I know what you’re thinking. Here is yet another Viking metal band, like the world doesn’t already have more than enough of them…and yes, you would be correct. This Swedish three piece have in their ranks members of Falconer and Thy Primordial as well as a host of other lesser known bands so at the very least they are not kids just starting out – they can play in time and know how to tune up their instruments and all that…but do we really need another bunch of mead-swigging, furry boots wearing (okay, to be fair they are dressed pretty sensibly in their press photos), Odin-hailing warriors?
I’ll start with a sentence I have used far too many times over the past couple of months. This album kicks in with a rainy intro passage…this has become such a cliché it’s not even funny and while some bands successfully incorporate weather samples into their music to enhance the atmosphere others clearly just lack the imagination to do anything a bit more inspired. ‘Einharjar’ storms in with a battle-mongering riff, really sharp and jagged with that medieval twist in the sound and while there is nothing wrong with the guitars on this album par se, I find them to be dull and repetitive with that typical modern, melodic thrash/death monotony albeit with the occasional insertion of fiery blackness. Yes, near the end this song has some “hey, hey” chants which you can imagine being sung round a campfire swooshing flagons of mead merrily in the air. This ticks all of the right boxes for sure and I’m sure newcomers to the genre who are easily impressed will think this is the best thing since the much overrated Amon Amarth, who by the way are an obvious inspiration for the band.
‘Vamods Tale’ begins with some pretty female vocal trills which make this sound like something straight out of Lord Of The Rings, which predictably leads into the sort of rhythm that conjures up images of warriors riding into battle on horseback. The vocals are gruff but surprisingly comprehensible, at times reminding of Ensiferum’s Petri Lindoos and at others projecting more of a deathly roar, such as on ‘Never Will You Know of Flesh Again.’ For all the negativity I am projecting here I must admit there are a couple of tracks that do stand out as rather good; I really like ‘Day Of Sorrow’ which bristles forth with an ice cold swagger, the vocals sounding truly fearsome and the birds cawing at the end is a nice touch. ‘Brethren Of The North’ has a really melodic chorus with clean and majestic vocal lines.
This just isn’t the sort of album that leaves much of an impression on me and I find it to be a very uninspiring reminder of why I hardly ever listen to this style of metal. If you’re sitting here filling up your drinking horn and stroking your blow up axe ready to come hunt me down, then by all means this is for you.
http://www.myspace.com/kingofasgardsweden
