Band:	NORTHLAND
Title:	Northland
Genre:	Viking Folk Metal
Label:	Black Bards
Format:	Album CD
Score:	9 / 10

Exhilaratingly catchy Viking Metal, celebrated with full melodic power and featuring deeply moving folk passages from the scorching heat of Spain? A Nordic hymn cult from the Iberians?

Yes, exactly! And what the exceptional talents of Runic from there so brilliantly demonstrated a few years ago, Northland are now continuing in an inspiring manner. Their new debut album is packed with bangers that are bound to get any true fan of this genre fired up. The atmospheric six-piece horde from Barcelona, founded in 2007, demonstrate remarkable musical potential on „Northland“.

The latter is something that, in such a high-calibre group, can undoubtedly only be achieved if the members are completely united and each stands 100 per cent behind their cause. Even the graceful epic elements on display have been preserved for posterity with immense dedication, which is particularly evident in the more subdued moments.

Many artists in this field fail precisely because they struggle to set aside all that wildness and all that vicious aggression for a moment, and allow a rich variety of deep emotions to come to the fore in a melodious way. Fortunately, however, Northland – gifted, intuitive artists – need not give such considerations a second thought. For in their songs, they follow precisely what their hearts tell them.

The result is Viking Folk Metal masterpieces that are as authentic as they are rousing and stirring – the sort one all too rarely gets to enjoy with such invigorating naturalness and welcome authenticity.

© Markus Eck, 03.06.2010

[ to overview ]

All copyrights for image material are held by the respective owners.

•

Rating scale:
10 • Timeless perfection
9 • Impressing awesomeness
8 • Great performance
7 • Solid stability
6 • Decent try
5 • Uninspiring mediocrity
4 • Failed presentation.
3 • Insubordinate badness
2 • Terrible impertinence
1 • Superfluous futility
0 • Painful ear-torture

+++

+++

Advertising