Having seen their infectious performance at a festival last year, I was thrilled to hear that DVALIN, a Progressive Folk Metal band from Bavaria, Germany, have just released their very first full-length album, entitled "Aus Dem Schatten". This translates to "Out of the Shadows", and seems to in part refer to the first step into the Metal world that their debut takes them on, whilst simultaneously giving a nod to their namesake, Dvalin, a dwarf who led his people from their dark dwellings in the mountains to find a new place to live in the light, according to Norse sagas.

This monumental uprising out of the darkness can be heard from the get-go, with the instrumental "Das Heer aus der Tiefe" summoning the hordes out of the dripping mountain caverns. Harsh and guttural vocals kick in on "Redeemed by Oblivion", combining with bombastic drumming to give the music a forceful edge which is tempered by the lighter overtones of Folk instruments. This sets the tone for the following songs, with the pace only slightly slackening in "Schöpfer des Nichts" before launching back into a more frenetic tempo. Alongside the intro, the other instrumental songs, "Ostara" and "Skaldenfest", give us a slight reprieve, and prevent "Aus Dem Schatten" from becoming monotonous. At the apex of the album we find "Zwergenvolk", a galloping song that entwines epic soundscapes with almost groovy-sounding Folk sections. This leads flawlessly into perhaps one of the highlights of the album: "Schrecken des Waldes", a song guaranteed to go down exceptionally well in a live setting.

Ending off with "Unter den Eichen", we are left with a rambunctious song that has you wanting your mead horn. However, given the similarities to EQUILIBRIUM's song of almost exactly the same name, this might not be the most original song to end off with. Indeed, there are quite a few strong influences from several renown German bands (such as EQUILIBRIUM, CORVUS CORAX, and even slight hints of VARG) in DVALIN's music, which does bring the overall originality of the album down somewhat.Furthermore, if you are not a fan of bagpipes, then this might be the wrong album for you. Whilst they do add a lively atmosphere to the music, they can get a bit much at times. The music also has an unrefined quality to it in both sound and production, which will hopefully dissipate as the band matures.

However, in mixing the catchy Folk aspects of Pagan Metal with harsher Melodic Death Metal, DVALIN have capture a hard-hitting yet playful sound. "Aus Dem Schatten" oozes attitude and potential, and this album brings to mind a Lord of the Rings quote: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." And I for one am curious to see where DVALIN sweeps us off to next.

Songwriting 7

Production 6