J.R. Preston returns with a new Tjolgtjar effort, and a grand effort it is. Mixing 1990s black metal, heavy metal (including some clean vocals), and all sorts of different influences that really give the album a diverse feel, this is some of Preston’s best work to date outside of Bloodcult. The lead guitar solos are reminiscent of melodic 1980’s heavy metal, as is the song structure in a lot of cases, hearkening back to a time when metal was dangerous. The first track, “Return of Tjolgtjar,” runs the gamut from blasting black metal to heavy metal to doom and psychedelia. I love the emphasis on songwriting here – the 13 minute track I just mentioned seems to simply fly by, making it seem like 5 minutes. That’s a hallmark of good songwriting. I can hear the traditional metal influence ringing right through, Mercyful Fate especially, but filtered through the wild and woolly lens of Tjolgtjar. I only mention Fate as a known influence on this band, so I can hear it – otherwise, good luck trying to pin down anyone that Tjolgtjar sounds like. They’re completely original, and don’t sound like anyone else, although you can tell it’s J.R.’s work, since he has distinctive vocals and a distinctive riffing style. If I had to pick a track to show someone what Tjolgtjar was all about, however, it would be the title track, “Alleluia.” It begins with classic black metal style blastbeats, but all underneath a heavy metal style guitar solo. When the verse kicks back in, it’s back to 1990s black metal, but before too long it takes a turn and J.R.’s unique half-clean vocal style makes an appearance in between the more standard reptilian style he has for his black metal vocals. When the song takes a turn toward heavy metal again it’s with operatic vocals over black metal guitars, and then back into straight black metal again, and then we get an amazing ‘80s metal section with more clean singing in falsetto. You see the twists and turns this takes! This is an epic album, epic metal, from one of the most prolific artists in the underground. Tjolgtjar embodies what black metal should be, and shows what can be done when you take the carcass of a decaying genre and progress it a bit, giving it a blast of defibrillator, keeping the core sound and feel, but experimenting musically in such a way that you don’t stray from metal at all. This album is easily one of the best black metal records I’ve heard in quite some time outside the war metal subgenre, and my guess is that I’ll be spinning it time and again. Tjolgtjar https://illinoisanthunder.bandcamp.com/music Label Contact cianeto.bandcamp.com
