Since the coming of Pagan Metal at the end of the 80s, when SKYCLAD gave birth to the whole style, the musical improvements made, the different musical influences coming from Heathen music and even from orchestral elements entered the style, creating all the diversity you hear. Some names grew a lot, others are still growing, as SKÁLMÖLD, a good sextet from Iceland that is releasing their third album, called "Vögguvísur Yggdrasils". Their musical vein is near that one with the use of Extreme Metal elements (especially due the aggressive vocals), but with a great sense of melody. It's not complex in technical terms, but it's not so accessible due to the bitter and raw elements on their songs. But it's lovely and charming, and a delight for the fans of the style. The sound production of the album is in an almost perfect balance between the clean aspects of the quality we need to understand what they are doing, and the rawness and weight they need. It's a very good sound quality, indeed. "Vögguvísur Yggdrasils" has two discs. The first one is focused on the nine worlds from Norse Mythology, and the second with some versions for older songs of other bands and live material.

On the disc 1, the album itself, the band shows excellent work on "Múspell" (a fast song, with excellent guitar riffs and fine keyboards arrangements), the bitter "Niflheimur" (with charming slow tempos, what makes the drums and bass guitar works evident), the excellent music arrangements presented on "Niðavellir", "Miðgarður" with its nasty and great melodies and vocals, the clean vocals of "Álfheimur", the perfect blend of melodic solos and harsh riffs on "Ásgarður", and the long "Vanaheimur" (the is filled with excellent arrangements of keyboards, excellent clean vocals and great work of bass and drums once more). On the disc 2, the versions for "Drink" from ALESTORM, "Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur" from SIGUR RÓS (a Post Rock band, and this song has a perfect melancholic touch), "Nattfödd" from FINNTROLL (that respects the original version, but with the band putting their own personality on it) and the Hard Rock "Lazer Eyes" from THOR, the perfect children choir and great tempos of "Heljarreið Afa", and the live versions for "Upprisa", "Hefnd" and "Dauði" are not here to make you waste time and money, but to show how they are good. It's a fine album, indeed.