Tjolgtjar | Vruguun by Illinoisan Thunder

Review from Metal Archives
What exactly does the album sound like? Well, it's certainly rooted in black metal. Whether you want to add the terms "progressive", "avant-garde/experimental", or "psychedelic" are really up to you. I believe the choice term of J.R. Preston is psychedelic black metal. What exactly does that mean? Do you remember Burzum's track "Key to the Gate"? Remember how wacky and fucked up that riff was? Imagine that mixed with various blends of 70's rock (including psych, prog, and southern) as well as 80's heavy metal.

The various different styles of production on display also have a large effect on the sound of this record. Different aspects are put to the front in different songs. There are 3 different drum kits being used, all using different microphone setups. Some tracks are more bass heavy, some are classic raw hissing black metal. The real magic is that, somehow, despite all these tweaks... the album not only makes sense as a whole, it sounds great.

The variety is something that really makes Vruguun a standout in the black metal scene. All Tjolgtjar albums have had good variety, but this one is over the top. There are tracks that are very straightforward, there are tracks that are very progressive and experimental. "Then She Let Me See" sounds like a tribute to Uriah Heep's brand of hippie rock. "Hearing the Voice of the Devil" is a DIRTY, 70's heavy metal jam with tasty guitar solos. The closer, "Party Moon", sounds like AC/DC on fucking mushrooms or something.

"Mars as a Fixture in Planetary Science" starts off with this batshit insane riff, very reminiscent of Burzum's "Key to the Gate", as I mentioned before. "I'm Your Daughter" is an absolutely chilling track, with heavy use of clean falsetto vocals. The whole thing somehow manages to be all over the place while keeping its roots firmly in the ground. This is a rock album, this is a black metal album, this is Tjolgtjar.

Aside from different tracks having different themes, there can be a lot of variety even within one of the shorter tracks. There is a great variety in different riffing styles and the vocals are constantly doing unpredictable things. You'd think the experimentation would get tiring and it may to some people. I certainly found the record a challenging listen, but that is one of the best things about Vruguun. It pushes boundaries.

I'm a big Tjolgtjar fan, so let me try to shed my bias for a moment here. There are a lot of Tjolgtjar albums, even ones that I quite enjoy, that have serious problems. Bad production plagues many of the records. There are a lot of Tjolg compilations that vary in quality from track to track. The experimentation sometimes becomes too challenging, to the point where most listeners are just going to shut it off. Nobody's perfect.

Vruguun is very raw, but it has the best production of any Tjolgtjar album. That's taking into consideration that many of the tracks are produced differently. The experimentation is heavy, but the emphasis on short and concise tracks makes them accessible. The amount of variety keeps you engaged the whole time. The use of different styles, some being considerably less challenging, gives you time between the more challenging tracks to just listen and enjoy. The way the tracklist flows is beautiful.

Mitchfynde

Black Metal, Black Noize, 8-Bit, Psychedelic Rock, Doom Metal, Black n' Roll, Neofolk, Ambient, Death Metal, Punk Rock, NWOTHM.

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