When greeted with the artwork of Vintersorg’s sixth album, Solens Rötter, I hoped Vintersorg (AKA Andreas Hedlund) and Co had returned to their folk/pagan roots after three albums of more cosmic, philosophical and to me downright disappointing material.

Well, apparently Hedlund’s time in Borknagar has rubbed off, as Solens Rötter (roughly meaning ‘origin of the sun’) does in fact see a return to the band’s more organic, folk based ambience and synth work of Till Fjälls and Ödemarkens Son, but manages to cleverly meld it with the more progressive and cerebral guitar work of Cosmic Genesis, Visions From the Spiral Generator, and The Focusing Blur.

The end result is an album of almost progressive and experimental folk/black metal that of course with Hedlund’s hypnotic pipes, delivers and warm yet challenging and introspective listening experience. The blending of the old and the new occurs in several facets; either symbiotically within each track such as brilliant duo of opener “Döpt i en Jökelsjö” and “Spirar Och Gror” as well as “Idétemplet” and “Naturens Mystär” or separately as ‘modern’, prog heavy tracks suck as “Perfektionisten”, “Från Materia Till Ande” and “Kosmosaik” vie with more traditional sounds of “Att Bygga En Ruin”, “Strålar” and instrumental closer “Vad Aftonvindens Andning Viskar”.

Of course the main draw is Hedlund’s silky smooth voice, and with a seemingly increased presence of blackened rasps amid the expected hymnal tones, the album feels far more complete and more, ‘metal’ while retaining all of old and new Vintersorg’s trademark elements. The end result is the best Vintersorg album since 1999, though it’s still no Till Fjälls.

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