Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 12:10 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Denmark
Label: Vendetta Records
Year: 2019
In an all rising Danish black metal scene, more and more bands are starting to get under the radar each year that goes by. Ligfaerd have been around for close to two decades now (in the early 00’s, they were known as Hrapp) and it’s a purely Danish spoken act, that has only released three albums the last fifteen years.Only recently I became familiar with them, just with their 2016 album “Dagen for os – natten for eder”.
The band’s third record “Den ildrødekonge” (=the scarlet king) comes in an artwork that is finally well designed, emphasizing on the band’s perpetual inclination towards anti-religious lyrical themes. All the titles of the album go with their English translations, something that was unused in the past, and other than the artwork, Ligfaerd have improved their sound too. I would hate to have this band presented in clean sounding production, but their filthy aesthetics are now glorified with the as-harsh-as-necessary mastering that makes it their most prominent recording to date.
Musically, “Den ildrødekonge” is very straightforward and aggressive, with the band using fast paced riffing and thunderous drums through and through. There are a few synth passages which by no means take a central role in the record’s process, which unravels in frantic speed and without mercy, in a manner we have heard before in bands like Marduk. This is the only disadvantage I found in this otherwise enjoyable release, that at several times I felt like it is too close to Marduk and as if I’m listening to them. Not only the guitar lines themselves, but the changes within the tracks remind a lot of Marduk structure.
The musicianship is great and all of the different parts of the instrumentation are well executed, as Ligfaerd is a black metal band with good vocals, good drumming and good tracks in general. They employ faster tracks, like the self-titled and “Den fejlslagne nedmaning”, middle paced moments work nicely in “Kiøgehuskors 1608 – 1615” and the album doesn’t have much turbulence, apart from an interlude in the middle “Epitafium” which would not be a big of a difference, if had been avoided. Apart from the Marduk resemblance, the band is fairly fine in what they do. I enjoyed “Den ildrøde konge” and I will keep this record in mind, yet I think they have to look into their own style more if they want something more from their art.
3.5/6
