Asgard is a Canadian Pagan/Viking Black Metal band that self-released their full-length ‘Northland Pagan Storm’ in 2024; the album appears in digital and CD formats and has been distributed via Bandcamp and Discogs listings.
This second album ‘Northland Pagan Storm’ (the first being ‘Cold Season’ from 2001) offers an interesting blend of Black Metal and Viking Metal, creating a dark and slightly unhealthy (ominous) atmosphere. Some songs succeed extremely well at combining the brutality of Black Metal with epic elements typical of Viking Metal, giving more depth to the compositions.
Production is thunderous, powerful and crystal clear to say the least: it leaves plenty of room for all instruments to be displayed and heard at their best.
Tracks ‘Shadow Of Wolf’, ‘Ragnarok’ and ‘Turning The Land To Red’ all bathe in this feral apocalyptic nihilistic atmosphere that is trying to evoke the turbulent era of the Viking raids on Europe and other parts of the globe. The Pagan/Viking influences are seamlessly intertwined with Black Metal influences; the berzerker vocals are raw, brutal and well performed, adding an extra ferocious dimension to the music.
There’s epic on one side, being engulfed by the turbulent vortex of darkness. The use of keyboards reminds one of the greater days of Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Gehenna and Månegarm. The music is for a part seriously rooted in the second wave of (Scandinavian) Black Metal complemented with more modern features.
As said before, the entire album is soaked in a turbulent, feral and rather apocalyptic atmosphere that keeps the music hard and heavy without compromise.
A very good and surprisingly strong album, ‘Northland Pagan Storm’ turns out to be. The digital portion can be obtained from Bandcamp, self-released CDs and other merchandise can be obtained by contacting the band.
