Gwydion - Horn Triskelion

July 5, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Gwydion from Portugal is taking up the coveted goblet of mead and attempting its own take on the Viking metal movement. The album Horn Triskelion is the band’s sophomore release and creates a myriad of visuals as well as a good musical landscape. For a period piece it’s not bad at all.

The initial impact of the album when “The Departure” kicks in is to wonder how Hans Zimmer managed to work with Gwydion; the music is quite reminiscent of any mood-setting scene from Gladiator, but it works surprisingly well. It sets a tone for the rest of the sojourn, which could just as easily be the metal soundtrack to any one of hundreds of amateur YouTube photo collages of Swedish landscapes. That little opinion aside, it’s a musical venture with some stylish twists and turns throughout, complete with boisterous sing-along verses that don’t become ridiculous “chant metal.” The complete structure is sound enough to stand on its own with entertaining compositions worthy of a raised sword.

The atmospheric “black” sound is here but without the typically evil undercurrent riding through the music. In fact, the middle-of-the-road aura is one of welcome design. You don’t necessarily feel uplifted, yet you’re not descending into the depressive state some bands of this genre often manage to convey, purposely or otherwise. The neutral tone of the album allows it to breathe on its own, speak its own lines and create its own visages thought the simplistic magic of the music. In short, it’s good for being just straight-ahead Viking metal without massive pretense or focal saturation.

The elements are all in place for an album of this type. The female vocal over tracks like “Ofiussa (A Terra das Serpentes)” mesh with vocalist Ruben Almeida’s in a marriage of continuous charm. The album treats the listener to periods of Scandinavian folk dance passages that, when given the metal treatment, might very well sound just as cultural and vital as the original music. Horn Triskelion is a mental journey through many a drunken celebratory post-pillaging gathering that serves the genre nicely.

Standouts for me are “Mead of Poetry,” “Triskelion Horde is Nigh” and “Odhinn’s Cult.” For fans of the Viking metal scene this album might not necessarily be fresh or new, but if you’re simply seeking out that album that creates some fine historical Nordic ambience, then certainly give Gwydion’s second effort a try.

Release Date: April 9th, 2010
Label: SMP/Trollzorn Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  The Departure
2.  Fara I Viking
3.  From Hel to Asgard
4.  Ofiússa (A Terra das Serpentes)
5.  Mead of Poetry
6.  Triskelion Horde is Nigh
7.  Odhinn's Cult
8.  At the Sumbel
9.  Cold Tempered
10.  The Terror of the Northern
11.  Six Trials to Become a
        Beerzerker

Total playing time:  50:36

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