I still think of Swedish Metallers Bloodbound as a relatively new band, quite wrongly as this is their tenth album since their debut emerged back in 2005. So, no, not a new band at all, but the band did have somewhat of a new dawn when they fully embraced their fantasy Power Metal side on 2017’s “War Of Dragons”, a style that suited them perfectly and has set Bloodbound on the upward path to where they are now. But Bloodbound are always keen to introduce something slightly new to their style and having spent the last three albums purging the world of the dragon horde, this new outing follows the trial and tribulations of their Viking ancestors. It could have been worse, it could have been a concept album about flat-pack furniture.
But thankfully Vikings it is, which has given Bloodbound the chance to sneak a few Nordic Folk moments and the odd traditional instrument into their galloping Symphonic Power Metal onslaught. Sometimes it’s subtle, other times it’s more obvious, but as this is Bloodbound, they make it work and it sounds like something they’ve been integrating for years. Alongside the band’s classic Power Metal influences, there are still the occasional Beast In Black type modern keyboard and vocal moments here and there that were noticeable on the previous album, and this is still very much fantasy Power Metal, but with a historical lyrical concept and devoid of dragons (unless I missed one somewhere, though Viking mythology isn’t exactly riddled with them). Vocally it’s given the band licence to keep their trade-mark anthemic choruses, but occasionally jolly them up even further.
Musically it’s an up-tempo, upbeat feast of happy Power Metal that incorporates even more and gives the band another avenue to occasionally push their sound into when the song demands it. Long-term (or even short-term) fans of the band know what to expect from Bloodbound and it’s all still here in spades – the powerful drums, the galloping bass and the shining keyboards all still leap out from the songs as they should. The guitars are touch heavier and more bass-driven which further highlights the keyboards and lead-work nicely and of course the vocals are as professional and fabulous as ever. So to sum up, this is classic Bloodbound, with less Dragons, more Vikings and a hint of folk giving even more of an uplifting air to an already up-beat and enjoyable album.
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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