Kick ass!
Oh. Sorry. Let me start over.
An unexpected delight, the newest disc from Norwegian band Einherjer is a melodic and wonderful piece of "viking metal" that heralds an important new metal voice.
The sound on Odin at times approaches the vibe that Amorphis nailed perfectly on Elegy. In fact, there is a good chance that Einherjer might be shaping up to be another band as important and groundbreaking as Amorphis...and let me tell you, we can use as many of those as we can get.
Listeners expecting a "typical" black metal album will be disappointed. First of all, Ragnar Viske is a clean vocalist - and a damn good one. His is a stout, confident tone with a swagger that makes you picture the guy holding a two handed sword while standing in front of the microphone.
The songs he is detailing are superb - "Out of Ginnungagap" is a fairly simple metal groove with a crisp, involving chorus riff, while "The Pathfinder and The Prophetess" is a complex and engaging piece with keyboards used sparingly - to stunning effect. Another great track is "Clash of the Elder", a signature piece that showcases the band's gift of merging modern metal with traditional folk elements.
Want to have the perfect evening at home? Pour yourself a big mug of beer, grab your dog-eared copy of Elric of Melnibone, and pop Einherjer in the CD player. It's an album that's just too wonderful to pass up.
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