Narqath’s (of Azaghal fame) one man project Wyrd is one of the best Finnish Black Metal bands I’ve ever heard. Last year Vargtimmen Pt. 1 was released and highly praised by fans and press; I still haven’t heard it and I really don’t know how good it is, but one thing I can tell you; if it’s of the same quality of this one, we’re sure talking about a killer album, because Vargtimmen Pt. 2 slays all the way.

What I really like about this album is that it is extremely varied and original sounding, thing that keeps the album interesting at all times. Narqath mixes melancholy with agression and anger, thing that I really, really like.

The first track The Wicker Man opens the album and it begins as a sad, slow Doom like song, with piano and some acoustic guitars as well as some quite depressive and broken sounding clean vocals; halfway through the song the music speeds up and amazing riffing is thrown in; if the riffing in this song doesn’t convince you that Narqath is the man, then I don’t know what’s in your head. My only complaint about this song is that it’s a bit longer than necessary, but apart from that it’s a great song. The following track, The Pale and the Dead, features an extremely epic sounding riff that will stay in your mind forever, halfway through the song the fast riffing is interrupted by a very melancholic interlude that features a clean guitar, a kind of flute and clean vocals, just to change once again into a powerful melancholic song with some majestic keyboards; and in case you didn’t have enough of the amazing epic riff at the beginning, the song closes with it, I still can’t have enough of that riff.

The third track, Redemption, works as an interlude, featuring only an ambient keyboard and piano. This interlude opens way for Ominous Insomnia with more killer riffing and epic / majestic keyboards. The following track, Cold, Son of the Wind, is a kind of folkish depressive ballad. Ghost of Winter is another amazing song, with some great keyboard, guitar work which together sounds extremely cool and bombastic. The album closes with the instrumental Depression; only keyboards and piano, with a bit of a Doom sound at the beginning; then the song takes a very Burzumesque sound but then it resumes with the Doom sound of the beginning, but with an epic feel.

This album is pure gold people so don’t hesitate to buy it; fan of the genre or not I’m sure you’ll like most of it, even though there are some parts that are a bit slow and that might not be liked by some.

With this release Narqath once again proves that he’s nothing short from being a genius.