REVIEW: VALHALLA - NORTHMAN

 

VALHALLA - NORTHMAN (Independent, 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded in an eight track demo machine, April 2001. Produced by Valthor.

Design by Martin Kainbrecht

Track list: 1- Phönix Aus der Asche, 2- Undead Life, 3- In the Shadows, 4- Northman, 5- Of Mortals and Gods, 6- The Legacy, 7- Where the Soul was Given, 8- Runes of Death, 9- A……r, 10- Remember your ancestors, 11- The Sword of My Father, 12- Die Heerscharen Meines Volkes, 13- Der Wed des Nordmannes, 14- Thunderbay, 15- Victory.

From Austria comes this trio that makes a music reminiscent of eighties thrash (in fact the three bands that came into my mind were Celtic Frost, Sodom and Coroner…what a great mix!!!) but with some keyboards on it and diverse atmospheres….some of the tracks are heavier, shorter and more concise like "Undead Life" with screaming choruses, some of them are more climatic, like the instrumental "Northman" (based almost in its entirety in keyboards with some epic melodies) or "The Legacy" (with acoustic guitar and keyboard and vocals that are really adequate) that is one of the most interesting tracks here. The sound is not so good but it is because the CD was recorded in an eight track demo machine, and I think that the result would have been better in a studio. I hope they get a deal with a label to solve this point. This is an album for people that like memorable songs and variety. Favorite tracks: "Phönix Aus der Asche", "Of Mortals and Gods" and "The Legacy". Contact: valhalla-metal@gmx.at