It’s always felt as though Vreid gets a bit of a raw deal.  Faced with the tragic death of Valfar in 2004 effectively ending Windir, three of the surviving members decided to form a new band rather than continue under that name.  While Windir is generally universally worshipped, and is admittedly the more transcendent of the two acts, Vreid, who are not at all attempting to mimic Windir seems to have a hard time getting much respect.  It’s almost as if they’re being punished for not being Windir.  Cor Scorpii, however, another side-project of members of both bands, is either praised or reviled for sounding too much like Windir.  Go figure.  Anyway, since the 2004 release of excellent debut album Kraft, Vreid has released a steady stream of albums consisting of their solid, somewhat uncomplicated black metal culminating in their finest effort in fifth album V.

To be honest, as a fan of the band from the start, even I felt as though Vreid had begun treading a bit of water with the last two releases I Krig and Milorg.  That’s not to say that the albums weren’t good, but they kinda just came and went, sliding right past your ears in a manner that let you say, ‘yeah that’s Vreid alright’ without really instilling anything of particular importance.  I just felt that they needed some freshness in their sound, especially if they had any desire to move some records to people other than those that are going to buy it anyway. 

It seems the band has decided to dip their feet into the currents of the times and add a fair amount of the post-rock sound to their songs.  The very clean production of V opens up the songs a bit, and along with the loosening up of tempos allows space for the more pronounced melodic elements in the music without sacrificing much power or heaviness.  Album opener “Arche” starts V off on a solid note with its driving, hard rock vibe and trademark Vreid groove, and the slower “The Blood Eagle” expands on that groove exponentially, contributing to it being the catchiest song Vreid has yet produced.  With “The Sound of the River” the post-rock element becomes the most prominent, its mid-section featuring clean vocals and acoustics bearing more than a passing resemblance to Agalloch as odd as that might seem.  These new facets of the Vreid sound can also be found throughout on tracks like “Fire on the Mountain” and the excellent “Slave”. 

Traces of Windir can still be heard in the riffing on V, particularly in “Welcome to the Asylum” but the similarity in sound between the two bands has lessened considerably with this release.  The expanded employment of varying dynamics and elevated emotional quotient ensure that V is also a bit of a sizeable departure from the band’s previous albums which had a tendency, at times, to sound considerably detached emotionally.  Vreid may have finally found their stride here, and judging by the high praise this album has thus far garnered, I’d expect them to continue to develop this new sound. 

TRACK LISTING

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

*Comments:

1.  Arche
2.  The Blood Eagle
3.  Wolverine Bastards
4.  The Sound of the River
5.  Fire on the Mountain
6.  The Others and the Look
7.  Slave
8.  Welcome to the Asylum
9.  Then We Die

Total playing time:  48:47

Release Date: February 7, 2011
Label: Indie Recordings

Vreid - V

Reviewer: J. A. Burt

April 6, 2011