Bhleg - Ödhin (2021) Hi-Res

Active since 2013, this Swedish three piece have maintained a steady stream of singles and EPs since 2018 sophomore album “Solarmegin”. Third album “Ödhin” throws us in at the deep end with some fast melodic riffs and raw on opener “Vyss”, a consistent sense of urgency is maintained even when underpinning acoustic guitars and reflective clean vocals are thrown into the mix.

“Alyr III” maintains the icy, wintery atmospherics with the addition of keyboards to the melodic riffage and pummelling drums. It comes to a sudden stop halfway through, duping the listener into thinking that the acoustic guitars and pulsing synth are the intro to a new track, though it’s all part of the same epic track, resulting in a slow-burn outro.

“Gyllene Gal” provides a short interlude with a quirky take on the folky themes, beginning with several blasts of a foghorn and crowing cockerel before ethereal synth leads us to “Slukad Sol”. Switching seamlessly between melancholy and savagery, this is the stand-out track of the album for me, particularly the section where clean vocals sit comfortably over blast beats and doomy riffs. Acoustic guitars sit underneath the main mix, embellishing the song before taking centre stage for the outro. “Ödet” provides more of the same folk influenced style of black metal, before atmospheric winds blow in layered mandolins for short instrumental closer “Drömmen Om Vårdträdet”.

Bhleg remain a fascinating prospect with their unique folk-laden interpretation of old school black metal, and “Ödhin” can take a bow as one of 2021s first truly intriguing albums.