CoC : Grívf - Draugsrunor : Review

Grívf - _Draugsrunor_
(Serpent of Salvation, 2006)
by: Nikola Shahpazov (8 out of 10)

The cover art and booklet of _Draugsrunor_ is almost exclusively in dark green and black, featuring images of foggy woods and grim bogs -- a fitting visual presentation of Grívf's droning doom ambience. Unlike many other releases within the funeral doom genre, the sole procreator Isar hasn't relied solely on downtuned fuzzy guitars and a thick wall of sound in order to create the necessary oppressive mood. In fact, the slow, corrosive doom riffs and deathly roar constitute about half (if not less) of the album, while flowing, almost ambient keyboard sounds and solemn acoustic guitars are distinctively dominant on certain tracks. Isar has himself chosen to describe the music as "funeral folk", and rightly so: on closing tracks "Vise" and "Jordens Svaelg" the runic chants, ghostly flute and entrancing percussion give the sound a more ethnic, shamanic edge, underlining the heathen concept behind _Draugsrunor_. Thus Grívf works effectively on several levels while delivering a very cohesive and downright impressive record; a compelling listen for anyone with a thing for funeral doom aesthetics and dark northern European neofolk.

Contact: http://grvf.mymusic.dk

(article published 12/12/2006)

ALBUMS
3/11/2008	N Shahpazov	8.5	Grívf - Yggdrasil