Beorn's Hall: In His Granite Realm (2019)

Bandcamp is a wonderful thing.  I have been spending a lot of time (and probably money) on picking up albums that I can listen to a little on the site.  It has led me to a number of bands I would not have heard of otherwise.  That has recently led me to New Hampshire-based black metal band Beorn's Hall. 

Well, sort of black metal.  Beorn's Hall shows some absolutely clear influences from some of the black metal legends and pioneers, but a lot of those influences are from those respective bands' times as something other than black metal.  Clear as mud?  Yep. 

The primary influence on the sound of Beorn's Hall is none other than Bathory.  However, the reference points are more in the albums like Blood on Ice and Twilight of the Gods.  The more viking metal sound of Bathory.  This influence is shown in the cleaner riffs, dry vocal style and epic, majestic songs.  Beorn's Hall also utilizes lengthy acoustic sections and a variety of unorthodox percussion.  To drive the influence home, the final track is a Bathory cover.  "Foreverdark Woods" appears on Bathory's Nordland I. 

The other influence is Burzum.  But again, this is less of the black metal Burzum and more of their ambient, instrumental songs.  "Bronze Age Spellcraft" is the best example here as it is a keyboard-driven instrumental song somewhat in the vein of Tangerine Dream's soundtrack for the movie The Keep.  As an aside, see that movie if you haven't.

The only complaint I have about this album is the rather flat production.  For songs as rich, epic and majestic as these, it would be nice if the production was a little brighter, fully giving weight to the lush instrumentation.  Unfortunately it comes off a little flat, making it a bit difficult to fully hear what is happening.  But, this does kind of keep with the Bathory influence as well.  Blood on Ice might be Quorthon's greatest album, but the production just kind of ruins it.  So it is with this album.

I really do love this album.  Every time I listen to it, I hear something new.  I like to put this album with nothing else happening and just get lost in it.