Nordheim – Lost In The North (2011)

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With the current world filled with countless releases that sound very much alike, Nordheim makes their contribution in that category with their Folk/Viking Metal release “Lost in the North”. Don’t get us wrong, the band does a good job in making high-intensity, well-crafted music, but they lack the creativity to actually have a sound of their own.

Featuring a mash-up of Thyrfying, Turisas, Moonsorrow, Tyr, etc, the band has a very intense sound that pounds through 10 tracks with excellently executed instrumentation, but this is as far as it goes. The choir-like structures are very typical, the keyboards are very typical, the screams are also very typical, even the basic melodies of the songs are just the same we have heard back. Yes, we agree that the band is very aggressive and has a high-intensity approach to the genre, but this has also been already done.

Songs like “Nightborn”, “Beer, metal, trolls and vomit”, “Promise to the gods”, “Old crazy man”, all sound like something we have already heard in the past. Some riffs here and there are good, there are some nice guitar solos and interesting melodic passages, but they get quickly drowned by the formulaic approach to the genre. The drumming is very powerful to the point of being the only thing we paid attention to the last time we heard the release, probably due to the production behind this release. If we had to pick a favorite song, “Promise to the gods” has a nice melodic DM edge rather than the folk-ish elements that most of the release has, this makes it very enjoyable due to the nice guitar work.

While we might sound too harsh with this release, we are pretty fed up with these Folk/Viking Metal bands releasing formulaic records that are just plain dull. However, if you are a huge fan of the genre and don’t mind mind-numbing repetition, “Lost in the North” is an excellent release for you. The guitars are powerful, the vocals are aggressive and the drumming is very intense. For all other people, we recommend you to wait for a bargain bin impulse purchase of this release.

Band: Nordheim Album: Lost In The North
Label: Maple Metal Records

Release: October 31st, 2011

Oficial Site myspace
Genre: Folk/Viking Metal

Country: Canada

Rating: 75/100
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