nederlands
englishAll content is © 2006-2009, Evening of Light.
First of all, a bit about the artwork. When I got this in, and I combined the title "prepare for war" with the swastika-like symbol on the cover (actually two ęoh runes), I wasn't sure what to think about this. However, when in doubt, it's good to consult the artist him/herself, and that's what I did. A brief excerpt from his explanation of the concept behind this album and cover:
"[A]ny political movement, be that from a few thousand years ago, to that of last century, really doesn't interest me, and I have no intent to be associated with anything - again, be that either with the project, or in my own everyday life too. [...] I really have no desire to present the idea of war as an ideal state either - I'm neither overtly pro or anti war - I serve as an infantry solider in the New Zealand Army, so my view, and involvement, and my comprehension of what a war actually means I hope is beyond the superficial and fantastic perceptions of some people otherwise.
The symbol that is on the cover is an Ehwaz Cross, and realistically partakes therefore from part of the initial raison d'etre and dynamic of Vanargandr - movement, as indeed linked to the participation and place of Fenrir in the Northern conception of the Cosmos - in essence, the Cosmic cycle which saw at first the creation of the world and the "Shadow" entities (Surt being most obvious, though also the Jotun, and eventually the children of Loki), its subsequent stagnation and culminating demise via Ragnarok, and rebirth (whether seen as xtian addition or not). The association with war, as the title of "Praeparet Bellum", is really something else, as war here is seen as an actual part of life (and the full phrase from which "Praeparet Bellum" comes is in itself something else - not a praise of war, certainly)... Note that the titles, and indeed everything else with Vanargandr, make no hint, no intimation of interest, overt or covert, of anything to do with politics, let alone redundant ideas of nationalism etc - the symbol used for the cover is used purely for its association with Fenrir, nothing more, nothing less, and the title infact used as more of a metaphysical proposition.
Basically, and ultimately, Vanargandr is a magickal project, the intent and meaning behind each track, and each work in total, is buried and layered with manifold meaning - politics however, not being one."
A lengthy part of this review, to be sure, but perhaps necessary in today's scene, where symbols can have many meanings and associations. I feel it is up to the artist to express his feelings however he or she sees fit. We should not judge the content by its package, and strive to see further and deeper.
Now, to the music, then. The style on this EP is comparable to that on the Valtivar promo: deep and dark drones, with an obscure minimalist style. As becomes clear from the opening track, the sound quality is slightly better, and more subtle layers can be made out in the musical gloom. However, I still feel the low end of the sound spectrum is quite overpowering in such a way that it drowns out the other frequencies too much, which obscures the music. Despite this, these tracks do a good job at creating a dark atmosphere, straight from dusty corridors (of the mind). At times, the tracks flow rather calmly on a sea of drone and mist, like "Incipit, Sinister, (Daemonic) Hammer", and others have a more direct approach with noisy influences, such as "Consecration, and Celebration, of Being and Becoming".
I think this is a slightly better release than the previous promo, and it contains some nice obscure ambient. There is still a lot of room for improvement, though, and the music could benefit greatly from a more clear production and subtle effects.
O.S.
"[A]ny political movement, be that from a few thousand years ago, to that of last century, really doesn't interest me, and I have no intent to be associated with anything - again, be that either with the project, or in my own everyday life too. [...] I really have no desire to present the idea of war as an ideal state either - I'm neither overtly pro or anti war - I serve as an infantry solider in the New Zealand Army, so my view, and involvement, and my comprehension of what a war actually means I hope is beyond the superficial and fantastic perceptions of some people otherwise.
The symbol that is on the cover is an Ehwaz Cross, and realistically partakes therefore from part of the initial raison d'etre and dynamic of Vanargandr - movement, as indeed linked to the participation and place of Fenrir in the Northern conception of the Cosmos - in essence, the Cosmic cycle which saw at first the creation of the world and the "Shadow" entities (Surt being most obvious, though also the Jotun, and eventually the children of Loki), its subsequent stagnation and culminating demise via Ragnarok, and rebirth (whether seen as xtian addition or not). The association with war, as the title of "Praeparet Bellum", is really something else, as war here is seen as an actual part of life (and the full phrase from which "Praeparet Bellum" comes is in itself something else - not a praise of war, certainly)... Note that the titles, and indeed everything else with Vanargandr, make no hint, no intimation of interest, overt or covert, of anything to do with politics, let alone redundant ideas of nationalism etc - the symbol used for the cover is used purely for its association with Fenrir, nothing more, nothing less, and the title infact used as more of a metaphysical proposition.
Basically, and ultimately, Vanargandr is a magickal project, the intent and meaning behind each track, and each work in total, is buried and layered with manifold meaning - politics however, not being one."
A lengthy part of this review, to be sure, but perhaps necessary in today's scene, where symbols can have many meanings and associations. I feel it is up to the artist to express his feelings however he or she sees fit. We should not judge the content by its package, and strive to see further and deeper.
Now, to the music, then. The style on this EP is comparable to that on the Valtivar promo: deep and dark drones, with an obscure minimalist style. As becomes clear from the opening track, the sound quality is slightly better, and more subtle layers can be made out in the musical gloom. However, I still feel the low end of the sound spectrum is quite overpowering in such a way that it drowns out the other frequencies too much, which obscures the music. Despite this, these tracks do a good job at creating a dark atmosphere, straight from dusty corridors (of the mind). At times, the tracks flow rather calmly on a sea of drone and mist, like "Incipit, Sinister, (Daemonic) Hammer", and others have a more direct approach with noisy influences, such as "Consecration, and Celebration, of Being and Becoming".
I think this is a slightly better release than the previous promo, and it contains some nice obscure ambient. There is still a lot of room for improvement, though, and the music could benefit greatly from a more clear production and subtle effects.
O.S.