Vildhjarta

By Francisco Monteiro on Nov 5, 2011 in Cd Review | 0 comments

Album: Måsstaden
Label: Century Media
Tracks: 13
Release Date: 2011-11-28
Length: 51.30

Riff Score: 8.0/10

Vildhjarta introduce themselves with a powerful, complex Prog Metal album. Their first album will leave no fan disappointed and will surely allow them to capture fans of an always very demanding genre. Måsstaden is one of the best debut albums of the year.

Vildhjarta was formed by Daniel Bergström, Jimmie Åkerström and Johan Nyberg in 2005 in Hudiksvall, Sweden. Up until now the band has enjoyed a momentum only unsigned cult bands seem to capture. Hyped like Prog Metal gods since their demos appeared on the internet, the three man band traded ideas and material through email, each of them working separately and providing one another with suggestions on how to create each unique track. A riff would become a verse and soon after they would have a song. However, the band was not complete. Their natural progression led them to add more and more members, who would contribute with even more material. Soon after that the band had grown into the formation we now know: A seven man group, with so many flourishing ideas, lead to more and more fans being added to their already huge underground cult. Pretty soon their fans started demanding live shows and the band finally got together to play at some festivals (most notable of all the 2010 edition of Euroblast).

After those concerts the band felt confident enough to start working on a full length album. They signed for Century Media Records in an attempt to force themselves to obtain deadlines and structure. “Måsstaden” was then completed. 16 tracks, mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend), entirely constructed by Vildhjarta. In here we can find aggressive Progressive Metal, with some Death Metal influences. Calm and mellow ambient sounds, intertwined with complex structures that remind us of Meshuggah. Furthermore, their sound even goes as far as containing some electronic influences.

An album with so many different traits will always be a hit or miss deal. However Vildhjarta were able to find a good equilibrium in their sound and thus were able to construct a very good album.

One of the best tracks in the album is “Shadow”, a song that starts with a very creepy guitar playing softly along some very disturbing and eerie sounds that quickly explode into very complex riffs. “Traces” is another of the most well thought songs in the whole album. The structure imposed by Daniel Bergström, Calle Thomér, and Jimmie Åkerström in the guitars is the perfect setting to the introduction of the clean vocals by Daniel Ädel (something i would personally enjoy seeing more of). “All These Feelings” is an example of excellent work in song-writing. The music surrounds the listener in its strange and dark journey, which is characterized by the mellow sounds that creep up from behind the guitars in every calm section of this track. This is definitely the best song in the album. “Nojja” is played with almost mathematical precision and, once again, excellent work on the more gentle guitars that create a somewhat opposing sound when compared to the other tracks.

While these are the most memorable of all the songs, the remaining tracks sometimes have a tendency for confusion and chaos, leaving the listener to wonder exactly which track it is. “Dagger”, “Eternal Golden Monk”, ”Östpeppar” and “Deceit” are the best examples of songs whose sounds become somewhat confusing, leaving me to wonder which one I am listening to. “Benblåst”, “Phobon Nika”, “Måsstadens Nationalsång” and “When No One Walks With You” are the ones that don’t really add anything to the album. What keeps them afloat is the cohesion between all of them. Each song fitting perfectly one after the other, creating a very good listening experience even for people who are not fans of the genre.

One last note, “The Lone Deranger” is a great song to end the album, showing excellent structure with powerful background details. It feels like a well written story because of the well though structure.

“Måsstaden” is an album that will not disappoint the fans of the genre. It has all the right ingredients: creative musicians that play with passion and technique, complex structures that will please the fans, while at the same time paying enough attention to details that distinguish them from being just another Prog Metal band. This works to their advantage because it will probably bring them more fans from outside their circle. As for the cult-like status they enjoyed in the underground? It will probably disappear over time as they will grow into a well-known name in the metal world. Let’s just hope their fans won’t burn their demos in anger…

Review by: Carlos Cardoso

By: Francisco Monteiro