For the unfortunately unaware, Icelandic Viking Metallers SKÁLMÖLD are as authentic as you can get when it comes to the genre. I don't know about the rest of you, but if I were to listen to Viking Metal, I would gravitate to countries of origin; Viking Metal, made by musicians with Viking blood; they speak the language, and their heritage speaks through their music. "Með Vættum" is the band's 3rd album; written entirely in Icelandic, it is about a stoic protector of Iceland, a woman named Thorin, protecting the island from its enemies. You don't have to hear the grizzled, aggressive vocals to tell that you are listening to listen to Metal about Viking legends, with riffs, chord progressions and atmospherics handed down from the gods themselves.

Let me just make something clear: this is a LONG album for its tracklist, with it's 8 tracks (not including the live performances) clocking in at 50 minutes. "Að vori" opens the album, and its the only track under 5 minutes. This, brethren, is how you open a Viking Metal album; an energetic, rumbling 6/8 attack supplemented with reverberating, clean background chants provide the perfect vehicle for Björgvin's gravelly vocals, which remind me a little of Piotr's vocals of VADER in his enunciation. One of the best tracks on the album follows up next in "Með fuglum"; an adventurous piece that features many changes of pace, mood and depth. A subtly evocative, but nonetheless epic buildup starts a raucous series of crescending riffs; from frantic blast-beaten passages to powerful, mid-range chugs in the verses, but the choruses are the true moments of "Fvkk yes" on this album; powerful, menacing chord progressions pounded out by heavy, sweeping chord. As diverse as this album is, especially for a Folk-like album, "Að hausti" is one of the tracks that adheres closest to Folk archetypes. A mid-range, light-hearted backbone of riffs provides the ox-and-cart for which memorable and catchy folk instrumentals ride; the vocals too keeping to a much more traditional, authentically-folkish vibe, where the beauty of the Icelandic language is best heard.

"Með jötnum" is the longest piece on the album, at nearly 10-minutes. Starting similar in pace to the opening track, it features a greater presence of commanding clean vocals; juxtaposed to, but just as fearsome and war-inspiring as the vicious growls. By about a quarter of the way into the track, the raucous, Pagan throwdown is broken down into a jarringly-slow, Doom-like dirge; an epic interlude of sorts, that makes way for the second half of the track, where things really start to pick up. Everything seems to be happening at once, and it's quite the experience. "Með griðungum" is the last track on the album, and another 9 minute monster. An epic intro, with sweeping dynamics as the instruments come together, paves the way for a series of exceptionally heavy riffs. The track soon picks up a few intriguing vibes, alternating between raucous Folk and heavy Death 'n' Roll moments.

I'm feeling urges to embroil myself in the band's back catalogue now, if their new release is any indication. Not revolutionary or out of the ordinary, but definitely a stellar release.