Ahnenthron

Originally released on Vision & Reality in 2004, this 2007 re-release of the debut album from German Viking metal horde Thrudvangar, following the release of their second album, Walhall, by Einheit in 2006, might finally bring the band some long-overdue recognition. I'd never heard of them myself, and I only picked this up in a used record store because of the evocatively Nordic cover art. Check it out - this album's three years old and I'm the first reviewer! Which is strange, because this is really good stuff.

Ahnenthron ('Ancestral Throne') contains eleven tracks totalling 46 minutes, and there's also a bonus video for 'Piraten Des Nordens' ('Pirates of the North'). All lyrics are in German, apart from 'Departure In The Night' - which sadly demonstrates that Thrudvangar's command of English is decidedly shaky, and they'd be better advised to stick to writing in German in the future. After all, I listen to this kind of metal in all sorts of languages I have no knowledge of at all - Swedish, Russian, Finnish, Lithuanian, Icelandic etc. - and it doesn't detract from my enjoyment. Some translations in the booklet would be nice, though.

As is often the case with Viking metal, the keyboards play a central role and carry most of the melodies, whilst angrily thrashing guitar and growled black metal vocals provide the metallic backbone of the sound. Outstanding tracks include the very catchy 'Jul' ('Yule'), which is certainly the song I'll be calling for if I ever get to see Thrudvangar play live, the stirring 'Piraten Des Nordens', which features barbaric war-trumpets and martial percussion, the mournful power ballad 'Kampf Des Lebens' ('The Battle of Life'), and the bouncy, volkisch 'Thingfrieden' ('Joy Of The Thing [i.e. communal gathering]'). If you enjoy the sound of bands like Thyrfing, Finntroll, Manegarm, Adorned Brood or Skyforger, check out Thrudvangar as well, or you'll be missing a treat.