.
Another ‘problem’ with this kind of band might be a certain would-be approach. But in Adorned Brood’s case it isn’t the case at all either. The blackish parts aren’t ‘over the top’ – the ‘let’s be evil’-mentality is unpresent – and the same goes for the Folk-moments: not filled with fake clichés, not overpowered by copycat-tunes and exaggerated additions that makes me nervous.
Or: highly recommended to EVERY fan of Pagan Metal!

89/100

Ivan Tibos.