RUDHIRA – Ein

The Norwegian Progressive Metal talents of Rudhira present their debut album, Ein. Formed in 2010, it is easy to see why these guys have gained so much attention and admiration. This album is a full onslaught of Metal passion. Although the primary genre is Progressive, there are several other elements such as Power Metal, Extreme Metal, and Thrash. Additionally, using only the basic components of two guitars, bass, and drums they are able to create a very big and illustrious sound. The musicianship is unparalleled, and with only six tracks Rudhira has put together a near masterpiece.

Each track is presented with very precise and tight production. The twin guitar riffs of Tomas Nergård and vocalist Ole-Martin Moe Thornaes are very dominant, and stand out throughout the arrangements. The compositions are extremely riff driven and rely heavily on the persistent guitar churning to make each track a success. However, it is this excessive usage of overpowering riffs that presents a singular flaw; the vocal performances of Thornaes are not heard as prominently as they should. This could also be a production flaw as well, but it seems as if the guitars saturate the vocal through most of the album.

Regarding the overall vocal performance of Thornaes, he is able to portray a quality emotional and expressive ingredient. However, he does lack the wide range to truly carry the song beyond certain levels. Given the ambitious sound in which Rudhira performs, and with crossing multiple genres, Thornaes falls short on delivery. To compensate for this shortfall, there is a very good usage of Death Metal vocals used in various places. This factor helps drive the emotional and theatrical presence that is lacking from Thornaes’ overall vocal effort.

The true hero of Ein is the musicianship and songwriting. There are three tracks over eight minutes long, and there are multiple themes which develop during these tracks. Sometimes when bands do this, they tend to overdo the effort and get lost in their own complexity. However, Rudhira performs these epic tracks with great precision and the blend works extraordinarily well. The songs are very easy to follow from start to finish, and most importantly exciting throughout the entire body of work. The best example of this is the 10 minute opus “Wine Of Defeat” which utilizes many various themes while maintaining a dynamic and powerful tempo throughout.

Rudhira’s talent is simply amazing. Despite the vocal or production flaws mentioned above, which seem minor when scrutinizing the entire effort, this album is truly a force to be reckoned with. The musical genius poured into Ein is something that is rarely seen from many bands. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg for Rudhira, these guys are the real deal and hopefully they can continue to expand beyond bounds.