Yet another "true" metal band from Sweden, characterized by image and lyrics that are over the top even for this long suffering from pompousness genre. They debuted with "Awakening The World" in 2001, followed by "A Flame To The Ground Beneath" in 2003. Currently features Wotjek Lisicki (guitars), Martin Furangen (bass), Christian Nyquist (drums), and is searching for a vocalist.
AWAKENING THE WORLD (2001)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: "World Through My Fateless Eyes," "Denial Of Fate," "Welcome Back"
Some people claim this album raised the plank for the "true metal" in the new millenium. I see it as another blatant Manowarshipping, with better production, 90s neo-power metal melodies, and some of the worst lyrics to ever be printed on paper. Their painted WWF faces and beaten-to-death "true metal attitude" easily top Manowar, Hammerfall, and Rhapsody in the "overblown pretence" department. I can see them doing this gimmick to land the role in crowd shots from the movie "Lord Of The Rings," but that apparently didn't work. The liner notes can give sensitive person a heart attack. It claims that "Ethereal Magnanimus" is responsible for "laments of the souls and primal victorious warrior cries" (translation for mortals -- Daniel Heiman on vocals). He can, in fact, be very good at times, but can also be quite annoying. The melodies are also kinda nice in places, but I feel downright stuipd from opening the booklet and reading these GOD-AWFUL lyrics. OH MY GOD! I'd have a hard time finding lyrics more idiotic than those printed on the first two pages of the booklet (the rest of the booklet is dedicated to the Warriors Themselves, including the drummer Christian "Preternatural Transmogrifyer" Nyquist, dedicating a paragraph in his thank-you list entirely to himself). The title of the song "Sworn In The Metal Wind" is enough to send me ROTFLMAO, but it also includes an all time classic "Don't forget you are metal, not some ass-kissing whore, take some under your wings, but she must kiss the ring!" And there are plenty of pearls like this, pearls that any middle-schooler who's read "Beowulf" is capable of producing. But the music is fun, all fast, energetic, anthemic, "heroic," etc. In places it even exhibits certain folk influences, most notably on "Kingdom Of My Will," and Heiman (oops, sorry, "Ethereal Magnanimus") resembles another nicknamed vocalist, a certain Damnagoras of Elvenking. Overall, not bad. If it's one of those days when you feel like sending your brain on a downward spiral and there is no alcohol in sight, feel free to listen to this masterpiece of "warrior metal."
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