ALBUM REVIEW: Seiðr – Pandrador
People really bloody love all that Scandinavian stuff don’t they. Blame Vikings. Blame The Northman, or Assassin’s Creed, or HEILUNG – whatever you want; the fact is we seem to live in an era of peak Scandi-saturation across many of the creative arts, often regardless of whether the creators of such arts trace any heritage to the region or not. And yet, as Polish post-death metallers PANDRADOR step back into that world of influence for their sophomore full-length Seiðr, they give listeners little to no reason to complain considering the quality of what’s on offer.
Following on from their self-released 2020 debut Ov Rituals, Ov Ancestors, Ov Destiny, the band haven’t tinkered much with their approach here. Like its predecessor, Seiðr comprises nine tracks, it lands sensibly inside of the 40-minute mark, and it kicks off with a brief intro piece that sets an epic scene for the record to follow. While somewhat unadventurous to stick so rigidly to that form, the fact is that it works, and if anything the band seem to have grown more powerful in the intervening years. Thunderous, atmospheric, technically-accomplished death metal is still very much the order of the day, but it feels bigger, better produced and ultimately more cohesive and complete here.
And that’s a good thing because Seiðr isn’t aiming for anything less. Described as “a story of pride, betrayal and downfall” among all the usual lofty references to journeys and listeners as protagonists and so on, the album draws heavily on Scandinavian culture to tell tales of war, gods and, of course, Ragnarök. Granted it can all feel a bit worthy, especially when the lyrics provided are presented in Old English, but even from the music alone one gets the sense of some kind of sweeping epic, something grand and timeless and expansive and elemental, and ultimately a record that’s easy to get lost in whether you are following the words or not.
But if that’s not enough to go on then as for specifics what PANDRADOR really do once they’ve got the intro of Asgardreisen Leaving Valhalla out of the way is deliver a breathless onslaught of blackened post-death metal that should appeal massively to anyone who enjoyed that stellar effort from WAKE last year. It’s a largely relentless experience thanks to drummer Adrian Stempak’s tight blast beats and double kick work, and yet even within that there are plenty of moments that jump out. Fifth track Nithstang Of Sleipnir somehow crushes and punishes even harder than the considerable efforts of its counterparts for example, while Hvergelmir which immediately follows it pushes the album to arguably its most melodic and atmospheric heights. There’s also the closing title track: a dynamic six-minute offering whose moodier dips only accentuate the thunder and fury of the record’s climax.
Perhaps as expected, those final moments to arrive all too quickly, although saying that it’s not as though Seiðr really needs to be any longer than it is. It’s just long enough to leave a full and lasting impression, and yet it also comfortably avoids outstaying its welcome or losing its power by dragging things out for an extra couple of songs. As such, it’s generally best experienced in full even though each of the eight proper tracks have plenty of merit of their own. Even if you are understandably quite tired of all the dudes with half a beard and a gym membership who seem to think they’re Vikings, here PANDRADOR have proven that there is still a way to draw inspiration from Scandinavian history and create something that feels fresh, compelling and truly powerful.
Rating: 8/10
Seiðr is set for release on May 26th via Pagan Records.
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