Release date: 9th November 2018
It’s always nice to get promos through of bands you’ve discovered through the site in the past, so it was quite exciting to receive the latest album from Einherjer. Norrøne spor is the band’s newest effort following 2014’s Av oss, for oss (along with 2016’s rerecorded version of Dragons Of The North) and it’s interesting to see how the band has progressed since then.
On first glance, it comes across as being very stylistically similar to Av oss, for oss, with the general ‘sound’ of the album being quite similar, but when you look a little closer you can properly see the variation. Norrøne spor has a bit more of an old-school vibe whilst simultaneously sounding very polished (the best of both worlds!) and there’s a good amount of energy to it, giving it a strong driving force as the band progresses from one track to the next.
The Blood Song is a particular highlight. Beginning with an ambient introduction with the guitars atop setting the scene, when the full band kicks in the song will give you goosebumps. Additionally, the blend of melody and aggression is perfect – the harsh vocals have a slight melodic tone to them that helps give the track an extra boost and they lend themselves well to the melody beneath. Additionally, the guitar solo in the latter half of the song is something to behold!
Norrøne spor is another decent piece of work from the consistently good Einherjer. If you like your Viking metal, then make sure you don’t miss this one.
8/10
