A week ago, I got an e-mail from the label Immortal Frost Productions which promoted the new album Mara called “Sword of Vengeance”.   I really liked the artwork and decided to give it a go. Without knowledge at all I delved into their newest release. Whether I enjoyed the album or not you can read below.

First off, Mara is a Swedish band which makes Black/Pagan Metal. So, we are off with a good start. They already have quite an extended discography since they exist already fifteen years. Yet, as said above, this is my first acquaintance with Mara. Musically it reminds me a bit of (old) Kampfar and Finnish counterparts such as Azaghal. Especially the guitar riffs hail bring back memories from recognized bands hailing form Scandinavia. And all of you may know that I really appreciate some good old True Black Metal from Scandinavia.

The music itself is fierce and powerful and contains loads of ferocity. This is a big plus. Opener track “Primordial Son” starts with a chilling riff before bursting loose on all hooves. “Nidingr” has a great guitar intro and uses the same modus operandi as its predecessor.

But while listening to this album something is gnawing at my senses. It started gradually but eventually got on my nerves after a while. Simply put, I find the vocals ghastly (and not in good Black Metal fashion) and the music itself quite sup par. The vocals combined with unoriginal song-writing and generic tracks make it a concoction hard to swallow. Vindsval has a very irritating, rather dull, scream which has a punkish attitude.
I know this is a matter of taste and opinion but when listening I get hyper-focused on the vocals which immediately sees to it that I am drawn away from the music. The music itself sounds ok but has absolutely nothing new to offer, and are better written and executed by other bands.
As put on digital paper several times: I don’t mind Black Metal being unoriginal (it is quite an achievement when you can be original nowadays) but sorry to say it: sounds so bland and generic that it takes too much effort listening to all the tracks in its entirety.

I have tried numerous times, but I simply cannot get in the right vibe for this album. Even with its 35 minutes I just cannot get through it properly. And that is a pity because the production is raw yet well defined, the artwork is great, and you can tell that the musicians in Mara could be doing quite some good stuff. But unfortunately, “Sword of Vengeance” is as original as the title. It can best be described as Letter opener of Vengeance because it doesn’t pierce that far in my opinion. It is a rather dull piece of work with awful vocals.

I really, really, really (did I already mention really?) hate giving low scores on reviews because this is someone’s piece of work. The individuals working on this album have (probably) put blood, sweet and beers in this album.
But it is also my task to give an honest review, so here you go. There is just too much quality out there and with the vast number of releases delivered each month and this album is simply underwhelming. I think Mara deserves another chance in the future. But I do not think I will be reviewing it. Better luck next time!

Score: 5,2 / 10

Record label: Immortal Frost Productions
Release date: 27 June 2025

Review made by: Erik

Track list:
1. Primordial Son
2. Nidingr
3. Elite
4. Lokabrenna
5. Élivágar
6. Blakkr Heart
7. Urkraft
8. Surtaloga