Morrigan is one of those bands of which I’m always curious when a new album arrives. Is it high quality? Is it because the status-chart hits the label “Cult”? Originality maybe? No, none of this all. It’s because of sympathy…trying to create something like Bathory did with the Viking-saga and succeed even. Nordic and Epic! The sympathy was already there during the Mayhemic Truth-days of members Balor and Beliar. Nordic and Epic Black Metal with the traditional Black Metal screams and clean vocals. Of course, the clean vocals are out of tone, but in the Quorthon’s “Twilight of the Gods” tradition, so in a good way! Morrigan stands firm in Bathory’s territory sort of speak. All the Bathorian Epicness as well as Old School Black Metal can be heard in strong tracks like “Bloodwidow” and “The Shadowwanderer”. If you dig Bathory and perhaps a little bit of Primordial, give this album a chance as you won’t find many bands who can play this kind of style. Unfortunately Morrigan is history once again, as this brief reunion was the 3rd and last attempt to go on with the band. There seems to be one last release under the banner of Morrigan; a split with the other band of Balor: Blizzard. I hope a new “Morrigan” step up somewhere…
