UTLAGR -

UTLAGR - 1066 - BLOOD AND IRON IN HASTINGS - SEPULCHRAL PRODUCTIONS  
Didn’t this label exist under a similar name before? The CD arriving on this desk looks like a compilation from the label with three, Utlagr, Gris and Ether, of their bands pictured on the cover but a listen produces only Utlagr. That may not be a bad thing because by all indications Utlagr is the most metal of the three. This Quebec quintet play a distinctively Scandinavian brand of black metal, song titles switch from French like the opener Soleil Invaincu, Terre De L'Ouest and Le Clan Des Loups to the non-metal, pop sounding Summer Island. Musically Utlager, outlaw in old Norse, is surprising since expectations can’t be too high when words like Pagan are thrown into descriptions. The 10 songs here are solid, heavy and speedy ala early Marduk, Bathory and other true black metal bands. The tattooed Eric Ouellet and co. keep the tempo and music at heavy levels while introducing some traditional heavy metal riffing, atmosphere and melody but doing it without the latter two drowning the metal. - Anna Tergel