Heroic battle songs with German lyrics await us in the usual powerful manner from the militant troupe THRUDVANGAR. Naglfar, Hel, Jörmungandr, Fenrir - you stumble across some well-known Nordic terms and want to continuously swing the mead horn or raise your fists towards Valhalla in honour of Odin.
A lot of successful riffs and galloping rhythms make the sing-along-compatible Jörmungandr entertaining and powerful, the lively and yet snappy flow of play invites you to a good-humored mini-moshpit in front of your home stereo and the dance leg swings along all by itself.
The battleship usually cruises through rough seas and the musical tempo is therefore often in the upper average range; in between, the quartet sprinkles effective grooves and stomping urgency, garnished with a discreet symphonic note and melodic lead heroics.
During Fenrirs Brut, they let the hammer circle faster and combine this increased aggression with intermezzi that weigh a ton, resulting in a good tasting mixture in harmony with highly melodic solos. In the further course, the foot bounces rhythmically along with the battle hymns, the musicians also manage the integration of reduced grooves well, but in the end, this last spark of smart courage to surprise is missing to make the listener click his tongue with enthusiasm.
The balladic conclusion Alles, Was Bleibt... leaves an ambivalent impression, because in my opinion it is soaked in kitsch and almost - forgive me - crosses the finish line as a metal schlager with caries-inducing pathos.
Powerful and catchy at all times, but without surprises, THRUDVANGAR sail through the Nordic mythology; the sublime and powerful compositions run smoothly down the throat like mead, but due to the lack of an extraordinary ingredient, they do not provide a lasting detonation, but benevolent recognition.