Gjallarhorn - From Heart Of Mine I Fill The Chalice CD

Gjallarhorn from the Ukraine have finally returned with what they call a full length, but at 5 songs I would more call an EP with “From Heart Of Mine I Fill The Chalice”. With songs averaging 6+ minutes in length it is on the border of being a full length. Despite the obvious Viking name, Gjallarhorn reside on the edge of pagan metal and black metal for sure. There have been a couple of splits since the last full length in 2009 “Probudzhennya”, most notably “Legacy” with Yevhen Vetruk from 2013. If you have never heard them I guess I would say they have a sound reminiscent of Darkthrone ,Satyricon and Immortal but with also a touch of King Of Asgard or maybe some Manegarm. You could even maybe hear some country mates like Nokturnal Mortum or Drudkh in here as well.
If you are looking for folk here, you are looking in the wrong place. From the opening track “Weapon Against You”, you will be full on listening to epic pagan metal overtures, with tons of frantic blast beats, glass chewing vocals and throwback thrashy riffs. Lyrically, they are coming from a perspective of rebellion, nature, paganism and history which goes perfect with the music. With tracks like “Where Every Step Is To Eternity” and the closer “Where The Wind Whispers His Songs To The Fields”, Gjallarhorn have really found the song style that works to highlight their musicianship and song writing abilities. For those of you that rely on synth or strictly acoustic instrumentation to create a mood for you to “get into it” will not be able to handle this. For people like me that love grim war/pagan/black metal tracks that should be listened to while standing in the woods at night, staring at the moon knee deep in snow this is one to start bringing with you. Next time I go out at night, I will leave my copies of “Dark Medieval Times” and “Battles In The North” and bring this with me instead. I think the resulting feelings and mood will be same…great release.