Genre: Warrior Metal
Label: AFM
Release Date: 16th November 2018
Musicians
Mats Nilsson – Vocals
Ylva Eriksson – Vocals
Joakim Lindbäck Eriksson – Vocals
Emil Wärmedal – Bass Guitar
Mikael Fehrm – Guitar
Pähr Nilsson – Guitar
Dawid Grahn – Guitar
Johan Johansson – Drums
Tracklisting :-
1) Death Of The God Of Light
2) Son Of Odin
3) Prophecy Of Ragnarok
4) Defenders Of Valhalla
5) Concerning Norns
6) Yggdrasil
7) Tyr
8) Siblings Of Metal
9) Gods Of War
10) Freya
11) The Mead Song
12) Sleipnir
13) Fire, Blood And Steel
14) We Believe In Metal
Brothers of Metal is a Swedish heavy metal band formed in 2012, slowly gaining popularity throughout Europe with their tales of Viking battles, with a few folk-inspired moments, on this their debut album. ‘Prophecy of Ragnarok’ is an eminently enjoyable journey through the sagas of Norse mythology, with a healthy dose of power and battle metal.
The chugging riffs and melody interplay between the guitars is what you would come to expect from bands such as Nightwish, although the female vocal has more the style of Evanescence. The male vocals are gruff and compliment Ylva Eriksson’s harmony. This album is chock full of lyrics you would associate with Manowar. The recurring themes of wading into battle with your mates and then getting smashed on mead to celebrate the victory roar through. And with the tracks never lasting more than four minutes, ‘Brothers Of Metal’ breeze through like a fresh Nordic wind, leaving you with a smile of your face after.
Death of The God of Light has a very immediate beginning which sets your mind ready for the chugging riffs and galloping melodies to come.
Son Of Odin is laced with pinched harmonics from the guitars and a very original folky interlude.
Prophecy of Ragnarok and Defenders of Valhalla are up-tempo battle metal anthems. Concerning Norns is an interesting track, with spoken word poetry that kicks in after orchestral ensemble, which guides us neatly through to ‘Yggdrasil’. I have to say, you must be doing pretty well if you can get a rhyming couplet to that! But this is seamless.
These next few tracks including Yggdrasil, Tyr, Siblings of Metal and Gods Of War, all have battle metal at their core, with cheesy lyrics and bouncy melodies, with even time for a brief bass noodle on Tyr. I can imagine the crowds belting out the sing-a-long choruses or rowing in the mosh pit to these songs. Freya is a beautifully layered folk tale before the inevitable ode to mead with the aptly-titled ‘The Mead Song’.
I guess that song title should spare us any mystery. I reckon that one is also a crowd favourite, with the lyrics ‘Mead’ and ‘Another’, being chanted long after the song finishes. Sleipnir, has a majestic opening which leads to Dragonforce-inspired guitar play. With ‘Fire, Blood and Steel’ and ‘We Believe In Metal’ rounding off an enjoyable album with sufficiently dubious lyrics. ‘Wimps and posers beware’ ‘All you need is metal’.
There is plenty on this album to satisfy those who love battle and power metal, there is some quite stunning guitar work in places and the touches of Scandinavian folk music give it an original touch. Although I have mentioned the likes of Nightwish, Evanescence and Manowar, ‘Prophecy of Ragnarok’ is a happy blend of shavings of all of the above.
Brothers of Metal will be popular at festivals and their unique style lends itself to audience participation. I am finding it hard not to like this album, whilst it might not be a classic in my eyes, it is certainly worth a listen to brush up on Norse mythology.
Score: 8 out of 10
Reviewed by: Stefan Putwain
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