i just picked up the new Vintersorg the other day and i was totally psyched when i got home to listen to it. unfortunately, the album was a huge downer for me. cosmic genesis is one of my fave cds and his older stuff is amazing. i think he's lost his "folky" feel and gone way to experimental. the new material sounds to chaotic and disorganized. it reminds me of arcturus in a way, but w/ out the structure. it has a very abrupt and raw sound to it if you know what i mean. just my opinion though. hopefully i can get used to it. anyone else feel this way?
You possibly need to listen to it a few more times (the universal recommendation for people who don't like something you do )- I think it's quite structured and coherant, but I've had it for a while. The whole folk thing seems very much in the background, if it's there at all (I only have CG to compare it to), so it's understandable you'd be somewhat off-put it that's your thing
The main reason I listen to Vintersorg (and Otyg, of course) was for the folk-element, so I was not very happy with the album when I first heard it... so I listened to it quite a bit, trying to get used to it... I thought it'd eventually click, but that didn't happen. So I stoped listening to it. About 2 weeks later, I popped it in, and I finally liked it! It was pretty wierd. It may happen that you'll never like it (I still think it's the worst album to date, but that's because the other albums are so briliant), but I say give it a chance. Listen to it off and on for 1 or 2 months... see how you like it then.
Nomad: what do you mean with worst..in what aspect.........from my point of view it's the most mature and developed album of all earlier, has a much vaster complexity in arr and composition...I don't say something is good just cause it's complex, but VFTSG has much more structured riffs and solid foundation. But it's the deepest album so far so you need to explore it alot. But what is the deal with comparing???? every new album are an entity in itself, that should not be compared to the previous album...I've never done that, I can't see why one should. I listen to every new album as if I knew nothing about their past, then you get the most honest reation from yourself....in this manners I'm very unempirical. mr V
I must say that I agree with Screams review of the new album... I'll try to translate. hehe Vintersorg - Visions from the Spiral Generator (5/6) "I have to admit that this album is an album I've worked harder with than usual. The reason is of course because I have a very warm relationship with Vintesorgs two first albums, the more monumentual "Till fjälls" and "ödermarkens son". These are classics which neither time or tooth will destroy. His third album "Cosmic Genesis" were also good, but still not a cd which I have played as much as the first ones. And then "Visions.." come. First playthrough is a total dissapointment, no folkmetal, all to much Borknagar and to anonymous. And after I've heard through the albums a couple of more times, it grows. One can hear Vintersorgs eminent sense for arrangements and melodies, but still something is missing. It doesn't help when he sings Swedish on some songs. Progressiv metal, ok, but is this what we really want from this man?? I think it's sad that a man choose to follow a kind of trend, a more anonymous and modern-metal style, when he can do much better. The album is not bad, the melodies are much more better than Borknagars melodies on their last album, and that shows that Vintersorg is a much better componist than Øystein Brun, no offence. But to claim that this is something "new" and "exciting" as the two first albums, is like saying that Paradise Lost got better whitin the years. I still give the album 5 of 6 possible because Vintersorg has made a good album. The genious, the peculiarity, and the total ekspentional, beautiful and norse seems to be gone forever...... -Bjørn Nørsterud-
I agree with this review...even i don't think Vintersorg sounds now like Borknagar,and following a trend.This new album is to complex,to sophisticated, to be a trend thing.It is the same as with the last Emperor release.
First, I have yet to buy the album, but I have already heard two songs, so my opinion is based on them. Universums... is a good song, I really like it, but it starts like a Borknagar song. Especially the guitar sound. The beginning almost can be mistaken for a song from Empiricism. Well, but not the guitar solo after A metaphisical drama is not as strong as the one mentioned above, but still a good one. Though I dont like some parts I know only Cosmic Genesis, which indeed is a great album. I dont miss the pagan feeling. I think the 'feeling' is here. I wait to form a more precise opinion till I got the album and heard it a couple of times.
Ahh, my apologies, I wrote quickly and didn't get across what I meant from those. Musically, it is the most comples, and likely the best written. But, for me, it is the least enjoyable to listen to. There are certain styles I prefer over others, and I like the style of the earlier albums better. As for comparing, you're right, it would be better if I (and others) simply tried to take each album on it's own. However, when I decide that I want to listen to a Vintersorg album, I have 3.5 of a similar style and Visions which is quite different. And I must decide which of these I'd like to listen to. So, I listen to the ones I enjoy more at that time (which is dependant on my mood and a couple other factors). And, as I said above, when you're comparing to brilliant albums, saying something is the worst, doesn't mean much. You have a point about not comparing albums, but if you MUST compare albums, one of them has to be the worst. I have similar problems with the Opeth albums, it is too difficult to decide what is worst. I feel I should continue clarifying, but I think that is sufficient, and it is far to early in the morning for me...
OK, some thoughts on comparing. I also often do it. Guilty as charged. In contrary to mr V who said he could listen to a new record as if he knew nothing about the past I just cannot ignore a band's past that easily. Don't know why, but when I put on a new album from a band I always tend to think of its predecessors. And if the music is quite similar I do compare the band's releases in a way.......sometimes having a favourite release of these, just like Nomad stated. Then again, this time with VFTSG I simply couldn't compare the disc to the previous albums because imo it sounded so different. And yes, I'm repeating myself, it took me some time to get into it but I'm loving the record now. In a different way than the others though. So, metalseth, not everything is lost yet (am I making sense, btw? I don't feel so.... )
Yes, the new album is technically better and all that stuff, but still I like the melodies from "Till fjälls" and "Ödemarkens Son" so much better! The lyrrics were also about stuff which is not so abstract as the stuff Vintersorg is dealing with now. The lyrrics were more about the nature we who live in Scandinavia know and our history... The "feeling" over these old albums is a feeling I like more than this "new thing".. I've listened to VFTSG thirty times or something, so this opinion is not a "first listening through opinion"... Ok, I liked the album better after some listening throughs, but STILL... Many friends and I have also noticed that Vintersorg uses his deep vocals less now than before. Personally I like the deep & majestetic voice better.. My first Vintersorg album was "Ödemarkens Son". It really gave me creeplings, because it was so beautiful. When I bought "Hedniskhjärtad" and "Till fjälls". I also got these feelings, but Ödemarkens Son is still a favourite. Cosmic Genesis were very good, but I didn't like the lyrrical/musical direction things were taking, and VFTSG is the album I like least. But these things is of course a matter of taste. An artist can of course not expect to satisfy all of his fans, but maybe he gets new fans because of the changing direction? Anyway, these are the opinions of me and many friends and people I know........ And maybe foreigners(I' thinking on people outside Scandinavia) who don't care as much about his swedish lyrrics, don't care about the lyrrical changing direction.
Yes, I agree here! hehe.... About the not comparing albums thing... It has to be done. At least for me. That's what you have favourite bands for! I love Iced Earth, and I just know that what they put out is something I'll love. It's just the way it is... Their sound, the way their songs are... Everything... It's the same with Vintersorg. Vintersorg released a lot of folky albums, so of course that's what you'll expect with the next releases as well! It's only natural. And listening to an album by a band and trying to forget what this band has released earlier seems kind of impossible... Many bands have the same sound going through all their records... It's this sound you want as a person who loves the music... Gah! This sounded so easy to understand in my head! Lol >P
Commenting on the song E.S.P Mirage from Visions... I can't get over the funky bass line, reminds me of Red Hot Chili Peppers of all thing's, but it sounds great. Nice job. Wrong thread maybe?
I agree. Most of my cd purcases are because I already have something by a band, I like it, then I buy their next one. It's not without the expectation that there'll be some development to their sound (although personally I think development is over-rated), but there will be some element to them that makes you want to come back for more.
Finally VFTSG was release here in Brazil... a bit late but Im Earing to it now!! Ánd wow, that's awesome... in all aspects.. the instrumental, Vintersorg vocals....the complexity of the music....the rhythmic variations... the lyrics. I'm not a musician, I'm don't understand nothing about musical notes, tabs, and all this stuff. . I'm a simple admirer of the good music,and this Cd has some of the best music that I already heard. . It's very dificult to me explain my feelings about VOTSG with my poor english... so: Simplesmente a coisa mais perfeita que ouvi este ano!!!! Thanks Mr. V.
I heard Vintersorg for the first time two days ago! I was a song from th new album called - The explorer. I thought it kicked ass!
So you compare your old boyfriend/girlfriend with your current??? don't think so. Every process and object lives by itself, and should therefore(in my opinion) only be judged from a virgin angle, still, if you boils inside with empirical advetures and standards. You don't judge a person for the first time you see him/her...you try to develope a conversation/connection and from that your opinion takes form, just to say he/she is a bad person cause he/she is different is pretty bizzare, right!! I'm not trying to defend our album here. We love it ourselves, so we don't have to. mr V
I hate it when people say that the new Vintersorg sounds like Borknagar because it isn't true. Only the drums sounds like Bork (hell, why is that??) but Asgeir has a very own way of drumming. In Vintersorg you can hear much more clean vocal lines and they are different from Bork too. And Vintersorg & Mattias guitar playing is so much different. Bork are almost shorts. I don't really understand why people say that.
