Crafting a hymnal reading in application of Scandinavian values to an ailing planet Stockholm, Sweden-based pagan black metal trio SEID reprise the blustering and half-buried tonality of their oaken ways for an inspired fifth full-length album. ‘Hymns to the Norse‘ speaks to its intentions plainly via its title providing a set of songs tributing mythos in musing narrative for a lightly conceptual and heavily melodic showing of what they label is Norse black metal. Atmospherically charged by way of guitar technique and sound design yet driven by folken melodicism this record doesn’t break the mold of 90’s pagan black metal outright though it does provide some of its own newer generation vernacular in tuning message and movement into an evocative enough point of view.

Seid formed circa 2009 by way of musician Seiðr who is best known as a engineer/audio designer time spent in sludge/doom metal band Serpent Omega. Having started as a solo project and expanded since this is his longest running band and one which centers round the concept of Norse black metal, a narrow as possible definition of the sub-genre which is limited to Bathory and select innovation from Scandinavia in the early second wave per the obvious subjects, such as Enslaved. Having formed a full band by 2017 they’d establish a pagan/folk metal inspired sound focused on Norwegian and Swedish black metal style over the course of their first several releases. Since I’d touched upon most of their discography in review of their fourth LP (‘Svart Sól‘, 2022) the review covers that part of their gig well enough from my perspective. That particular record was not only a favorite of mine that year (#22 on my Top 100 Albums of 2022) but something different for the group in terms of developing a hazier, raw sound design which continued to incorporate elements of atmospheric black metal while remaining melodic in their directive. The main reason I’d pursued this record as soon as it was announced really boils down to how much I’d enjoyed ‘Svart Sól‘.

For this fifth album a few moderate changes direct Seid‘s sound back toward cleaner production values and somewhat different rhythmic mapping as they welcome Craft‘s current drummer Pär Johansson for ‘Hymns to the Norse‘. They’re also considering this record a concept album, its theme being spelled out clear as possible via the title of the record where an ideation of ancient culture and an interest in Norse mythology are used to criticize the state of the world today, as far as I’ve gathered. This involves a application of Nordic folk music instrumentation and vocalization (see: “Hymn to Ivar”) which is sparse in framing a few moments on this otherwise heavily melodic and altogether class showing of atmospheric pagan black metal whose authorship centers around dual guitar writ performances and dramatic narrative cadence.

The hazy, clashing hum of ‘Svart Sól‘ and its production values are not entirely lost here but up front you’ll notice extended opener “The End of Days” bears those same deeper layers with less scalding microphone bleed at its edge, making for much better definition applied to the lead guitar voice which rests as a melodic arc mid-chest while the vocals hiss and bubble in triangulation between stereo ears and sternum. All is ringing and without any serious direct impact on the drums to start as the waves hit their frothing hum on this piece and break into folken lilt about ~5 minutes in. We more-or-less arrive upon these shores feeling our way through the fog, standing at the bow of our ship. There is a sharp, upward driven spike of melodic guitar work carrying the apex of this piece but the bulk of it feels performative in its broader strokes in the same way the previous record built its longer pieces only in this case Seid‘ve brought in some of the more folken and traditional late 90’s pagan black metal traits as well as vocal layers to add to the overall hymnal effect of this entrance. The ground covered within that piece might appear to be a wealth of interest but the shorter pieces which follow are far more substantial for my own taste.

“My Kingdom Rise” is probably the song that’ll hook the curious ear in terms of its guitar driven venture through worming black metal riffs and its big melodic arc presented in place of a chorus, a vision of atmospheric black metal techniques, slow-built and wavering crescendo etc., amounting to melodic black metal which takes some decidedly classic Swedish-specific rhythmic turns, speaking to the old ways in some lightening sense. The structure of standout “White Beast From Hel” particularly stood out for similar reasons, a sense of modernity in the actual patternation conjured but with many moving parts that feel fluid, organic in their arrangement that if not for the haze of the production values might recall a certain period of Enslaved‘s development. Again a lead guitar melody is the clincher here, a direct strike at a folk derived sway, gathering hands and moving in step as the ‘dance’ of the piece builds its magic circle.

My interest in Seid is generally directed by the faster paced melodic pieces they run with now and then, those are the sort of songs I’d pick out of a lineup and set on repeat. For my own taste it’d been “Nordmænnens Raseri” and “Allfadir” that’d hit the spot in terms of taking the speedier swat of the drums to a determined level while also developing repeatable, earthen melodic phrases. Side B in general does this best though I cannot discount the more elaborate compositions the album opens with for the sake of their obvious musical value; Though I don’t think anyone will necessarily show up to this band’s overall first impression made and consider it strikingly original there is some obvious enjoyment available here to folks who enjoy a personal touch to black metal production values alongside ear-worming guitar work. If they were to lift the veil on their sound the magick of the atmosphere would be too crucial a loss, though I do think most will feel the space between the performances and the ear is tough to resolve even at high volume. Having had no issues acclimating I appreciate the out-of-reach nature of this approach and its reverence for black metal ideals, though it does ultimately have to factor into my overall recommendation. A moderately high recommendation.

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