You can support Terra Relicta by donating! Please, do so, and thank you!
Band: Minneriket
Album title: Anima Sola
Release date: 02 January 2018
Label: ABAR (Akslen Black Art Records)
Tracklist:
01. Tro, håp og kjærlighet
02. An All Too Human Heart
03. When Life Gets Sick, The Dead Grow Strong
04. I Am The Serpent Son
05. Between Infinity And Melancholy
06. Det lyset jeg ikke kan se
07. Sorger er tyngst i solskinn
08. Alle hjerter banker ei
09. Smerte, skjønnhet og Satan
10. Time For Suicide
Minneriket emerged in 2014 through the mind of talented multi-instrumentalist Stein Akslen from Norway, who's known from before because of his collaborations with Blodsgard and Vakslen, as well because of his black art expressionism named of V0id&Khaos. With personal philosophical and spiritual themes, Akslen discusses inquisitive and uncomfortable questions about the blind faith and the brutality of self-destructiveness due to the misunderstanding of painful events inflicted on us all in general. Musically Minneriket has from the beginning notable influences of the old school Norwegian black metal, as well there's a touch punk and gothic, he calls his musical expression "romantic black metal".
Anima Sola is already the fourth album of this talented young man who keeps his roots and reveals his own pain and also the pains of the world through his lyrical compositions. His music escapes from predictable standards and is completely uncompromising. The album features songs of great potential that lead us on a journey through the recondition of his suffering mind. The album has kind of a very dramatic tone. I found melodic parts that I liked a lot, but just like there are highs, the album has many lows.
This is one of Minneriket's most aggressive albums with a very dense and depressing atmosphere. Unfortunately now the problems I have encountered begin. The quality of the recordings is good, but the instruments are muffled quite unpleasantly by the vocals. I believe that Minneriket tried to achive that raw old school sound, but it's done with kind of a modern approach and the result is not as good as it should be.
The tracks have many different musical ideas, very good riffs and progression, but you can not hear it right! Many times the instrumentation loses the balance, even with the great potential I have just mentioned. Drumming is a bit too powerless, I could not identify the bass, and the shrieking vocals are so loud that the instruments are simply muffled in the background. Slowly the album becomes unpalatable, the vocals are difficult, extremely dissonant (so far so good, it's part of the style), but it does not match the instruments in general. Sometimes I had a feeling that I'm listening to an old animal at the end of life, roaring choking in a tone much louder than necessary. It was almost not possible to hear the tracks in full.
Minneriket is a band that deserves much more in terms of production, ideas are noteworthy, but I believe the vocals need to improve, I'm sure Akslen can change his voice a bit and also make the instruments more audible. I really would like to hear more clearly the instruments of this talented musician and his voice in a lower tone and not so squeaky.
2018 is just at the beginning and I believe that if Minneriket will continue to release albums with this frequency then he could even release a new album already this year? I look forward to hear something with better sound and evaluate a new album more positively. I also believe that negative ratings are really needed to help artists improve and stay in such a crowded underground market. I do not want to see a band of great potential like Minneriket end in ostracism.
Review written by: Felin Frost
Rating: 6/10
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
