Album review: Netherbird “The Grander Voyage”
Swedish melodic black/death metal band Netherbird exceeds expectations with its new studio album, “The Grander Voyage”.
Netherbird plays an interesting mix of melodic yet blackened death metal with a some doom metal touches to it. The result is rather tasty. In extreme metal terms, this band is quite melodic, while the lyrical themes and the mood of the melodies are rather dark and melancholic. Netherbird makes great use of acoustic guitars on many of the tracks on the album, such as on the great instrumental piece “Dance of the Eternals”. Overall this is great stuff.
Earlier this year, the band released the fantastic single “Windward” and thereby increased my expectations on this new album. That single also features on this seven-track album. As the new album, the band’s fourth full-length studio album, only features seven songs, it leaves the listener wanting more. That is perhaps on purpose and is not a bad thing. “Windward” is still great but the good news is that the album contains even better songs. “Pillars of the Sky” is brilliant and “The Silvan Shrine” is my standout favourite track on a very solid album from a great band. “Hinterlands” is also a terrific song, as is the short but fascinating opening track, “Pale Flames on the Horizon”.
Founding members Bizmark and Nephente are still the driving forces in this band which was founded in 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden. The band’s deep Scandinavian roots are obvious but they have been able to develop their own path through the deep forests of Northern Europe.
Netherbird’s “The Grander Voyage” is out now on Black Lodge Records/Sound Pollution.
Netherbird – band members
Nephente – vocals
Bizmark – guitar and vocals
Nord – guitar and vocals
Tobias Jakobsson – lead guitar
Micke André – bass and vocals
Fredrik Widigs – drums
