Odin Owns Ye All (1998, Century Media)
Lineup: Gerhard Storesund (drums, synths, backing vocals), Frode Glesnes (guitars, backing
vocals), Ragnar Vikse (vocals), Erik Elden (bass, backing vocals).
Style: Pure Viking metal with clean vocals and anthemic chorals.
This is not Black Metal at all, all vocals are clean and the music is mid-tempo, melodic,
reminiscent of the old Manowar. The lyrics exclusively deal with events from the Norse
mythology, with Odin winking with a blind eye from the cover. The artwork looks too wooden
but I can vouch that this was the band's desire all along.
The only detraction from the overall great experience is the production, the snare drum in
particular, which could have been a little denser. The really cool thing about Einherjer
have to be the male choirs (band members actually), which deliver a true (as far as I could
tell) Norse feeling: legends, reverie, drinking bouts, fighting, myths, and war, all echo
through the choruses. The introduction is very march-like and upbeat. I guess my favorite
song is "Clash of the Elder," with its (unintentionally?) funny singing, which reminds me
of what we used to do after getting heavily drunk.
The album can become somewhat boring; after you've heard the first four songs, you've heard
just about everything Einherjer have to offer. I picked this CD up in a used record store
for the palsy $7, which is just about right as a price.
Verdict: If you like Viking metal, this should be a definite buy. Otherwise, there's little
the band gives in terms of innovation.
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