Harbinger Of Revenge And War

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7.0

• Bands:
  GARDE
• Duration: 00:37:41
• Available from: 01/11/2025
• Label:

• Heidens Hart Records

Garde were born in 2020, but only made their debut now with the album entitled “Harbinger Of Revenge And War”.
The group is made up of the Dutchman Arjan who takes care of all the instruments, while the British Dan (ex Winterfylleth) is on vocals and the music offered falls into the great cauldron of Viking metal – on the other hand, the cover with the drakkar in the fjord in the foreground is quite eloquent.

This band is probably destined to divide audiences and critics, as their proposal is a bit at the limit of what the tastes of both extreme metal listeners and those of classic metal may be.
The first listen may leave you a little perplexed – especially if you belong to the first group of enthusiasts – especially for the (clean) singing which is the protagonist of the release. At first glance, it is not possible to clearly understand the sonic dimension into which the Garde want to transport us: the 'fear' for some could be that of having stumbled upon a nostalgic band of Manilla Road or Manowar from the “Fighting The World” era, not so much for the musical style, but for the way of understanding the predominant epic feeling.
Yet, Garde's instrumental part is very folk-oriented and full of pathos, many times thanks to simple but convincing arpeggios and other times thanks to some distorted riffs with a typically Nordic black/viking flavour. It is perhaps only in the first two songs that it is not possible to focus well on the right dimension of the singing present on “Harbinger Of Revenge And War”, and this difficulty risks compromising the positive opinion on the entire work.

Unexpectedly, however, by trying to listen to the album backwards – that is, starting from the last song – then the perspective on Garde changes radically: right from the first notes of the final “Fallen Heroes”, the best piece of the entire album, you enter that epic dimension that smacks of mysticism and pure feelings.
Here Dan's singing, suspended on an arpeggio as simple as it is spot on, has a deep tone veiled in melancholy that even recalls the voice of Markus Stock of Empyrium. Then comes the metal riffing, the choirs and a way of making the song evolve that inevitably brings to mind Bathory (those from “Hammerheart” onwards) who, continuing to listen to the subsequent songs, turn out to be the true point of reference for Garde.
Even in the subsequent and excellent “Berserkgangr” the echoes of the god Quorthon are still powerful, here the Garde seem to want to launch their “One Rode To Asa Bay” or their hymn that manages to echo into eternity.
“The Cross Of Donar” also follows the slow and inexorable trail of the other two songs: a slow and incessant metal rhythm like the calm coming and going of the waves, where an epic and solemn ode is inserted. For the solemnity expressed in this piece, Falkenbach may also come to mind or for the emotional transport of the singing one may recall the masterpiece “793 (Slaget Om Lindisfarne)” by Enslaved from the “Eld” era.
“Marked By The God” opens with a short, simple and suspended arpeggio that repeats until it creates the right moment for the slow and delicate metal part to enter the scene, without forgetting the opener “A Gathering Of Blood” or, as mentioned above, the least focused song of the entire album; In fact, we don't understand the band's choice to put it at the opening of releases, with the instrumental and vocal part closer to the epic metal universe of the '80s.

Now that we have reached this point we enter into the order of ideas that Garde are trying to ideally take up Bathory's baton: given that the undertaking is in any case impossible, it is in any case too early to give judgements, but we will see if in the future the band will maintain the same conduct and decidedly high expectations after this discreet debut.
A group that tries to be, in part, a copy of an unrepeatable reality like that of Bathory can be annoying, yet it's never a bad thing to have an extra lineup that brings back to life at least part of that metal so close to the world of the gods of the North.
As you listen, the Garde manage to drag you right into that world, albeit in a sometimes unoriginal or dynamic way.