Truthfully for quite some time now I’ve been wondering what type of reaction the black metal crowd gave off when they heard this album back in '96. After an outstanding demo and debut album that mixed black metal with folk music Ulver returned in 1996 with an album that was filled with acoustic neo classic styled folk music. I’m sure the legions immediately screamed, ‘sell out or posers’, but then again I’d expect such things. The truth is Ulver’s, ‘Kveldssanger’ (Evening songs) is a beautiful acoustic folk album that should be heard by everyone that has interest in this type of music.
Musically we have thirteen songs, which feature acoustic guitars, woodwind instruments, cellos, nature samples and the always-wonderful vocals of Kristoffer Rygg (Garm). With this release Kristoffer truly proved his vocal talent with his remarkable operatic perhaps even Gregorian like traditional folk vocals. I honestly haven’t heard many others sound like this. As for the musicians on this album only three of the five members were present and I’m not exactly sure who performed what since it's not noted in the booklet. Regardless the musicianship is damn near flawless and these guys have created some intricate and beautiful acoustic songs. I also like the three photos in the booklet a lot as they show the three members crouched down in front of an old cabin with Kristoffer holding a giant torch, and the other two members looking rather dismal.
An interesting characteristic of this album is its varying lengths. One song is only seventeen seconds while the longest song is almost seven minutes. Collectively the album is only about thirty-five minutes though. My personal favorite from this album is the final track, ‘Ulvsbakk.’ This one in my opinion has the best guitar work, the mood is somber and chilling and it's also the only song with percussion. Other standouts include, ‘Østenfor Og Bestenfor Maane,' and ‘Høyfjeldsbilde,’ though the whole thing is quite engaging.
After this release Ulver returned more to their roots and released one the rawest black metal albums in existence (at the time). Whenever I listen to, ‘Kveldssanger’ I can’t help but think how wonderful and skilled these guys are and just how gorgeous and delicate these songs are. It’s a shame they only gave us one (short) album performed in this manner. I’m still hoping some day they will return to this fashion, but judging by the type of music they make today I don’t ever see it happening... but your never know. It is Ulver, after all.
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