From venom dripping halls built from serpent spines to the peaking action of Ragnarök’s fatal clash Australian pagan black metal band Runespell envision five epic scenes of battle-torn virtue as they return for a fifth full-length having now expanded into an impressive trio. Presented with a folken cinematic flair in depiction of supernatural vainglory ‘Shores of Náströnd‘ offers yet another upgrade to the steady incline of the band’s already impressive discography by way of a cold yet panoramic dramatism illustrated within each scene. Though they’ve left behind some of their raw nature this time around a boon of expressive signature work arrives in its stead.

Under the left hand of musician Nightwolf (ex-Blood Stronghold) the solo era of Runespell impressed for its development of a distinctly melodic form of ‘epic’ black metal, a solitary step beyond his work in Eternum where the more Bathory-esque aspects of Graveland met up with a more refined touch. The four full-length evolution of the band (all of which I’ve reviewed in full at this point) struck its first high note on ‘Voice of Opprobrium‘ (2019) for my own taste per the lead guitar driven melodic style, its ‘epic’ treatment within longform pieces and acoustic guitar passages all of which laid out the template, or, ideation from whence the next few releases would flourish. While that album had made a true fan out of me it was probably ‘Verses in Regicide‘ (2021) where the scope and the grandeur of Runespell‘s style truly opened up into what I’d described as a panoramic vision. It’d been clear that each release was transforming their sound in increments, iteration with different points of refinement year-over-year per an unflinching stride which’d continue on with their mLP ‘Sentinels of Time‘ (2022). It was their deepest breath yet, a spacious recording and a general improvement in production values that’d set some precedence for what we find on ‘Shores of Náströnd‘ today.

Still intimately set in regal voiced conversation per guitar-forward composition, Runespell‘s production values now warm to include clearer bass guitar presence (“Elemental Fires”) and most notably much improved drum capture. Since the big deal here this time around is that the band’ve expanded into a trio the first note to make is probably drummer Basilysk‘s (Temple Nightside, Horrisonous) contribution as the most clear and transformative change made to the band’s sound not only in terms of timbre but a level of finesse and nuance which is perhaps most readily experienced on “Spectres of War”. Whereas the drums were a blunt and distant instrument able to suggest general motion in the past here they add detail and direction to every moment, helping to differentiate each piece in the process. This ends up leaving the full listen feeling more patient, sunken into steadier pacing on its lengthier pieces. Otherwise German musician Irrwycht (Baxaxaxa, Grabunhold) features in a decidedly more reserved role as keyboardist, featuring most clearly on the title track and otherwise resting beneath the guitar levels or backing the lead guitar motions in subtle presence.

Though we find each piece separated into its own specific scenery this time around per the expanding fidelity and line-up of the group the major appeal of Runespell remains Nightwolf‘s oaken lead guitar phrases and the taut melodies he crafts within them. Though opener “Mirrors of the Dead” points directly to the austerity of a certain era of Rotting Christ as the piece fires through its first couple of minutes this is only one piece of the artists vernacular developed over the last several full-lengths. Pushing ahead to ~2:38 minutes into the piece the signature of the artist is made more clear as those heavy metal lead guitars craft simple folken phrase, an ongoing thread with develops throughout the piece. This style is much more in line with the pagan black metal inspiration that drives the band’s style and sound design, dramatic percussion and all. “Elemental Fires” is the other side of the coin, the more atmospheric edge of the band that has long persisted through all of their releases and perhaps the most comfortable/familiar feeling piece overall per its cold vocal presence, humming low keys, and the inspired guitar melody that pushes the ear through its second half.

The real peak of the full listen for my own taste is “Spectres of War” as it seems to have best figured how to include the keyboards without making for a honking late 90’s presence as well as persisting with a weightier bass guitar voice. The song’s stride into its mid-paced grandeur is both a point of signature and a continuation of the lead guitar driven voice of the album, the sort of piece you’d expected from the band but with more finesse applied to every movement. While we lose some of the raw edge and attack of past releases in this record the gain is the fantastical battlefield-level cinema which more recent releases from Runespell have hinted at. No doubt they’re at their best within the ~8-10 minute range for my own taste and this is compounded by the title track, the main piece to give pause and catch my ear during repeat listens for its run-on stride and the resolve which its arrangements bring to the full listen, leaving “Vigirdr Fields” as the dramatic epilogue.

Rather than see ‘Shores of Náströnd‘ as the start of a second era for Runespell I’d rather consider it the realization of the greater ambitions of the project, a necessary step taken to build up the production values and performances enough to match the grand ideas held in mind. The only point where I’d felt idea needed expansion came with the keyboard work which is reserved and smart in its placement but at times obscured of its impact. Otherwise I believe existing fandom will appreciate the signature of the group as they keep soldiering on, steadfast in its central voice but authoring songs which begin to feel all the more singular and indicative of the events they depict. A high recommendation.

---