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Viking > No Child Left Behind > Reviews
Viking - No Child Left Behind

No Trace(r)s of Doting Feeble Adulthood - 90%

bayern, January 6th, 2022

A sturdy Viking touch was what was missing from the new millennium musical environment, and boom… it gets nicely added to it following another reformation campaign, the Viking horde led by Ron Eriksen, the only survivor from the early formation, the vocalist and the guitar player who simply had to raise his weapons once again in order to check how the modern settings would respond to his militant conquest-fixated tactics.

Said tactics strictly belonged to the classic thrash genre earlier, the guys stirring quite a bit of noise and vehemence on the rough aggressive debut, but finding their stride on the excellent more polished, more complex sophomore, one of the highlights on the late-80’s thrash horizon. The band lost the gifted axeman Brett Eriksen (no relations to Ron) to Dark Angel shortly afterwards, but the other act returned the gesture some 20 years later by surrendering their bass player Mike Gonzales to the new Viking team, the latter also readily welcoming other stalwarts from the metal roster like the drummer Cody Johns (the power metallers Zephaniah, the tech-death cohort Eight Thousand Dead, etc.) and the guitarist Justin Zych (also Zephaniah, the prog-metal act Valhalla, etc.).

The horde seem fully-equipped to march and do bigger irreparable damage to the world, the child theme retained as well, remember the Pat Benatar cover of “Hell Is for Children” from “Man of Straw”, this time reflected in the album-title, the musical accompaniment to this parental saga the good old thrash through and through. And we want nothing more, the delivery standing between the ferocious debut and the more thought-out second coming, clinging more towards the former actually, bristling with energy all over thanks to ripping headbangers like “By the Brundlefly” and “Blood Eagle”, the hyper-active veneer of the Hirax-esque “Debt to Me” bringing the setting to a sizzling point. The latter stays there for the more brutal proto-death violators “An Ideal Opportunity” and “Eaten by a Bear”, the guys moshing like demented, calming down for two more complex opuses (“Wretched Old Mildred”, “A Thousand Reasons Why I Hate You”) where the array of moods and rhythms borders on the delightfully progressive at times. The thing is that the band’s agenda doesn’t lie with the entangled dimensions, the more serious approach still hanging in the vicinity for the lengthy furious headbanger “Helen Behind the Door”, the seismic qualities of this perennial exploder contaminating the only marginally more controlled proposition “Burning from Within”.

Yep, a lot of passion burning from both within and without, Eriksen shouting and semi-reciting behind the mike, trying to match the musical intensity every bit of the way, a tiring task which he still manages to pull off with panache without tearing his vocal chords, the intense performance, both music and vocal-wise, also a cool nostalgic look back at the band’s very roots from the mid-80’s, when they were called Tracer. A very welcome entry into the voluminous catalogue of the new millennium, a retro thrash gem which shows a veteran formation fully revitalized, bursting with energy, easily giving us at least a thousand reasons why we have to love them. And we surely will, as with a Viking horde marching victoriously on the contemporary battlefield the world seems a much safer place to be in, and our beloved thrash a more viable commodity on the competitive music market.

The Wait Was Well Worth It - 88%

Mickey Dee, April 8th, 2015
Written based on this version: 2015, CD, Independent

It took a reformation in 2011 by founders Ron Daniel Eriksen & Matt Jordan to resurrect Viking back from the dead. And since that time, the act has been playing live frequently with a remaining lineup featuring newcomer Justin Zych (guitars) & Mike Gonzalez (bass) of Dark Angel fame. Seasoned veteran Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Testament, Death, Forbidden, etc.) has also been involved with the group and handled the drum work here (although Matt apparently remains as the full-time drummer).

The result here would be an album that took 26 years in the making which was well worth the wait, as it burned from start to finish. Ron sounded better than ever on vocals (while including his notable falsetto screeches on occasion), as well as the Dark Angel rhythmic backbone of Mike & Gene pummeling everything in their path. Justin's lead guitar role has also been a godsend for the group as he managed to incorporate a reckless yet controlled style of blazing talent while bringing additional energy in order to keep the act true to their frenetic roots. The production was also clear as well as the lyrical content being exceptionally original (it doesn't get any better than songs like "Eaten By A Bear" & "9:02 On Flight 182"). Nothing ever gets boring here and the music is just as effective when pacing at warp speed or during mid-tempo segments.

The more I listen to this album, the more I get out of it, as this is Bay Area thrash of the highest order. "No Child Left Behind" sounds just as good as both Slayer & Testament in peak form with Viking obviously being no strangers to the hallowed halls of traditional thrash themselves. It's clearly apparent that a lot of time was spent with the whole process here, and I would think it being a matter of time before a notable label signs the group and picks up this release in the near future. It took quite a long time, but Viking are back and they mean business...