VARDE was forged in 2017 by Koll, Nord and drummer Dar'n. With traditional poetry in combination with their folkish and atmospheric brand of music, VARDE shines a light on the northern heritage of storytelling, historical events and folklore. "Asgaardsreien" is a re-issue of their 2018 release, and contains two tracks.

The lengthy title track leads off the album. It opens with the familiar two-step note pattern that you often hear in the genre. The vocals are harsh and fill a particular rhythm. Following a brief pause, the opening sound returns, as the vocals morph into more spoken words. Around the seven-minute mark, some chanting comes into play as the harshness is tempered for a while, then it's back to the earlier sound again. Rounding the twelve minute-mark, things pick up a bit, and then the sound drops again after another minute. Some folky instruments join the fold, then it's back to putrid sound. It closes with the gentle sway of guitars and spoken word, in their native language.

"Koll Med Bilen (Del II)" opens with a fierce edge, and some smooth rhythms. The vocals once again ride the edge between full on harshness with spoken words. They go fully wicked then, as a powerfully depressing passage follows. It closes on a hard guitar strike. I am really not sure what to make of this album. There wasn't enough atmospheric or folky elements to really grab my attention, and it just sounded like another FWOBM band to me. The title track did provide at least some variation, but in the end, just a mediocre album for me.