There aren’t very many styles of metal that I tend to have a high bar for since I tend to be very accepting of a lot of what all bands bring forth no matter how experienced or not they are, but it’s with a handful of styles that I find myself expecting more out of whenever I come to them. Pagan black metal is definitely one of them, and thus, it’s not terribly often that I visit the style and I talk about it even less because when I do point it out, it has to be something that really catches my eye. For the first example in some time, Pagansarv’s debut album definitely checks off all the right boxes.

While my standards for pagan black metal tends to be with bands like Iku-Turso, there are still tons of examples to be had of the style done nothing but extreme justice, yet it’s still far too often that I feel like bands come around only to put in minimal effort, sometimes less, in an attempt to draw people in. But it’s when a qualifying act does come around that manages to do it all, it’s truly an occasion to be heard and that couldn’t be anymore the case with what “Kaarnakarva” brings to the table in all nine of its tracks. Even with two of those being the bookending tracks that are nothing but atmosphere, the black metal that Pagansarv lays forth cannot be considered anything other than wildly gripping as the Estonian act manages to bring forward well-executed riffs and aggression that’s made all the deadlier with a melodic factor that is balanced exquisitely to the point that it becomes downright infectious such that it’s the whole of “Kaarnakarva” that is gripping to the very end. That’s a key factor to someone like me since the melody is something that feels essential to the world of pagan black metal, but it’s not terribly often that we see it executed with even a decent outcome, but it’s with everything else in the bag that Pagansarv brings it to their deadly concoction that quickly enables this work to stand out from the crowd.

The style as a whole truly needs more bands like this that are able to deliver high quality material that can live up to any claim of excellence but a single note is even heard, and it’s the entirety of “Kaarnakarva” that this band has made one hell of an entrance by all accounts. Pagansarv has absolutely put their best foot forward with this effort, and I can only hope that it won’t be much longer before we heard more from them.

LISTEN to “Kaarnakarva” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Pagansarv on Facebook here.