When a Metal genre seems to be dead and gone, it's a sign that things are ready for a turn of events, because changes will happen in a moment. And since Pagan Black Metal acts ceased to exist or drifted to other forms more palatable for new generations, the idea is that it was dead and gone. But on the depths of German underground there's resistance, as shown by FIMBULVET on the band's fifth album, "Portale". The band brings a traditional form into Pagan Black Metal, or in other words, it depicts what the genre was just after it went outside of Black Metal's shadow (just Black Metal with pagan lyrics), keeping the contrasts between pagan ambiences and elements with an aggressive outfit.

It means that the songs are nasty and aggressive, but keeping epic/pagan elements on it (as the contrasts between clean and shrieked tunes on the vocals and some choirs), and no Pagan Music traditional instruments are heard, just guitars, bass guitar, drums, keyboards and vocals. The band's music has strong roots on the past, but the fresh outfit and energy that flow from the songs is amazing, easy to hook the fans. "Portale" was produced, mixed and mastered by Markus Stock (the known German musician of EMPYRIUM, THE VISION BLEAK, SUN OF THE SLEEPLESS and others) at Klangschmiede Studio E, thus creating an abrasive and crude sonority for the album. But don't get the words in the wrong sense: it's raw and organic, but in a way that fits on the band's music and that can be understood by anyone.

This album will have a strong appeal for fans of Black Metal and Pagan Black Metal of the 90's, and as it's an expression of the musical ideas Stephan Gauger (the only member of the band). For an introduction to the album's content, "Portale" (an aggressive and fast song with very good guitar riffs and some charming keyboards parts), "Neiding" (where some contrasts between aggressive parts and epic/pagan moments can be heard, with very good clean voices and nasty growls), "Feuertod" (charming clean guitars arrangements introduces the song, where some slower parts are filled with a charming melodic care, with very good and solid rhythms created by bass guitar and drums), "Krieg der Ratten" (some Thrash/Black Metal riffs are here to hooks the fans, creating some links between the past and the present musical outfit used by the band), "Drachentor" (this one has that classic Pagan Black Metal outfit, with some Old School Black/Thrash Metal elements), and let's stop here and let the other songs be a homework for the listeners, because the album works as an unity, it's not possible to choose a set and call it 'the best ones'.

FIMBULVET shows that German Metal underground is still rich, and this offering called "Portale" is really amazing!