However, around  2002s Vansinnesvisor, and 2006s Farsotstider,  Thyrfing got a little darker, grittier and less bouncy beer hall-y, and some significant line up changes for 2008s Hels Vite, (notably adding Naglfar’s Jens Ryden) left the band a more cerebral, thoughtful and intricate band. I completely missed subsequent album, De ödeslösa, from 2013, and frankly I thought the band had called it quits. But 8 years later I start so see some activity on social media, a few songs  teasers here and there, and they band finally dropped album number 8. So I thought it might be time to revisit them, as there hasn’t been a pure Viking metal album that has kicked my ass in a while (Blodiga Skald‘s The Undrunken Curse from last year, I would consider more folk metal..) and see if I could get that Viking flame reignited as I haven’t been excited about the genre at all over the last few years, with stalwarts like Finsterforst and such kinda boring me to tears.

Well, the flame, while lit, thought its a mere wisp of its former self, as while Vanagandr  (another name for Fenrir) is a solid album, I’m not quite  ready to dust off my chain mail and charge into battle.

Like Vansinnesvisor, and 2006s Farsotstider, Vanagandr  has a more patient, gritty atmosphere that’s a far cry from the cheese of the first few efforts. So if you liked them, you will like this effort. To me though, it’s sometimes rousing, sometimes meandering and boring, the latter being cemted by 8 songs all lasting between 6 and 7 minutes. And the split seems to be about halfway, as it not until fourth song, “Fredlös”, where I’m start to feel my heart pump a little harder and grip my sword a little tighter…….and  yes, I listen t to this kind of metal holding a sword. Both “”Fredlös” and then following song, the standout  “Järnhand”, have stern, militant marches , the former has a rousing horns, a clean chorus and the latter has one of the albums rare blast beats and some more prevalent, ‘Viking’  keyboards and a very nice late song Viking stomp.

“Håg och minne” has a patient, deliberate march that could be a Finsterforst or Moonsorrow song, lulling into a possible boring track, but the track picks up excellently with some great synths and clean Viking choirs and a a solid blast beat. “Träldomsord” continues the mix of solid mid tempo slog and more rousing, elements while closed “Jordafärd” ends the album or a somber, almost doomy note, with dramatic keys and a melancholic main riff fitting the burial themes of the song, which ends with a very dramatic,female choral climax.

I’m glad Thyrfing is back, but hardly charging out the door to battle my neighbors, and I’m still waiting on something in the Viking metal realm to get me excited about the genre again. Vanagandr certainly has my loins stirring, but never quite gets me over  the hump.

Well, early in 2018, Dalriada ( my new favorites in the genre)  Frost Giant, Battlesoul and Swedes Grimner look to continue the trend with their 3rd album, Vanadrottning. These guys got my attention back in 2016 with Frost mot eld,  and the new album continues with that high quality. It’s in the more bouncy/catchy/happy, almost Finnish realm of lavishly produced, face painted, folk/viking metal with lots of keyboards, flutes (lots), Mandola, bagpipes, clean vocals, etc rather than the more blackened pagan realms of say Drudkh or Wallachia or more folk death metal crunch of Svartsot  (though both enjoy the same prevalence of pipes/flutes).

And catchy as fuck it is. There’s are handful of tracks on Vanadrottning that are just ridiculously catchy and will make many a folk/viking metal warrior or warrior-ess sway and jig with glee. The duo of  third track “En fallen jätte” ( the 2:33 mark is pretty much the perfect folk metal romp) and fourth track “Kvällningssång” with its Finntroll ish like march and bounce deliver some downright silly addictive folk metal moments. It’s too damn good and both bring a smile to my face everytime I hear them.

Later in the album, epic trot of “Fafnersbane”, upbeat gallop of “Dödens dans”, “Ägers salar” with its sing along chorus and crunchy mid song break and bonus/last track “Freja vakar” with its almost disco like break deliver more of the same, with the same grin cracking results.  It’s disposable, fun stuff that the band has perfected. They only really ramp the fun factor down once of the album, the penultimate track “Sången Om Grimner”, a ballad of sorts, but it ends a pretty damn good album rather fittingly.

After bursting onto the scene as an international  super group featuring guitar maestro Gus G (Firewind, Dream Evil) and the legendary Tomas Lindberg with 2003s debut Sweet Vengeance and 2005s Descent into Hell, Nightrage were the supposed saviors of a waning melodic death metal scene. But after the departure of Gus and Lindberg, the band were never quite as lauded again even with a couple of middling albums on Lifeforce Records (2007s  A New Disease is Born and 2009s Wearing a Martyr’s Crown).

I guess they have released a few more albums on Sweden’s Depotz Records since 2011 but I can safely say, they were completely off my radar for the last decade. But founder  Marios Iliopoulos, to his credit, is still hammering away and with a new but experienced line up including vocalist Ronnie Nyman (Enemy Is Us), drummer Lawrence Dinamarca (Carnal Forge, Loch Vostok) and guitarist Magnus Söderman (Leech, ex Atrocity,) has returned with a new album, and to my surprise it’s pretty solid.

Still mired squarely in the 90s stylings of In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, Nightrage have stuck staunchly to their Gothenburg guns but with good effect. This is pure NWSDM with no Finnish/melancholic bells and whistles a la Wolfheart or Insomnium or experimental/prog measures like Disillusion This is pure, retro The Jester Race, Clayman, Skydancer, The Gallery Worship,  and that’s OK especially when done with this much attention to nostalgia.

The dancing, melodic, dual harmonies, raspy vocals, crisp production and mix of thrashy uptempo numbers and mid paced trots is all tightly delivered and impressively written, as if from a time capsule. And truth be told, there are a few really good tracks here. The likes of the raging “Catharsis”, fiercely melodic gallop of “The Blood” and “Disturbia” and standout march of “Trail of Ghosts” certainly got my foot tapping and reminiscing over some of the aforementioned classics. If you don’t listen to penultimate track “Desolation and Dismay” and get a heavy 1999 vibe, you probably weren’t listening to metal then. And the band avoid any of the stuff that tainted the genre in the mid 00 and late 00s such as clean croons (only one song, “The Affliction” uses them sparingly).

A pleasant, nostalgic surprise, but I’m not sure how relevant the band still is considering the genre’s considerable decline. Still, is really does hearken back to the glory days and is a strong effort that wont save the genre, but at least attempt CPR.