KING OF ASGARD - Fi’mbulvintr CD Review

ARTIST: King of Asgard
TITLE: Fi’mbulvintr
YEAR: 2010
LABEL: Metal Blade
REVIEWED BY: Trystan MacDonald

Simply put I haven’t had an album have an effect on me like this, since I first heard ‘Vs the World’ by Amon Amarth. Metal Blade’s new band, King of Asgard, unleash a fresh new wave of Viking metal from the shores of Sweden to the rest of the world.

To be honest, I didn’t expect much from this band or this album. There had been no hype, and not a lot of marketing surrounding this release. So when I put the CD into my computer for the first time, I was blown away. The CD starts off with an intro track, which I’m going to state right now, I can’t stand them, and I usually find them a waste of time. However, the intro was kept short and sweet, and then the album slingshots into its single, ‘Einharjar’. Ladies and Vikings, it is one of the most brutal songs my ears have ever heard. Here is a band that have just released their debut album, and their first single rivals some of the greatest Viking metal bands to date (yes, even Amon Amarth). I guarantee by the time the song reaches the chorus, your head will be banging.

I could talk about the instrumentals, but there really isn’t anything special about them. It’s the constant mix of music genre and the vocals that makes this band so intense. You can’t actually put a genre on, King of Asgard. Every song off the album carries a perfect blend of Death, Melo-Death, and Black metal. Simply put, King of Asgard is just pure Viking metal.

The vocals, however, are what carry the band. In a genre of music where most songs are pure growling or high pitched black metal vocals, King of Asgard do something out of the norm. Their lead singer creates a very raspy and scratched voice. The best example I can give in comparison is Satyricon’s newest work such as K.I.N.G, and Black Crow on a Tombstone. Trust me though, this is much better! Karl Beckman (the lead singer) applies this rabid dog like voice to the verses throughout the album. What really makes the vocals so independent of any other sound is when it comes to the chorus, especially on their single, Einharjar; he simply just yells. No deep growl, no high pitched scream, just simple yelling. What’s so great about yelling? Well, that’s what I was trying to figure out, it just happens to be a perfect fit for the atmosphere that the music creates.

After listening to the album many times, I’m hard press to find a single flaw. King of Asgard has me at the mercy of their brutality and all I can say is that this album is flawless. The only question is can King of Asgard continued this unique sound with their next album? Or will their next album be tainted by outside influences?

TRACKLISTING:
1.    Intro
2.    Einharjar
3.    Damods Tale
4.    The Last Journey
5.    Never Will You Know of Flesh Again
6.    Wrath of the Gods
7.    Snake Tongue
8.    Brethren of the North
9.    Day of Sorrow
10.    Lingering a Sacred Ground
11.    Heroes’ Brigade
12.    Strike of the Hammer
13.    Fi’mbulvintr