Bergthron is a band I know from precisely one album: 1997’s Verborgen in den Tiefen der Wälder…, a single 33-minute track that’s about half keyboard-heavy black metal and half acoustic guitar/dungeon synth interludes; a very solid slab of pagan black metal that feels a bit like a spiritual successor to Bergtatt. Fast forward 28 years and the secretive band has returned with their first album since 2010, Neu Asen Land. A far cry from that first album, Bergthron (like a number of their peers in ’90s black metal) have evolved into a primarily progressive metal outfit; this new album may not exactly hit the mark, but is clearly made with passion from those involved.

After a ritualistic intro track of choral vocals and chanting, Neu Asen Land has a rousing start with “Aufbruch nach Neu Asen Land «Von Pol zu Pol»,” blackened prog metal that would fit in perfectly with Isa/Ruun-era Enslaved; melodic bass lines and syncopated guitar riffs abound, with gruff cleans alternating with harsher screams. The drum performance is fill-heavy, and great at keeping the momentum going from the onset of the album; unfortunately when the guitars seemingly find nowhere else to go, they just play softer, shimmering chords until the song just sort of ends — this is a repeat offense throughout the album.

What makes Neu Asen Land most interesting is the very linear, stream of consciousness style of composition from start to finish; yet when the band seems to hit an inspirational wall, the songs more often than not tend to fall apart. Take the longest track “Horizont in Flammen «Sólfeuer’s Fall»” — the speedy kick drum pushes the tempo even when the guitars are mellow and atmospheric. About halfway through the song takes a break for a more spacey, electronic section before seemingly building up to something more… yet the tension ends up just sort of fizzling out into a soft, jazzy finale. This sums up a lot of my frustration with the album; the softness of the guitars, harshness of the vocals, and fantastic playing of the rhythm section just don’t gel very well together. “Gefangene der Polarnacht «In Nacht und Eis»” showcases some of the most interesting material on the album with the way it transitions from blast beats to huge Alex Lifeson chords on a dime, but again struggles to find it’s footing in the rest of the song. I’ve heard modern Enslaved described as too soft at times, but this is an example of a black metal-influenced prog band going a bit too light with their overall sound.

As many issues as I have with Neu Asen Land, I can’t fault the band for wanting to experiment; not every band is going to come out with a masterpiece after 15 years of dormancy. Even if the guitar tone doesn’t have the bite these songs require, the overall mixing of the album is done really well — if you want to hear what a great rhythm section sounds like, this album is worth your time. Overly long albums can be a drag, but at only 32 minutes Neu Asen Land could’ve used some extra padding in these songs to make them feel more cohesive, and like a full experience. As is, the album feels more like a extended jam session… maybe that kind of fresh start was all the band wanted after such a long period of inactivity, and I can’t blame them for that.

— Colin

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Neu Asen Land is available now on Trollzorn Records. For more information on Bergthron, check out their Instagram page.