Ereb Altor - The End
Napalm Records
Epic Viking Metal
7 songs (48'17")
Release year: 2010
Napalm Records
Reviewed by Alex

If one were to look up the image of a Viking in a metal dictionary (if one existed), two pictures come to mind, the battlecrazy berserk with bloodshot eyes roaring into battle or carousing drunk who is partying as hard as he was fighting just a day ago. Swedish Ereb Altor presents an entirely different picture of the Norse warriors of the past. Their Viking is not Viking Mad and not Viking Festive, instead looking like a Viking Introspective, if such taxonomy exists. In the place of spilled blood or spilled mead, Ereb Altor places the weight of the world on the shoulders of its heroes, The End carried along by the undeniable, openly expressed and defiantly consistent Bathory Hammerheart worship.

And that perhaps is a good thing, that the epic Viking metal comes back around to the place that got it all started. Buoyed by big, pounding, rolling and falling drums, yet played in repeating simple patterns, The End songs unfold steadily, swaying, in a measured, staid lull. The duo of Mats and Ragnar sings with clear echoing voices, making sure that the choral effect is present and emphasized. From acoustic sprinkles to clarion calls to serene ah-ohs to weighty guitars, The End has pronounced Nordic feel for which it explicitly strives. Balancing one step away from becoming a parody for some Age of Vikings Civilization computer game, The End heroic melody inflections (Myrding, Balder’s Fall) are authentic enough to erase the doubts. Those big incessant drums never lose prospective and the clouds do finally gather into darker shades with the slight dissonance of Vargavinter. That middle part of The End closing trilogy ends with an outstanding brooding solo leading into the doomy ominous heaven-meets-earth closer The Final War.

This firm sturdy roller of an album would make Quorthon proud, if the man himself (RIP) sought to pinnacle his career with Hammerheart and later a pair of Nordland albums. Ereb Altor keeps the banner lifted then way high, while using modern clear production to its utmost advantage.

Killing Songs :
Myrding, Balder's Fall
Alex quoted 80 / 100
Other albums by Ereb Altor that we have reviewed:
Ereb Altor - Gastrike reviewed by Jared and quoted 70 / 100
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