Swedish Bands To Deliver The Goods In February

Two very different sounding bands, both hailing from Sweden, are set to release new albums this February.

First out of the gate is Grimner, a folk metal band from Motala. They play a style similar to Månegarm while adding their own unique elements. 'Frost Mot Eld', which was released in 2016 was easily one of my favourite albums of that particular year. 'Vanadrottning' will be available on February 9, 2018.

Stockholm's Necrophobic will be dropping their new album on February 23rd, 2018. Titled 'Mark Of The Necrogram', it promises to be a proficiently solid blackened death metal release. This is one band that hasn't managed to achieve much recognition, but has none-the-less put out some fantastic albums. With nearly five years in between albums, I'm certainly looking forward to this one.

Shared From Transcending Obscurity: Swedish Death Metal Highlights

Maybe it's the increasingly cold and snowy weather, or maybe I'm just feeling in need of delving deeper into some Swedish death metal lately due to being stuck at home. Either way, I ran across this article on the website of the Transcending Obscurity record label/online magazine a while ago and felt it was well-worth sharing:

https://tometal.com/special-highlights-swedish-death-metal-highlights/

I know absolutely nothing about Transcending Obscurity itself, but after seeing some of the bands they've signed and doing a bit of browsing on their site, it definitely seems like a good place to check out once in a while. This article gives a good round-up of what has been going on in the Swedish death metal scene recently, focusing on bands that are probably a little more obscure than some of the 'big' names of the sub-genre.

I haven't had a chance to listen to probably half of the bands mentioned in the article, but would agree in recommending Interment, Entrails, and Cut Up. A few of the others, such as Under The Church, Paganizer, and Vangheld are on my radar but I don't feel like I know any of their material well enough to comment about it other than liking what I've heard. As for the rest, it leaves a hell of a lot of bands I've either never heard of, or heard of in passing to check out!

If you're interested in Swedish death metal, I'd recommend giving this article a quick scan (at the very least). You'll probably find something to pique your interest.

Entrails Reveal New Album Details

Entrails is one of my favourite bands, so naturally I began to get excited a few months ago when it was first revealed that they'd be releasing their fifth album this year. Today the details for the new album have been revealed.

With a release date of June 16th, fans don't have to wait long to get their hands on more of bombastic, no compromises Swedish death metal that Entrails is known for. Titled 'World Inferno', it promises to be good.

The track listing will be as follows:

1. World Inferno
2. Condemned To The Grave
3. Serial Murder (Death Squad)
4. The Soul Collector
5. Dead And Buried
6. Insane Slaughter
7. Into Eternal Fire
8. Suffer
9. The Hour Of The Casket
10. The Blood Breed

The band has also released a single from 'World Inferno' titled "The Soul Collector":

For more info and pre-order options, check out Metal Blade's site:

http://www.metalblade.com/us/news/entrails-reveals-details-for-new-album-world-inferno/
http://www.metalblade.com/entrails/

Vampire Set To Release Their Latest Offering

Vampire will be releasing their latest offering, titled 'With Primeval Force', on April 21st. When I want stripped down, raw, uncompromising death metal, I look to Vampire. Having thoroughly enjoyed their self-titled debut, I'm looking forward to the upcoming second album from these Swedes.

For a taste of what's in store, take a few minutes to listen to "Ghoul Wind", which will appear on 'With Primeval Force'.

Grimner - Frost Mot Eld Review

Track Listing

1. Res Er Mina Söner
2. Eldhjärta
3. Normännens Raseri
4. Enhärjarkväde
5. Midgård Brinner
6. Vargarnas Tid
7. Mörkets Hem
8. Etter och Flammor
9. Muspelheims Härskare
10. Frost Mot Eld

Sweden has over the years proven to be a hotbed for metal of all types. Some of the best folk metal comes from Sweden and emerging artist, Grimner, is no exception. Formed in 2008, with their first full length release ‘Blodshymner’ coming in 2014, Grimner are relative unknowns ready to burst onto the scene. Grimner offer everything one could want in a folk metal band, conveying a sense of paganism evident in both the music and the band’s imagery. With a sound similar to bands such as Finntroll and Månegarm, yet uniquely their own, Grimner have released one hell of an album. 

‘Frost Mot Eld’ is inspired by Ragnarök which, put in simplistic terms, is the end of world of the old Norse gods. With lyrics sung entirely in Swedish, and the perfect melding of clean and harsh vocals, Grimner have created a refreshing folk metal album. “Res Er Mina Söner” opens with a sense of calm before the storm, quickly bursting into a more up-tempo track backed by a memorable flute melody. In fact, flutes are evident throughout much of the album, adding a unique touch to many of the songs. The pieces of ‘Frost Mot Eld’ flow together seamlessly, at times light and uplifting and at other times brutal and harsh.  The Swedish bagpipes in “Vargarnas Tid” provide a background of melancholic darkness to the track evoking emotions of hope fading away. The pace changes multiple times throughout the album, much like the emotions brought forth by the lyrical content and careful use of various instruments and vocal techniques. 

The story woven throughout ‘Frost Mot Eld’ is one of battle, one of hope and lost hope, one of acceptance of fate, and one of finality. It is a journey that feels as though it were woven by the Norns, telling a narrative of the end of days set to some truly evocative, brooding, and at times, jovial, melodies. 

Best tracks: Vargarnas Tid, Eldjärta, Frost Mot Eld

Grimmer - Mörkets Hem Video

The band writes on their Facebook page:

Brothers and sisters!Before we go on tour, out of the blue comes our new music video, the second video from "Frost Mot Eld"! This time it is a visual adaptation of the song "Mörkrets Hem" (Home of Darkness), which tells of an ancient creature, awakened in its tomb by a trespasser. This creature is a draugr, ancient beings of evil, greedily guarding their threasures and killing anyone who comes close. We hope you will never fall victim to one of them...

Grimner has created an album that is easily a contender for one of my favourites of 2016, and 'Mörkets Hem' is the latest song to be accompanied by a video.  The video certainly does the description justice, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the song.

Amon Amarth Kills It In Calgary - A Live Review

Amon Amarth with Entombed A.D. & Exmortus

May 14th, 2016

MacEwan Hall, Calgary

“The Vikings have landed!” might as well have been the war cry heard throughout the province on the evening that Amon Amarth prepared to play their only Alberta date on the tour. With an amazing lineup, this particular show was highly anticipated and drew metalheads from hours away. Met by chainmailed and helmeted viking sentinels upon entering the venue, the anticipation was tangible. 

Exmortus opened the show, shredding their way through a blistering set. Touring on the back of their latest album, ‘Ride Forth’, it was unfortunate that many fans were still trying to get into the venue or caught up in the merchandise line for their set. Although only being afforded a rather short set, Exmortus proved that they belong with the other heavy hitters in the lineup. 

Entombed A.D., still somewhat synonymous with the original Entombed, played to a fuller house even though people were still trying to get in the doors halfway through their set. For the old-school death metal fans in the audience it was quite a treat to witness L.G. Petrov and crew playing a few classic Entombed songs as well as some of the newer, more death n’roll styled material. 

Photo by the talented Dana Zuk.

Amon Amarth stormed onto stage, ripping into “Pursuit of Vikings”. The Swedes played to a packed house with a well-rounded set of older and newer material. Although more focus was placed on material from ‘Jomsviking’, enough of the classics were played to keep even long-time Amon Amarth fans satisfied. The elaborate stage props, consisting of a giant viking-helmet drum riser and several different backdrops, added to the ambiance of the set. Chainmailed vikings battling with swords and shields enhanced many of the songs from the ‘Jomsviking’ album. “First Kill” seemed a crowd favorite, while “Runes To My Memory” was one that proved a favorite with certain segments of the audience. While it would have been wickedly awesome to witness L.G. Petrov handling some of the vocals to “Guardians Of Asgaard”, as he did on the ‘Twilight Of The Thunder God’ album, it wasn’t to be. Amon Amarth demonstrated yet again why they have gained popularity in recent years. Playing a tight set, carried by the powerful vocals of Johan Hegg, these vikings once again kicked some serious ass. 

The first all-ages Amon Amarth show I’ve witnessed was truly packed with those of all ages. From little metalheads dressed in chainmail with battleaxes to old-school metalheads who were likely listening to Swedish death metal when Entombed A.D. was known as Nihilist and before the release of ‘Left Hand Path’ this show represented multiple generations of metalheads. From the frenzied, mixed stylings of Exmortus, to the classic-death metal influences of Entombed, to the never disappointing and always energetic, perfectly melodic death metal viking anthems of Amon Amarth, it was a show that wasn’t to be missed.

Fejd - Härjaren Video

Having only discovered Fejd recently, I'm quite excited about their upcoming album titled "Trolldom" which will be released toward the end of May. Leaning a bit more towards the folk side, with the perfect amount of metal mixed in, it promises to be good for those of us who enjoy folk metal. 

A video for one of the tracks, Härjaren, was recently unleashed upon the world:

Review: Amon Amarth - Jomsviking

Track Listing:

1.  First Kill

 2. Wanderer

 3. On A Sea Of Blood

 4. One Against All

 5. Raise Your Horns

 6. The Way Of Vikings

 7. At Dawn’s First Light

 8. One Thousand Burning Arrows

 9. Vengeance Is My Name

 10. A Dream That Cannot Be 

 11. Back On Northern Shores

‘Jomsviking’, Amon Amarth’s latest offering, is based on a screenplay written by vocalist Johan Hegg. Which then, coincidentally, became a full-fledged concept album. While viking themes are nothing new for Amon Amarth, a concept album is new territory for the revered Swedes. After the departure of long-time drummer, Fredrik Andersson, drummer Tobias Gustafsson (of Vomitory fame) was recruited for the recording of ‘Jomsviking’. 

‘Jomsviking’ is perhaps Amon Amarth’s most melodic offering to date, venturing far from their early, death metal roots. More epic than brutal, this album is a further progression of the direction that Amon Amarth has taken on their last few releases. The first few tracks set the scene for the epic story that follows. “Raise Your Horns” offers delightfully awkward verses, followed by an incredibly catchy chorus. It might actually be the most anthemic song of the entire album. ‘One Thousand Burning Arrows’ is reminiscent of a few earlier, very memorable Amon Amarth songs. At least in theme, if not in sound. It also seems to represent a turning point in the story woven throughout ‘Jomsviking’. “A Dream That Cannot Be” is a wickedly brutal song when listening to the lyrics. It proves to be the ultimate kick to the teeth in the game of pursuing an unrequited love. Which feels somewhat strange to be coming from a band that doesn’t typically sing about such a theme, but it’s woven nicely into the idea of a concept album. Having Doro Pesch singing vocals throughout the song doesn’t hurt either. 

Containing some spoken elements, this aspect of ‘Jomsviking’ might be a first for Amon Amarth. It is certainly something that further differentiates this album from previous efforts. It’s difficult to pick a song that has potential to become a live favorite, unlike other albums where this proved an easy task. ‘Jomsviking’ seems to lack the element of an epic live song. It also seems to lack the thundering, relentless, in-your-face feel of some of the band’s previous material. If you vastly prefer earlier Amon Amarth, this probably isn’t the album for you. However, if you enjoy an epic story with sentiment, and don’t mind some more mellow elements, this will be a good listen. 

Best Tracks: First Kill, On A Sea Of Blood, One Thousand Burning Arrows

Dark Funeral: "Where Shadows Forever Reign" Title Track

While I don't listen to much black metal, Dark Funeral is one of the bands that I have found myself indulging in. Unless it's coming from a select few bands, I rarely get excited over a black metal release but the upcoming offering from Dark Funeral is one that will likely get added to the collection.

They're set to release a new album, 'Where Shadows Forever Reign' on June 3rd. Being a sucker for dark, eerie album art, I love the cover of this album. Created by the same artist that did the cover artwork for 'The Secrets Of The Black Arts' (amongst some other greats), I truly hope that the atmosphere conveyed by that album art is the same found in the music. If the title track is any indication, this should prove to be correct.

Listen to "Where Shadows Forever Reign":

Amon Amarth set to release 'Jomsviking' on March 25th

It's no secret that Amon Amarth is one of my favourite bands. A new album was barely even on my radar when I posted about upcoming albums this year, but this is how you do it right. I like how there wasn't much (if any) hype leading up to an announcement. There were a few veiled teasers, and then suddenly, an announcement of a release date and tour dates all at once. Needless to say, I'm highly anticipating this one. Amon Amarth has never failed to disappoint me, and I'm sure this album won't either.

While the band is skipping the city closest to me on this tour, I'm definitely making a road trip to see Amon Amarth live. Especially since Entombed A.D. and Exmortus are opening. Seriously, that's a pretty sick lineup.

'Jomsviking' is a concept album in that it will tell a story from beginning to end.

The track listing is as follows:

1. First Kill
2. Wanderer
3. On A Sea Of Blood
4. One Against All
5. Raise Your Horns
6. The Way Of Vikings
7. At Dawn's First Light
8. One Thousand Burning Arrows
9. Vengeance Is My Name (bonus track on certain editions)
10. A Dream That Cannot Be (featuring Doro Pesch)
11. Back On Northern Shores



Take a look at the video for "First Kill":

Månegarm: 'Odin Owns Ye All' Video

Chainmail, battle axes, drinking horns, vikings, and of course Odin…

I actually quite like this video. It's fairly simple yet it creates the perfect atmosphere for the song. While it still seems a little strange to hear this band singing in english, it works. 'Odin Owns Ye All' is a good choice as a preview to the album as it's quite accessible and anthemic, although not quite as much so as a few of the tracks from their last release, "Legions Of The North".

I always look forward to new material from Månegarm and this video serves to increase my anticipation  of the release of the new self titled album later this year.