Metalcatto
There are promos I don’t know how to label. Some would say those are the most interesting ones. I say those are the ones that imply more risk with the crowd. Anyway, Vingulmork sent us Barmhjertighetens Fallitt, an album that first seems to fit the Black Metal mold, but in practice, things get more complicated. Still, fear not, because I’m here to help you figure out if this is worth your time.
Okay, maybe it’s not so hard. This is Melodic Black Metal. Fallit feels like a Rimfrost album—if you know this band, you know ball. The riffing is tight, dry, and dominates the music. Yet the album isn’t static. It moves a lot, and what starts like At the Gates goes kvlt and ends up feeling like Death/Doom. However, the music has depth. The tracks go up and down. They offer enough color to make a rainbow in what’s usually a super gray style. The dynamics shift unexpectedly, and the band isn’t afraid to slow down when it needs to.
The guitar work here is pretty sick. I won’t lie—if you’re asking, I did headbang a few times without shame. Even with the cute-sounding Norwegian language going on in the background, I managed to take every minute of this thing seriously. The vocals were a bit repulsive, and I’m not sure I could hear the bass, but that’s the Norwegian school of Black Metal for you. There were a few things that painfully kept this album away from perfection, though.
Well, I just wonder why the heck there are two interludes with one track in between. Even if they’re interesting, that’s one of the strangest writing decisions I’ve seen as a reviewer ever. Hence, the album ends up dragging, but not to a degree that ruins your experience. The album doesn’t change the game, but that’s okay. At this point, almost no album manages to convince me of such. Yet, if you’re a Melodic Black Metal person, you’re in for a treat. The riffs are sharp, the energy is high, and the atmosphere is thick enough to choke on.
Vingulmork came to us with an interesting yet simple proposal: trying to annihilate us with chunky riffs. The album might have strange pacing and be similar to other acts, but it’s funnier than your average Black Metal album, where the “atmosphere”—the poor musicianship—is the main character. Now, good luck trying to figure out what the dude is singing about.
Label: Crime Records
Release date: September 11, 2026
Website: https://vingulmork.bandcamp.com
Country: Norway
Score: 3.5/5.0
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