Trollheart

Another interesting album released in March is this one by a band who, though they're called Viking, are in fact thrash metal. Hmm. Read on...

No Child Left Behind --- Viking --- 2015

Introduction: I don't know if this is the longest a band has gone between albums, but it certainly must be up there among them, as this is Viking's third album, their previous having been released in 1989! That makes a staggering twenty-six years between albums! Some bands don't even last that long. So what have they been doing in the meantime?

Track-by-track

1. 9:02 on Flight 182: Is this a reference to one of the planes from 9/11? Starts with control tower chatter and such, but then the vocalist is singing about 1978, so I guess not. Heavy, pounding track with a fast, rapid-fire delivery at times on the vocal. It's energetic, passionate, but I'd just say all right; nothing that makes me gasp “Where have these guys been all my life?”
2. By the brundlefly: Huh? What's a brundlefly? Well anyway, good driving rhythm that really makes you want to headbang (if only I had more hair!) and certainly has thrash written all over it. Other than that though, meh. Again nothing that gets me particularly wet.
3.Blood eagle:Okay, now this is a great title for a band whose name is Viking. We all know what the Blood Eagle is, right? Well the song rockets along and as you would probably expect has a lot of anger and menace in it, especially in the guitars and the hammering drumbeat.
4. Debt to me: Feel there's a mix of Metallica and Maiden in here. Still not all that terribly impressed though I have to say.
5. An ideal opportunity: Went by without my even noticing. That cannot be good.
6. Eaten by a bear: Like this better. Has a great riff and drives along really well. Great title too. Sort of a moaning, droning, lamenting vocal. I love when he sings “Please don't eat me!”
7. Wretched old Mildred: About a witch? Well it has a nice grindy feel about it and I like the way he sings the chorus. Other than that, it's not too different from the rest of the tracks here.
8. A thousand reasons I hate you: I love this! The lyric is fucking immense! “I hate the way you look and I hate the way you blink, I hate the way you talk too much and I hate the way you think!” Absolutely hilarious. One of the best tracks here. Great aggression but with a large side order of humour to go. Brilliant.
9. Helen behind the door: Meh. Too long by far at six minutes for what it is. Gets very wearing after two.
10. Burning from within: Okay, they're obviously just having fun here but it's a headbangfest and little else. Meh.

Conclusion: It's okay I guess but if I had heard my favourite band was coming back on the scene with a new album after a quarter century absence, I don't think I'd be too impressed after listening to this. For diehard fans of Viking only, I would suspect.

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