Norwegian Viking rockers, Arctic Heart present their current album, ‘Ragnarok’.
Narrating the Norse myths and legends of old, with a particular emphasis on honouring the memory of Odin, ‘Ragnarok’ incites a call to arms, for modern Vikings, to continue the old ways; upholding past traditions.
Ragnarok – An intro slightly more Glam rock than Viking, but the enthusiasm’s definitely there. Could just do with a bit more power behind it. Very melodic, with tones uplifting enough, but a slightly weak production standard. Smooth outro.
Sleipnir – Stronger opening, featuring clearer drum rolls. The vocals just don’t really work, for the sub-genre. It’s the riffage that forms the strongest basis. Good effort, with good melodies, but stylistically, it’s much more generic rock than anything approaching Viking rock.
Gjennom Stormen – Good strong Celtic riff intro. Again, the melody works, musically. Those vocals are just going in a different direction from the Viking sound. Here, there’s a notable continental theme to the sound. A slightly repetitive chorus, but that Celtic streak does its job well. The biggest strength here is the upbeat sound.
Wasteland – Into a sombre, but imaginative mood, soon segueing, into another uplifting tone. Again, as a standard melodic metal offering, this does succeed; just not as a Viking rock one. Quicker drum rhythms hit, at the bridge. No quibble with the enjoyability factor, at all. It just doesn’t provide anything new.
Odin’s Hymn – A piercing riff intro’s, bursting through the sun. Now, the mood dips, once more; matching the sound, lyrically. So here, the thematic emphasis works. Still, though, it’s not a sound you’d associate with Viking rock. It’s just much more suited to the straight melodic metal genre.
Icelander – A lower toned opening. Moving back into a brief solemnity, before raising it up, to higher territory. Quite classic lyrics. More of a traditional approach. As before, pleasant melodies, but those more connected with melodic/speed metal.
Shield Maidens – Opening on a very typically Maiden-esque refrain. A very upbeat melodic sound; very accessibly listenable. It just veers further from Viking rock, with each track. Perfectly proficient, with similar lyrical content to the last track. Driving a little harder, towards the end. That’s a style of sound which could be utilised, within a lead up to a Viking rock sound, but again, it ends on another Maiden-esque refrain, adding an echo unlikely to work, outside of the speed/power/melodic metal framework.
Sail Across The Sea – Strong intro, again. Slight vibes of a sound and style moving into thrash, but then returning to the same stuff, once more. It’s just too soft an emphasis for Viking rock. Decent enough musicianship, again, throwing plenty of melody into it and sustaining that upbeat vibe. Moving right back into Maiden-esque screams, at the end.
Sacred Arm Rings – Smooth riff opening, with a very bluesy feel. That’d work very well, within the blues rock genre, as would that lowered, moody tone, following. Once again, though the melody’s very pleasant, it’s moving right back into that melodic strand and even further away from the essence of Viking rock. Unconvincing, as such. The tone’s now also too sombre, in places, for the strong, assertive dominance of Viking rock. Just as melodically listenable as the rest, but it just fails, as a Viking rock track.
Mjolnir – Drum hits intro, with a little cymbal involvement. As a melodic metal song, it works well, with some more noticeable power screams. The energy’s there, as is the passion, but they’re both being directed into a genre different to the one intended. This has got a good catchy rhythm, especially at the end.
Overall – As a melodic/speed/power metal album, ‘Ragnarok’ would have worked well. As a Viking rock offering, however, it just doesn’t. While it features lots of perfectly decent melodies and a generally uplifting vibe, it’s missing the strength, grit and battle stride of Viking rock, throughout. The production’s also initially, a bit weak; though that does improve, as it goes on. As much as there’s plenty of good material here, in melodic terms, it’s currently sounding more like a medley of bands from that genre. Ultimately, its energy and enthusiasm are clear and sustained, but the harder, heavier emphasis needed for Viking rock is completely absent.
5/10 *****
For fans of Iron Maiden, Hamerex, Steve Blower, Silent Winter, Crowning Glory, Celtic Legacy.
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