Tag Archives: Viking Metal

Grimner – Vanadrottning

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Formed in Motala, Sweden, Folk Metallers Grimner have been doing their hairy Viking thing for ten years now. Originally singing in English, the band reverted to their native tongue after the independently released A Call For Battle demo in 2010. The Färd EP followed next, with the band’s first full-length album Blodshymner (Stygian Crypt) arriving in 2014. An acoustic EP and a handful of singles later, the band released their second album Frost Mot Eld (Despotz Records) in 2016, and now they follow that up with more Nordic jauntiness on their new album, Vanadrottning (Despotz).Continue reading →


Enslaved – E

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When it comes to talking about the truly great modern day progressive rock bands, both in terms of excellence and in genuine evolutionary steps, Enslaved are arguably one of the most overlooked. Even during their root years in the early 90’s, within the hotbed of ideas and directions that was the second wave of black metal, Enslaved began to stand out from many of their peers, in part due to their, at the time, unusual song structures and their more overt Viking influences. Cut to present day and recent albums such as RIITIR and In Times (Nuclear Blast) showed much greater prog influences, whilst retaining much of their extreme metal heritage (take the blistering ‘Thurisaz Dreaming’ off of the latter, which is arguably the most ‘typical’ black metal song in their canon for many years). Continue reading →


Ensiferum – Two Paths

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If you have even the slightest interest in Viking Folk Metal, then you are sure to have heard of Ensiferum. Formed in 1995, the Finnish five-piece took six years to release their eponymously titled début album, but quickly built up a reputation as one of the major players on the scene. A lofty position they still find themselves in today.Continue reading →


Vintersorg – Till Fjälls del II

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They might not have reached the near-mainstream status of many of their peers, but Swede’s Vintersorg have proven to be a very strong and respectable force with their brand of melodic, folk tinged Black Metal. Band originator and main man Andreas Hedlund may be more, or at least equally, known for fronting Borknagar nowadays, but Vintersorg have always been a masterful presence and shown a knack for forward thinking in their sound, with recent output changing lyrical focus and showing avant garde influences more frequently.Continue reading →


Circle – Terminal

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Terminal (Southern Lord) is Circle’s thirty-second album, not counting sixteen live albums and three soundtracks (!). To say they are constantly putting out new material is an understatement.Continue reading →


King Of Asgard – :taudr:

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Sitting somewhere between an EP and a full-length album, :taudr: (Trollmusic) is the newest release by Swedish Viking enthusiasts King of Asgard. Featuring five tracks focusing mainly on death and the afterlife, this latest record follows on from their 2014 release, Karg (Metal Blade) and continues, rather unsurprisingly, in the same Nordic/Black/Folk Metal vein as before.Continue reading →


Grand Magus – Sword Songs

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grand-magus-sword-songs-album cover ghostcultmag

A long time ago, Swedish three-piece Grand Magus were primarily a doomy stoner band. In the years since their 2001 self-titled début, an increasingly large proportion of their sound has been dedicated to bombastic heavy metal. With the release of their eighth album, Sword Songs [Nuclear Blast], the transformation is basically complete.

Magus can still write a chunky riff, the solos still invoke the best kind of air guitar and JB’s vocals still have a Dio-esque quality about them, but there’s a worrying sense that every new album is case of diminishing returns. The songs aren’t bad; far from it, but it’s lacking the heaviness or the spark that made some of their previous work so enjoyable.

There are occasionally occasional great moments; opener ‘Feja’s Choice’ is classic Magus; thick slabs of doom combined with wailing choruses and a heavy dose of guitar solos. The latter half of ‘Last One to Fall’ is heavy with a tinge of Iron Maiden running through it, ‘Born for Battle (Black Dog of Brocéliande)’ mixes a rocking stomp with another epic sing along chorus, while closer ‘Every Day a Battle to Fight’ is probably the album highlight; a mid-paced belter that shows off the best of what the band can do.

But there’s plenty of forgettable or just plain naff moments. Lead single ‘Varangian’ is a perfectly passable sing along number that will no doubt get the fists pumping live, but there’s a definitive aura of cheesy heavy metal about it. ‘Forged in Iron – Crowned in Steel’s chant of “Viking Metal” is probably the worst example of over-egging the Viking aesthetic. It just doesn’t sound like their hearts are in it a lot of the time.

Sword Songs feels like an album to drink mead and sing along to. But as fun as it is, there’s a real lack of memorable songs, the Vikings and war shtick is overplayed, and ultimately it’s definite step down from some of the band’s past glories. Go listen to Iron Will instead.

7.0/10

DAN SWINHOE

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BABYMETAL – Metal Resistance

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BABYMETAL Metal Resistance album cover 2016 ghostcultmag

Otaku. That’s a word über geeks and nerdtastic Japanese people totally embrace. It’s fully giving yourself over to cosplay, manga, miniatures, movies, music, etc. It’s a lifestyle, not a passing fancy. The rise of BABYMETAL is a metalhead’s otaku. Outside of Japan the idea of super cute doll baby clad teenagers with adorable voices singing over metal music of different genres is hard to wrap your head around. It seems a lot of the world adhere to strict boxes music must fit neatly inside. Otaku. BABYMETAL are the kuidaore of music; rock until you drop.

That’s the allure of BABYMETAL, they are unapologetically having a wonderful time presenting genre bending music. It’s nothing new in Japan. But, it is jaw dropping to those not used to enjoying music for the pure sake of it being fun and lively. Metal Resistance (earMusic) is BABYMETAL’s second studio album. Metal Resistance is gobsmackingly infectious and fun. Back is the blend of sunny “girly” vocals atop heavy metal, prog metal, speed metal, and Viking metal riffage. Hate all you want, but the new album debuted at number 39 on the USA Billboard 200 chart. BABYMETAL shifted 12, 240 physical copies of Metal Resistance in the United States alone. A Japanese band hasn’t done debuted in the top 40 since 1963.

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Metal Resistance opens strong with ‘Road to Resistance’. It’s a plethora of wailing guitars and frenetic drumming. It’s a song you’d expect from Teutonic or Viking bands from Europe or Scandinavia. ‘Karate’ vacillates between metal and J-Pop. It’s got the head banging riffs that suck you in and the cheesy pop verses. ‘Karate’ is the best of both worlds. ‘Awadama Fever’ is for the video game junkies among us. It’s fast paced and slightly psychotic. And all the while, the sweet dulcet voices of Suzuka Nakamoto, Yui Mizuno, and Moa Kikuchi lilt through. ‘Tells of the Destinies’ has an ELP feel. The guitar solos are straight from the 70s and I had to double-check that I was still listening to a 2016 album. I had to scrape my jaw off the floor at the technical wizardry of Herman Li and Sam Totman. This guitar duo is astounding. BABYMETAL’s Metal Resistance is for those music lovers with an open mind who don’t mind their music both spicy and sweet at the same time.

8.0/10

VICTORIA ANDERSON

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Varg – The End of All Lies

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German band Varg (meaning wolf in Norwegian and Swedish, no relation to Burzum) return with their fifth opus The End of All Lies (Napalm Records), and are leading the resistance with their politically charged anti-fascist themed metal. Often referred to as wolf metal (I have no idea what that is either) it is difficult to neatly slot them into a singular genre, black/death/Viking/pagan/folk metal influences all emerge. Recorded in both English and German, The End of All Lies is an attack on political leaders exposing them as ‘false prophets and seducers’, a commendable angle that makes for a passionate delivery.

Charlie Chaplin’s infamous The Great Dictator speech initiates their uprising before title track ‘The End of All Lies’ ferociously emerges with the opening lyric “This day will be your apocalypse, we slit the throats of the liars.” Animosity is instilled throughout, presented with passion and undeniable conviction. The array of genres are evident, ‘Streyfzug’ and ‘Einherjer’ outline a folk/pagan influence with clean vocals and rousing choruses delivered with pride and belief. The death metal elements are certainly the most prominent; particularly in ‘Winterstorm’ which reflects their more extreme side with fast paced riffs and pummeling double-kick drum.

The extreme vocals are akin to At The Gates front man Tomas Lindberg, while the clean and choral vocal segments imbue a catchy element whilst adding diversity to the aggressive onslaught. Female vocals in ‘The Dance of Death’ shouldn’t work alongside such extremity, yet do in perfect cohesion with Freki’s snarl, resulting in the strongest track of the album.

This is an adrenaline-fueled, chest beating, passion-filled album, bursting with vigour and catchy choruses that has potential for killer live performances. Perhaps it will border on cheesy for some, clearly appealing to leather clad, face painted metal heads equipped with a plastic sword and drinking horn. Regardless, a victorious battle for the German wolf pack.

7.0/10

HEATHER BLEWETT

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Vattnet Viskar – Settler

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Although emotive, the dark harshness of Vattnet Viskar’s sound seemed a strange choice to accompany the heavier, more melodic Pallbearer on last winter’s US tour. Look deeper, however, into the very British blackness of Settler (Century Media), the New Hampshire quartet’s second album, and the melancholy shines through.

Brutal stickwork permeates the tremolo riffs of ‘Colony’ until a wholly unexpected mid-point breakdown of slow, deliberate Shoegaze, reappearing at the track’s coda, marks the band out as a different breed. ‘Yearn’ begins with a portentous yet evocative passage, building with delicate synth effects into vocalist Nicholas Thornbury’s colossal yet almost whispered, dry bark; a more Doom-laden pace seeing lead shimmerings emerge only in a Post-style underpin. It’s a savage track, yet pregnant with emotion: the layered, twisting chicanes sending the sound into the more inventive horror of Inter Arma’s Blackened spin-off Bastard Sapling, rather than that of the band’s core which is heavily influenced by Winterfylleth, Fen et al. ‘Impact’, for example, evokes images of rolling, furze-heavy hills in winter, as is expected from that UK Pagan contingent: yet a Viking element adds punch to this truly moving track.

This is an album giving true meaning to the ‘Atmospheric Black Metal’ tag: expertly blending the hostile, hissing tundra with chest-swelling passion and, in doing so, creating a living monster. Seamus Menihane’s pounding, resonant tubs return as the direction for the aptly named ‘Glory’, more sadness wrought from that lead guitar as an initial Trad metal rhythm gives way to dual Post wails, crushing riffs returning at the height of the ensuing explosion, an emphysemic roar coating the whole in a wonderful disease. The brutalised, throbbing heartbreak of both the title track and ‘Heirs’, meanwhile, where those expressions of angst remain constantly on the right side of Metalcore to emit sincere feeling, are supreme examples of the band’s organic versatility and heart of fire.

Closer ‘Coldwar’ melds elements of Black, Melancholia, Post-metal and Rock in a swelling, distraught yet euphoric finale. A refreshing, ambitious effort whilst remaining faithful to the dark core, Settler shows Vattnet Viskar to the stage of serious contenders.

 

8.0/10

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PAUL QUINN