Bhleg are an enigmatic and mysterious Swedish group who meld a kind of progressive black metal with traditional European folk music. Fäghring (Nordvis) is their fourth full-length offering and completes a “tetralogy” of records which began with Draumr Ast in 2014. The band consists of three members known only by single letters — S (who primarily plays guitar and bass as well as some vocals, but also adds traditional and unorthodox instruments including lyre, hurdy-gurdy, mouth harp, keyboards, bullroarer, birch trumpet, frame drums, birch sticks, and stones), L (lead vocals) and H (drums). Their promo photos and album cover show the members amongst woodland, hidden beneath cloaks and flowery headdresses, holding traditional instruments and strange blood-soaked wooden dolls.
Musically, Fäghring leans for the most part towards black metal. Bleak and despairing trem-picked guitar chord sequences swirl over the top of blast beats, while demonic guttural vocals bark and howl. There are some interlude sections and short tracks where the music breaks down so that the acoustic instruments and chants dominate, and we even hear birdsong accompanying.
More often than not, however, the folk instruments provide an interesting textural counterpoint alongside the rock instruments in the heavy parts. This integration of esoteric acoustic instruments with metal helps to differentiate Bhleg’s sound, and means that the atmosphere never moves far from the forest scenery depicted in the photos. Many of the tremolo-picked black metal melodies also owe a debt to Scandinavian folk; the melding of the styles is expertly executed. Interestingly, the bass guitar often plays flowing melodies and arpeggios rather than simply pummelling along with the percussion. As well as the harsh growls, there are melodic vocals — commanding chants and beautiful harmonies — during the heavy sections. Many of these are no doubt provided by the guest vocalists who include Andreas Pettersson from Saiva, Êlea of Noêta, and Swedish author Lars Magnar Enoksen. Êlea’s unmistakable vocals are particularly highlighted on the stripped-back, haunting and mournful ‘Solvigd’.
Fäghring feels like an epic journey, but one that remains rooted in the earth and in nature. For all the chaos of the tumultuous black metal fury that dominates much of the record, there also remains an exquisite attention to strong melody and evocative harmony. Throughout the album’s prog rock structures — with myriad changes in pace, tone and dynamics — there is a consistent sonic atmosphere that belongs entirely to Bhleg. The band are clearly well-versed in both the black metal and folk traditions; the folk elements don’t feel tacked on or like a novelty — rather, they are an integral and characteristic part of the overall sound.
With Fäghring, Bhleg presents an idiosyncratic take on folk metal. There are many elements that will be familiar to fans of experimental black metal and folk metal, but Bhleg’s presentation is entirely their own. Fäghring is a tense, dense, urgent and cathartic journey possessed with a fragile, very human vitality.
Buy the album here: https://bhleg.bandcamp.com/
8 / 10
DUNCAN EVANS