Album – Galdr
Country of Origin – USA
Genre – Atmospheric Black Metal
Release Date – Jan 1, 2011
Label – Unity Temple
Author – Porous
Before you started reading this introductory paragraph to my review of Galdr’s self-titled LP, you may have noticed the release date was way back in 2011. So why wouldn’t I be reviewing something current and upcoming, you’re probably wondering. Well it’s for two primary reasons: 1.) This collection of six dissonant gems is a raw immersive classic of atmospheric USBM and 2.) The first run of vinyl was recently pressed and made available via Fiadh Productions! I really shouldn’t need to explain my reasons. But also, I realize you didn’t ask me to. It’s really just the madness within my own mind suggesting these scenarios. Which is precisely why someone like myself finds solace in the isolated, otherworldly feelings that this Galdr release screeches out.
This one-person black metal project really did set aside any consideration of trend or production at the time of recording (back in 2009). That’s another reason I adore this album. It doesn’t go so trve that the melodies are unidentifiable and there’s an appreciated dose of recognizable emotion throughout. But while the anguish is palpable, there are hints of relief scattered along the way. There’s a moment toward the end of “Futhark”, where it feels like hope may actually triumph. Or throughout “Winter’s Spirit”. Hell… this whole album is an epic up-hill quest, trudging through waist-high snow drifts working towards a summit that’s just out of reach.
With each listen, the blizzard within this album dissipates slightly, and new musical insights are revealed. In “Skoll’s Dream”, it felt like the soundtrack to my own slumber. A night filled with night terrors (of which I’m a legit sufferer of), but then also to awake from pure bliss. Only to realize none of it was real. I feel that sentiment in records like this. It’s personal and relatable.
I do not believe that the long-lasting effect Galdr had on the black metal community is pure luck. This album did not require any slick production nor a vitriolic-signaled gimmick to elicit the blackened love it received. It didn’t need proggy arrangements nor a go-to-market strategy from a big heavy metal label to make an impact. It simply contains that dark meditative droning, along with hauntingly cold melodies that so many hunger for. And while many others have tried and failed to sincerely express their darkness through this most dire of genres, Galdr absolutely nailed it. This is atmospheric black metal for those in pain. For those whose life is akin to the dead of winter. And with this release, you’ll no longer feel alone.
Biography: Porous has been possessed by heavy music for the vast majority of his life. For a good chunk of it, that love was exorcised by playing metal, punk, and hardcore with other musicians. Nowadays Porous writes/records music mostly on his own, but engages with the community by supporting/encouraging other artists, and one of those ways is through writing! In early 2025 he joined MoshPitNation to contribute album/show reviews, concert photography, and hopefully an infectious love for sincere heavy music.
