Germany's Hangatyr have returned with a new recording which shows the music going for a pagan form of black metal and this is a review of their self released 2025 album "Sumpf der Fäule" which will be released in October.
Epic sounding synths start off the album before going into a heavier direction along with most of the tracks also being very long and epic in length while the harsh vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams while the riffs also add in a great amount of melody and blast beats are also utilized when the music speeds up.
When tremolo picking is added into the fast riffs they also give the album more of a r aw feeling while the riffing also adds in a great amount of melody. Throughout the album you can also hear a good mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts along with the music also being very heavily influenced by the mid 90's Nordic era of the genre, when guitar solos and leads are utilized they are also done in a very melodic style as well as the closing track also adding in a small amount of clean playing.
On this recording Hangatyr brings out a very raw, aggressive and melodic style of pagan black metal. The production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics are written in German and cover Norse Mythology.
In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Hangatyr and if you are a fan of pagan black metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Sumpf der Fäule" and "Dämmerung". 8 out of 10.