HELGRINDUR is a black metal band from Germany who formed in 2009. Their self titled album is their second full length album. Their overall sound is rather melodic with a lot of energy being pushed through the songs. Production wise, it isn’t as bleak or grimy as some black metal. Actually, I find the album to be rather vibrant in terms of how it sounds. The cleaner production allows the melodies to shine through even better and none of the instruments have to fight to be up front. The album begins with the appropriately titled “Intro,” which is a short instrumental consisting of keys. The song itself, while serviceable, isn’t all that remarkable but it does lead into the first proper track, “Windmuhle.”

If you like this banger, the rest of the album will definitely appeal to you. The guitars flow between crunchy notes and rapid fire riffing while the melodies add an additional layer that really make the songs pop. Without the melodies, I don’t think the songs would be quite as interesting though without their inclusion so they definitely helps with the overall flow. The chorus is surprisingly catchy, especially the drums which are very complimentary of the song as whole. “Erinnerung,” is a much faster song, lead by the drums, which hits hard and fast. The vocals are solid and, as they do throughout the album, alternate between blackened screams and low growls. This song too has a catchy chorus, heightened by the guitars with flow alongside the vocal patterns. Once again, the drums impress and help direct the listener around the song.

In the later half of the song, the bass rumbles its way through a darker, more sorrow laden passage that effortlessly flows back into the chorus. Unfortunately, at this point in the album, fatigue begins to settle in for me. While there aren't any bad songs on the album, none of them really stand out in any particular way. The melodies make it all pop and the often galloping rhythms are certainly effective but there isn’t any one song that stood out above the others or a big moment to pull me in. Basically, if you like the first song then any song could be randomly played to satisfy you. It does satisfy musical hunger pains but just not for very long. This isn’t necessarily a bad aspect but I just need a little more.

With that being said, the later half of the album is still solid. The title track is pretty furious in the beginning and doesn’t waste any time launching its way through these cold lands. The rhythm is a tight gallop that provides ample head banging until the chorus arrives, full of blackened screams and a strong melody. The later half is atmospheric with a blanket of melodic layers bridging the two halves of the song The final song, “Zur Ewigkeit,” ends it all on a solid, if unremarkable, note. Once again, it is the guitar melodies and harmonies that really stick out in the song instead of the songwriting itself.

All in all, this certainly isn’t a bad album because it does have several catchy choruses and the melodies really pop but beyond that, it didn’t really stick with me as much.