Someone said this was a black metal cd. It is not. It is black metal influenced. This is what I would term "Viking metal", not so much for the lyrics but for the fact that the music is very mid-paced and at times very slow and doomy. It is extremely melodic in nature. There are elements of black metal such as some high shrill vox and an occasional blast of speed but for the majority of this cd it remains more death metal influenced. For those seeking the intense speed of bands like Kekal and Horde you won't find it here. The first 3 tracks are the newer material from this band (formerly known as Vitality) and utilize the black metal vocals more and the last 4 tracks (recorded back when they were still called Vitality) utilize death vocals almost exclusively. I personally prefer the death vocals on this disc because they seem to fit the music better. Both the death and black vocals are done very well and when mixed it actually does add a nice variance to the cd and keeps it from getting stale. The music is great! Another similarity to black metal is the fact that the guitarist does a lot of double picking. The overall musical style is possibly some of the coolest stuff I have heard in quite some time. True viking metal lives on with Drottnar!
9.5/10
Similar sounding releases
1998RequiemChrist Has Risen
2002KekalThe Painful Experience
1998AntestorThe Return of the Black Death
2002SlechtvalkThe War That Plagues The Land
1998OpethMy Arms, Your Hearse
2002MorphiaFrozen Dust
