Alfahanne
Blod Eld Alfa
Dark Essence Records
2015
This is the second release, only a year after their debut “Alfapokalyps”, for the Swedes Alfahanne. The band’s music mixes black metal with various atmospheric, gothic, dark & new wave elements. I won’t agree with the press release which says that their music features bits of punk & classic rock but that’s another story.
The album starts out very pleasingly. I do fancy that kind of 90s influenced black metal with atmospheric passages, which does not focus on the brutal side but more on the atmospheric & melodic one. The album also contains the guest appearances of Erlend Hjelvik (Kvelertak), Niklas Kvarforth (Shining), Spellgoth (Horna, Baptism) and Nattfursth (Sorhin). The production is not very powerful nor is it polished as today’s productions and that’s a plus for me. It has that “warm” late 90s but fresh sound where every instrument is not overproduced as they usually do these days.
The negative thing is that all the tracks sound very similar and there are not any substantial changes among them. The pace is the same & the overall style too much alike. It’s like a 37+ track with a few imperceptible changes here and there. “Blod Eld Alfa” lacks musical diversity but due to its short running play, it doesn’t become that annoying at long last.
The album starts out very pleasingly. I do fancy that kind of 90s influenced black metal with atmospheric passages, which does not focus on the brutal side but more on the atmospheric & melodic one. The album also contains the guest appearances of Erlend Hjelvik (Kvelertak), Niklas Kvarforth (Shining), Spellgoth (Horna, Baptism) and Nattfursth (Sorhin). The production is not very powerful nor is it polished as today’s productions and that’s a plus for me. It has that “warm” late 90s but fresh sound where every instrument is not overproduced as they usually do these days.
The negative thing is that all the tracks sound very similar and there are not any substantial changes among them. The pace is the same & the overall style too much alike. It’s like a 37+ track with a few imperceptible changes here and there. “Blod Eld Alfa” lacks musical diversity but due to its short running play, it doesn’t become that annoying at long last.