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The long-awaited 5th full-length from French
Viking metal quartet, Himinbjorg,
is here! At first listen, I was a bit skeptical on a few occasions
as there are a ton of odd breaks and choruses. Such is the case in
the tracks "It Was In Europe" and "The Inner Mirror",
which are still quite aggressive and mid-pace. After a few more listens,
however, the decision towards "Europa" is unanimously exquisite.
Himinbjorg have taken traits from both "Golden Age" and
"Haunted Shores" with what would seem to be a bit experimental,
but actually sounds like their most sophisticated release thus far.
It has a lot of raw black metal moments (with good production) combined
with Viking chants, guitar solos, epic rhythms, and melodic mid-paced
material. A few general ideas include the tracks "The Alienated",
"Last Day in Alesia" and "Entering Odin's Huge Palace".
The artwork on the album has a nice layout and the new band logo definitely
fits the mold of their musical concepts better. I would recommend
this album to all Viking/black metal hordes out there and aside from
the oddly vocal grimacing and somewhat de-harmonized chants at times,
Europa will surely grow on you. So don't be hasty, just enjoy! Rating: 88 Reviewed By: Thomas Mitchell |
