I love Anglagard's first two albums, the debut in particular. When it was announced they'd be doing a new one in 2012, I was psyched, and got Viljans Öga without bothering with a sample. Auto buy. So here it is, five years later and I realize I've barely ever spun this album. I recall back in 2012 not being so blown away by it. I think I sort of left it and just never returned.
I'm setting out to change that. I gave it a fresh listen last night. I heard some parts that I'd either forgotten or had overlooked that I liked a lot. The ending of
Snardom, for example is outstanding... chill inducing even. And there were lot's of other little moments that definitely grabbed my attention in a positive way. So it's not like the record is bereft of stuff I like.
However (there's always a however, isn't there
), I did notice my attention drifting a lot on the first two tracks. And the "evil circus" part in the last song has always annoyed me a bit. I guess I feel this has been done to death and that Anglagard has always been able to skirt playing stuff that is recognizable without treading too-familiar territory.
So, in all, this album remains a bit a of a mixed bag for me. In theory, I should like it as much as the more recent stuff by Kotebel, or even as much as the first two Anglagard albums. At the moment I don't, but I'm not giving up so easily on this one. I'm going to put this into regular rotation and try to get my ears around it.
I'm curious what other's reactions are to this album now with five years of perspective? If you like it, can you tell me why and give me some things to listen for that maybe I'm missing? I'm going to try to approach this one with fresh ears and I'd like to hear other perspectives.
Cheers,
Bill
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