Vintersorg has traversed the
levels of quality within metal like few else. He's had epic releases and
disappointments. He's been in numerous bands, also inconsistent with the level
of quality. As a "solo" act though, his earliest work was his best and
everything from "Visions From the Spiral Generator" to "Solens Rotter" has been
rather mediocre (save for a track or two here or there).
So I wasn't expecting a lot out of Jordpuls, save for maybe the lingering hope
of Vintersorg recapturing a little magic of old. And to be honest, this album is
pretty good. There is definitely a happier feel over all. Vocally, he's written
some cool harmonic parts and they're catchy enough to keep you involved.
Actually, harmony and vocal layering tends to be a common theme for the most
part. There's some raspy vocals thrown in as well. But critically, his clean
vocals have gotten and higher up the scale as time has progressed throughout his
career. I always liked him more for the lower portion of his (clean) range
(think a song like "A Dialogue With the Stars"). This trend continues on
Jordpuls; everything is in the upper ranges.
Musically the album has a standard Vintersorg feel to it, aside from the fact
that it's a little more upbeat and folkier. It's a solid backdrop, but the
riffing isn't going to bring you back to the album. Realistically, how you feel
about Vintersorg's vocal lines will ultimately determine where you stand with
this one. I happen to like them, as I feel they're a little more inventive than
his past few efforts. It can't hang with anything from "Cosmic Genesis" and
back, but it's a nice step forward at this point in his career.
