Viking themed metal. It’s an interesting one, isn’t it? On the one hand there are some serious personalities and musicians indulging in Norse-worship; on the other, an abundance of exhibitionists. Thankfully, King of Asgard falls into the former category, with the likes of Bathory, Unleashed and Enslaved, who ride (or rid) into glory, with consecutively great albums based around the pagan world of their ancestors. Containing ex-members of established bands like Falconer, Mithotyn and Thy Primordial, KoA boasts both musical pedigree and a tangible interest in the life, times and mythology of their forefathers. ‘…to North’ is their second album on Metal Blade, and like its predecessor, sees Andy LaRocque (King Diamond, Death) at the helm for production duties.
Heralding the imminent arrival of the raiders is a vaguely flatulent horn echoing across the open sea, sandwiched between a series of brief power chords; a bit of atmospheric drumming then appears before the chords get serious, and… Wow, an unexpected flourish of Dissection-styled riffs and melodies. The drumming is solid, and the occasional, epically edited bark brings to mind Amon Amarth. Towards the end of ‘The Nine Worlds Burn’, a burst of strange feminine warbling emerges (performed by the folk singer, Heléne Blad) which is perhaps more representative of popular anthems from the Viking era than some bands’ attempts. Initially I found this aspect rather divisive – “is it great or awful?” I kept asking myself. After a weekend away, with this particular piece rattling constantly around the confines of my head, the conclusion must surely be that it’s a well-placed stroke of genius and nothing less. ‘The Dispossessed’ diverts the listener into a less intense environment, with a greater emphasis on mid-paced tempos and accessible riffs – ranging from great to mediocre. In spite of the odd less-than-inspired section, those rousing melodies still jump out beautifully when given the chance, and manage to elevate this fairly standard composition.
In riposte, with its apparent gynaecological reference, comes the sombre ‘Gap of Ginnungs’. Here, the effect of yesterday’s Enslaved is also felt intertwined with Dissection, as imaginative, atmospheric lead work – verging on Megadeth-style clarity – plays out amongst driving rhythms. From that description alone, it is clear that musically, KoA are a highly proficient force. In terms of their song writing abilities, the band also has a great awareness of how to keep things interesting: with some generally predictable song structures accentuated by unexpected and equally sophisticated diversions into extreme melody. The middle section of the album provides more of what was set out in the first three tracks, which in a nutshell can be described as ‘very well executed epic-Viking-black-death-metal’. Given the band comparisons so far, perhaps such description is over-stating the obvious. But just in case… From the swing and drive of ‘Nordvegr’ to the tribulation of ‘Up on the Mountain’, a portrait of Viking endeavour is vividly painted, replete with voices fromValhallaand some acoustic shading. The overtly black metal flavours to ‘Plague-Ridden Rebirth’ put further distance between KoA and some similar bands, for whom musical orthodoxy is key.
Following the rousing praise of ‘Harvest (The End)’, ‘…of North’ closes with an evocative piano-led piece, bearing the name of the album. Whilst forgoing the distinctly Jeff Walker strains of Karl Beckmann’s vocals, the final instrumental track of the album proves to be arguably the most emotive one of the bunch. Having said that, King of Asgard has recorded a consistently decent and varied effort. Whilst it’s kind of redundant to compare modern albums to the sheer awesomeness and invention of genre-defining ones such as Bathory’s ‘Blood Fire Death’ and ‘Hammerheart’, I will anyway. Naturally, ‘…of North’ does not come remotely close to matching such pioneering releases. It is, however, an engaging enough recording to justify its place in Odin’s CD collection.
(8/10 Jamie Wilson)
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