Album Review: Vanaheim – Roede Voor De Borst

Album Review: Vanaheim – Roede Voor De Borst

Reviewed by Oli Gonzalez

When we think of The Netherlands and their metal scene, metal heavyweight acts Epica and Within Temptation often take the limelight, and can be considered the nation’s finest exports alongside tulips, clogs, and Heineken lager! However, there’s a rather intriguing and overlooked folk rock and metal scene brewing in the nation’s underground, brewing alongside Amstel. The likes of Sowulu, Heidvolk, and Iskandr are amongst those spearheading this shift from symphonic music and through to a darker side of metal, mixing this with traditional folk instruments and anthems.

Another band within this movement, and under the spotlight today is none other than Vanaheim. Given their impressive festival and touring pedigree that includes slots at Wacken Open Air and Grasspop Metal Meeting, whilst sharing the stage with the likes of Ensiferum, Alestorm, and the aforementioned Heidvolk, they’re not one to overlook! With sights set on an autumn tour headlined by scene legends Tyr, they’ll go into this on the back of their new opus “Roede voor de Borst”. So, what can we expect from their second studio full length?

Well, let’s address the elephant in the room; the language barrier. With an estimated 25 million Dutch speakers globally, it’s safe to say this is a minority language (especially when you consider around 620 million speak Spanish or 130 million German speakers). Whilst this means most people won’t be able to connect to the underlying stories and narratives being portrayed, instead Vanaheim find themselves oddly in a position of power. See, by singing in their native tongue, they can convey emotion and grit in their voices that likely wouldn’t have been possible in a foreign tongue. Also, the unique inflections and sounds of Dutch gives them an identity in the marketplace. Just look at what Rammstein achieved by sticking to (mostly) German – who even knew what ‘Du Hast’ meant before they heard it on Kerrang!? Also, it’s not so much what Vanaheim say, it’s how it’s delivered. Zino delivers harsher growls and screams that instantly command respect. But it’s really the gang style choruses with multiple clean voices joining in unison for the choruses and thus providing the vocal hooks. The kind you’ll want to sing along to once you’ve sank a few bottles of Grolsch (this will be the last of the Dutch beer analogies, I promise) and thus capturing the spirit of the ale house and drunken sing-alongs, where staying in tune is optional. After all, isn’t that the essence of folk music, metal or otherwise?

So, now that the linguistics lesson is over, what can we expect from the underlying music?

Guitar driven anthems like ‘Geestenmist’ (which opens up the album) and ‘Het Laaste Licht’ seem rather on brand for Vanaheim; chunky and choppy guitar riffs that sit above a rich tapestry of woodwind and operatic choir voices to add the melodic focal point as well as adding a dramatic and epic vibe to proceedings. Though they can really crank up the distortion on tracks like ‘Kroos en Slijk’ and lay down satisfying headbanging grooves, though not losing any of the folk spiced melody.

Some songs feel more epic than others. Take ‘Eendracht Maakt Macht’ for instance, translating as (roughly) ‘unity makes strength’. They got the strength part right! One of the standouts on the album, this spans multiple movements within seven minutes and with constantly shifting dynamics and textures, you’ll be hooked and thoroughly immersed and engaged through the ever-changing landscape.

Which brings me onto the next point; song and overall album length. Hovering around seven minutes each, this may make some casuals squirm. Though this longer than usual track length is necessary to allow the movements time to brew and flow organically, rather than being forced through the mincer to be condensed into a more radio friendly format. Nope, Vahaheim sticks to their guns here, and seven minutes flies faster than seven minutes should do. As does the album, at a rather modest six track length. The end result is a package that feels digestible without feeling too overwhelming.

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