Customer Reviews

Blot

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hailing from the beautiful shores of Norway, Einherjer has become on the most creative, influencial and best bands of the Viking Metal scene. Taking inspiration from Nordic Mythology, Einherjer will take you to beautiful landscapes and tell wonderful tales in this stunning release -- Blot!

I've always been rather picky on how albums are produced and I can say that Blot has excellent production. Every instrument (including the keyboards) is heard clearly. Frode's harsh and clean vocals are "produced" wonderfully as well; they do not dominate but they are also not "lost" in the background. To put it simply, the production on Blot is flawless.

Imagine majestic oceans, roaring battles, glorious feasts ... these thoughts and images will give you an idea of what Einherjer creates with their music. Tracks such as Hammar Haus and Venomtongue have a very epic feeling to them whereas tracks like Ironbound and Wolf-Age have a much more straight-forward feeling to them. With this being said, there is something for everyone here. If you enjoy the epic and "non-metal" side of Metal this album is for you just as it would be for someone who enjoys their Metal straight-forward. Einherjer have mastered this art making them one of the most talented bands in the Metal scene today.

Overflowing with passion and feeling, Blot is an obvious choice for anyone that enjoys Viking Metal or wants to explore the genre further. I would say this is the best Viking Metal release of 2003. Brilliant!

This is a real solid album mixing thrash/black and viking metal elements. The production is really crisp and clear to make sure all the thrashy riffs are heard, the synths work really well and the whole album is pretty consistent. Because there's so much going on in the music it plays down the whole atmospheric side of typical viking metal which is understandable.

This album is, in my opinion, Einherjer's best studio album to date! The guitars, bass, drums, and orchestra work amazingly together, and the vocals almost act like a 5th instrument! Everything is perfectly in Sync, and the end result is a powerful, Medieval style metal album. The lyrics resemble poetry, as each verse doesn't quite relate to the other, in a structured sentence sort of way, but it sounds very appropriate the way it is conveyed. This album has got everything from cool Orchestral breakdowns, to good old thrashy riffs and harmonic, and of course very death-metal like growls. A great CD to add to your collection!!!

(Review taken from www.gothmetal.net with permission from the author)

"...Ok, I'll admit it, I really don't consider myself a 'hardcore fan' of Einherjer, their music is fine, and I'd buy one of their CD's over almost any american metal band; but, this album critically speaking, is just plain bitchin'. There's a bit of something for almsot everyone in Blot, symphonic, death, black, thrash and even folk. The hard symphonic style really stands out among 'viking metal', as Einherjer shows a previously untapped level of sophistication...

...02-Ironbound
The various breaks, fills, and dramatic `dips' throughout the song are very noteworthy, as is the superb drum style. At approximately 1:20 the symphonic castle feel takes over, and we feel empowered once again. The syncopated drum rhythms coupled with the attention-grabbing symphonic backgrounds create a remarkable sound...

...07-Hammar Haus
Another wonderful symphonic intro that breaks into something strikingly close to black/trash metal. The introduction of a keyboard melody `remedies' this by bringing melody back into the picture. The vocals once again integrate perfectly with its support, and show a level of sophistication in the band that is very admirable. Around 3:35 we are brought a wonderful transition into the sophisticated sound after some more black/thrash metal. The band then builds themselves back up to a speed/black sound again. This waving of sound is not sharp breaks of style, but rather a treading on the thin lines set up for metal genres. The slow dark ending leaves us satisfied after this relatively long song...

... Explanation [for Rating:] This is definitely not a CD that [every metalhead], but it certainly fills a niche. Now, I do not base my ratings on how many people should listen to something, but as an more of an indicator of how diverse the band's sound is. Melody is something that is sometimes a bit lacking in Blot, but when it is there, it sounds amazing. The whole of this album, as you can tell by the Track by Track is very good, and I would still recommend anyone who remotely likes Viking metal to buy this one, it will be one of the crown gems of your collection...

Review Copyright: Gothmetal.net (2003)