Vreid - The Skies Turn Black (2026)
What I appreciate here is the ambition. The Skies Turn Black doesn’t settle for being a straightforward black-metal record. It stretches toward heavy-metal melodicism, folk atmosphere, even cinematic instrumental passages.
The riffs are sharp and the melodies often carry real weight. When the album locks into that blend of frost-bitten aggression and classic metal grandeur, it works.
But the escalation rarely reaches the kind of overwhelming climax that would make the record feel monumental. The songs are well constructed, yet they often resolve before fully detonating.
It’s confident and atmospheric.
Just not quite towering.
Pros
Strong melodic architecture
Several tracks combine icy black-metal riffs with classic heavy-metal leads and memorable hooks.
Genre blending feels natural
Folk touches, traditional metal, and black-metal aggression coexist without sounding forced.
Atmospheric storytelling
The music strongly evokes Norwegian landscapes and mythology, reinforcing the band’s identity.
Cons
Climaxes sometimes feel contained
Builds are effective but rarely reach overwhelming payoff.
Some familiar black-metal structures
Despite experimentation, several songs fall back into predictable riff progressions.
Energy plateau in the mid-album stretch
The pacing loses momentum slightly before the final third.
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Country: Norway
Final Verdict: 67% (Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 36th / 203
Highlight: Loving the Dead
Made me think of:
Sólstafir
Ihsahn
Borknagar
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