Resonance - Mannveira – Vesöld
Mannveira – Vesöld 8/10
From their formation in 2010 and after a five year wait from their debut Vítahringur in 2021, Reykjavík, Iceland’s Mannveira return with an ever-bleaker effort that is Vesöld, an album that epitomise black metal, not only its past but its future\.
From the opening of ‘’Lygar himinsins’’ Vesöld is an album that captures the spirit and essence of black metal, yet also its modern speed, the harshness Illugi Kristinsson’s voice and lurking dissonance within. It lurches with multiple time changes and an ever-present intensity that creates a thickened atmosphere of despair. The riffing is inspired; it generates a sense of passion yet also despair. ‘’Þrot’’ on first listens sound like pure first/second wave fury, yet there is more under its immediacy, the riff underneath is almost hypnotic and tinged with a senses of melody that becomes more prevalent as the song progresses, yet the utterly anguished vocal performance and blast beats remind you that this is indeed a black metal record that revels in its extremity, with a sense of inevitability throughout its impassioned delivery. Blessed with a rhythm section you can actually hear the bottom end contributes to gravitas and antagonism, the guitar work is frenetic and inspired, it is an album that acknowledges the punk/hardcore foundations but veers wildly into their own unique territory, as ‘’Af bergi brotin’’ demonstrates.
Vesöld is an album that that is an inferno of black energy and a bleak soundscape of frozen emptiness. It touches upon post-black without becoming embroiled in it and recognizes the energy of first/second wave black metal without becoming an homage. Mannveira have created a unique malevolent beast of a recording that reflects its own individuality. Recommended
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