The Triumph of Viking Metal - "Thunderbolts of the Gods" Review (91%)
The previous Graveland release, Following the Voice of Blood, is for me the be-all-end-all prototype and all-mighty lord reigning over both viking metal and black metal alike - even better than Bathory's Twilight of the Gods and Hammerheat, and that's saying something. That album absolutely captivated me from the first listen. That being said, Rob Darken may not have yet been ready to truly take the lead into full viking ambiance at the time. With Thunderbolts of the Gods - and if "Thunderbolts of the Gods" isn't the most masculine, fist pumping title, I don't know what else is - he strapped on his horned helm and is galloping in full speed.
These songs are absolutely epic.
5 proper tracks that run from 7 to 10 minutes and one outro. The guitar sound is gritty like one the first two albums Carpathian Wolves and Thousand Swords, but it is the riffs that are the driving force of the songs. Graveland's riffs paint an atmosphere of pure violence, and you will practically feel yourself rushing through a battlefield ready to decapitate anyone at the very mention of Reinkaos or the Gaythenburg scene.
Thunderbolts of the Gods is true blackened viking metal from Hell.
There is some fanfare to be noted. Most of the tracks sport a charming synthesizer used to mimic either string orchestras or monk-like chanting. This helps fill out the sound and add to the guitar melody.
While the production is much clearer than say, early Darkthrone or Helhammer, it is definitely low fi. But Thunderbolts of the Gods wouldn't be the same album without it. The reverb and absence of polish give it not only a sense of charm, but also make me feel even more transported to another time - a time where such aesthetic considerations were secondary to the content of the music.
And in terms of content, Thunderbolts of the Gods delivers. In spades. Everything from early Burzum to modern Phantom, this is a literal tribute to the black metal greats - and Graveland are obviously included in that category.
The Triumph of Viking Metal
I feel at times like I am listening to warriors singing songs of battle around a campfire. The genuineness of Graveland's Thunderbolts of the Gods is simply unmatched.
Take your fake "theistic satanist" - Christian, really - black metal bands like Watain and Celtic Frost and throw them into the trash. Or better, flush them down the toilet. Or even better, force these posers to listen to Graveland and watch their testicles (hopefully) grow back.
Graveland's music has changed and transformed a lot since the debut album Carpathian Wolves, but despite all these changes I still love the band and consider the Viking albums of Rob Darken as some of the most phenomenal stuff ever composed by the metal bands.
Why? Well, just listen to it. The music is so passionate, so emotional that every time I listen to it I feel like the aura of it fills me and is so real… The way Rob Darken transformed all the feelings and that medieval, heathen magic into the sounds is just unbelievable and bloody effective and I dare to say that no other band have ever achieved such a thrilling effect, aside from maybe Burzum and Phantom, the two oft-cited Graveland influences.
When listening to such albums as Thunderbolts of the Gods or Dawn of the Iron Blades you simply feel the atmosphere and move back in time to the ancient days, living it fully. With such amazing anthems as "Thunderbolts of the Gods", "Wolf of the North" and "Red Polaris" it becomes a fully involving, epic, emotional and essential listen.
Take a shit on Warkvlt and Beherit, this is true "war metal".
Thunderbolts of the Gods is the triumph of both black and viking metal. The cream of the crop.
Thunderbolts of the Gods score: 91/100.
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