Список групп Viking Black Nothgard Warhorns of Midgard

Folk metal's reach has travelled far since it's increasing popularity in Scandinavian regions, with bands such as Ensiferum, Turisas and Finntroll gaining attention from the global metal scene for their fusion of extreme metal elements into their brand of folk metal. Similar to these bands (and fellow Germans Equilibrium), Nothgard presents to fans of such music their debut full length album, Warhorns of Midgard.

The opening track Lex Talionis instantly brings to mind bands like Taiwan's ChthoniC, with the infectious yet melodic riffs and the high energy drumming. Even the vocals of Dom bring to mind ChthoniC's Freddy on this track, with his high-pitched shrieks. The erratic presence of the synths in the background on this track reminds listeners of Japanese avant-garde masters Sigh, and such moments are littered around throughout the album, such as the 3:45 mark of Arminius, with the occasional bombastic orchestral presence providing for an interesting listen for fans who are already sick of the standard melodic death/folk metal formats. The haunting organs add a nice haunting atmosphere in the backdrop of the album, in sharp contrast to the music blasting and blazing overhead, giving listeners the feeling as if metal were being played in a chapel.

This is of course not to say that the standard folk metal references are not present in the music, as evident from the riffs that are unleashed by guitar wielding duo Dom and Daniel. The guitar solos, while melodic death metal influenced and bordering on neo-classical shredding styled, retain their folk metal edge, and are so good that they can easily fit into an Ensiferum song without any awkwardness at all. The last solo on Arminius particularly stands out for being retrospective and emotional feel, showing that Nothgard is not all shred and no feel. Dom's vocals go from the usual high-pitched shrieks to low guttural growls, a la Amon Amarth's Johan Hegg and these are key in conveying and changing the mood both within and between songs. The drums on the album are also brilliant, with the drummer occasionally breaking into a blast-beat frenzy on top of the usual folk metal-styled drumming.

Throw in the various other folk instruments like horns, violins and accordions, you get the perfect mix for folk metal. On songs like Under the Serpent Sign there are even solo spots given to these instruments. Moments where all instruments quieten down, with only the drums playing and the band shouting in the background, Korpiklaani style, provides listeners with a fist-pumping moment over these heroic shouts. The smart usage of various folk instruments like the horns on Einherjer creates an epic sound for the band, along with the orchestral arrangements at the background. The storytelling format is also further enhanced through the spoken interlude Shadows Arise.

Overall, Warhorns of Midgard is a fun album, with the unconventional influences that have been added into their music. However, it is precisely such moves that make the album such an enjoyable one from beginning till the end. Need some music blasting over beers? Look no further than Warhorns of Midgard.