Einherjer - Norrøn (2011)

My personal fondness for Einherjer's back catalog begins and ends with their Leve Vikingånden EP (1995) and Dragons of the North debut (1996), the latter of which was a firm marriage of sweeping black metal aesthetics with melodic Viking riffing and high production standards that often bordered on cheesy. Nonetheless, it had strong songwriting and promised the world for this Norse band, who would have been likely destined to dominate the 'accessible' Viking/pagan metal sphere over acts like Thyrfing had they continued in that direction. Alas, there was Odin Owns Ye All, an unnecessary rocking of the boat which felt silly and uninspired by comparison, and the other full-lengths they released before breaking up (Norwegian Native Art and Blot), while superior, still felt underwhelming.

Four years after mooring their longships and stowing away their oars, Ulvar and Grimar have returned with longtime guitarist Aksel Herløe for another attempt at pillaging all shores, and the result is a steadily paced, plodding affair which is arguably even more user friendly than any of their prior efforts. Simple, pumping guitar grooves are used for ballast to support the epic choirs, potent vocals, glazes of synthesizer and minimalistic lead melodies, and the overall effect is somewhat akin to the Neue Deutsche Härte bands of Germany, only more serious in tone and not nearly so dorky and theatrical. The guitars are almost entirely void of complexity, chugging along muted on the bottom string to provide a suitable setting for hurling hammers, pounding mead and spreading the Viking panic to any village in its path. The name of the game here is 'swagger', with lots of hoos and has and grunts and manly evocations that at the best of time get the blood shifting in the veins, and at the worst incur the belly-rumbles of unintentional comedy.

That's not to say that there is a lack of variation here, because the vocal arrangements and the keys are used to the best possible effect over such lazy guitars, and the album honestly relies on such to provide any modicum of entertainment. "Naglfar" jaunts along with such testosterone that you can close your eyes and envision Kirk Douglas chucking axes and climbing drawbridges, while "Atter På Malmtings Blodige Voll" has a nice sense of elegance and escalation which almost seems the antithesis of the rest of Norrøn, and they even bust into an old school blast beat here with streaming notation (my favorite track here). Those that enjoy the band's occasional use of acoustic guitars won't be let down, as songs like "Balladen om Bifrost" use them to adequate effect between bouts of crooning. But then, there are a few mediocre pieces: "Norrøn Kraft", the nearly 13 minute opener, a half-empty 'epic' in which the thrills seem too far and few between, even if it's pleasant enough background noise. "Varden Brenne" has a bridge melody and vocal chorus which makes the remainder of the tune sound bland. "Alu Alu Laukar" starts to function as an accessible foot stomper and then disappears a little too quickly.

I actually came away from Norrøn with a similar feeling as I did to Kampfar's latest, Mare. A once proud and promising Norwegian band, lyrically and thematically devoted to the beautiful mythological and historical concepts of its homeland, but all too watered down and modern. The opposite of Enslaved, basically, who have grafted such themes into a brilliant palette of quality and progression. With Einherjer, at least there is a precedent, as I've felt a similar pall over their last three-full lengths, but it doesn't seem to have improved with age. Norrøn is a proud, inoffensive work which takes few risks, and reaps few rewards in the process. The mix is full-bodied, earthen and booming, and there a few smile-worthy moments that should snag the attention of any pagan into the bigger budget folk metal scene, but I came away underwhelmed, especially by the guitars. At least it's superior to Odin Owns Ye All.

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10]

http://www.einherjer.com/

Einherjer - Odin Owns Ye All (1998)

Einherjer has never been the most complex of Viking metal advocates, preferring instead to write base melodies with mead swigging, mug slamming rhythms that can immediate cause every white male of North European descent between the age of 18-60 to beat his chest in tribute to his distant ancestors. Regardless, they were responsible for Dragons of the North, a pretty thundering effort, far more accessible than something like the vengeful album Frost by Enslaved, or Helheim's raging Jormundgand. For whatever reason, though, the band decided to make some changes for the following album, due out through Century Media, and brought on a cleaner singer named Ragnar Viske.

This was their big break, and well, I feel like they very much dropped the ball. First, the title of the album, Odin Owns Ye All, is kind of catchy, if a little silly, especially when you are staring at that obvious cover art carving of old One-Eye, Hugin and Munin. This leads one to believe that the band were aiming for some theoretical My First Viking Metal Album™ crowd. Indeed, it sounds as if the album were written to lull the babes of LARP gamers and SCA advocates in their cribs, while mommy and daddy played Arwen and Legolas, flinging packets of sand at one another or engaging in lewd acts while dressed in anthropomorphic animal costumes. The album is simply too festive...it sound likes a bunch of eunuch clowns dancing around in tights, serving fruits and honey to some flamboyant jarl, while slapping each other firmly on the rump.

Here is the formula underlying the majority of the material here: mid paced, plodding guitars chug along while saturated in flighty keyboard lines, with Viske trying his best to add traditional, manly vocals with just a bit of an edge. There are very few interesting riffs on this album, and even at its best, which I'll call "Remember Tokk", or the depths of "The Pathfinder & the Prophetess", you get a few throwaway melodies, a subtle grace to the standard palm mute triplets, and some acceptable backing shouts. I'd almost call this Gothic Viking metal, if that makes any sense, and unfortunately, it really doesn't work, to the point where the listening experience feels pretty awkward. Even on a bad day, with a sever hangover, a band like Thyrfing or Finntroll makes this feel like fluff by comparison, and though the ultimate goal of Odin Owns Ye All was to create a festive, cheery atmosphere that followed a particular set of traditions, I wouldn't even use this as background music when my chaotic dumpy level 63 dwarf berserker is hanging by the local tavern.

Perhaps the one thing here that did not eventually grate upon me were the lyrics, which seem to directly speak through the spirit of the Eddas, with a straight narrative dowsed in the native poetry of those tales. Unfortunately, the halls are alive with such gaiety here that it becomes impossible to place the fear of the gods, the doom of Ragnarok and the scars of cold and bloodshed into the thoughts of the listener. I realize these ancients times in question weren't completely resigned to a grim doom each waking moment, but that's the way I like to dream of them, and by the great cudgel of the Gods, that is what I will listen to when dreaming!

Verdict: Fail [3.75/10] (all men are mortal)

http://www.myspace.com/einherjermusic