When people ask me about the main roots of the so called Viking Metal, my mind travels back to the past, remind of THOR and MANOWAR using the barbaric lyrics and look, but I believe that, musically speaking, the style was born on 1988, when BATHORY released "Blood Fire Death". That mix between an aggressive and raw form of music with mid and slow paced tempos, along with barbaric lyrics. On "Hammerheart", the atmosphere of this album is special, due some sound effects, and the whole musical conception. Maybe it's the cornerstone for many albums that we see since then. And bands as German SAXORIOR, that is releasing their new album, "Saksen".

It's an aggressive and harsh way into Viking/Black Metal, like ENSLAVED used to be on their earlier works, but presenting good melodies as well (or do you think that they must be absent? They are the main core of the Viking sound atmosphere you hear on these style albums). The instrumental parts are not as complex as some can think of, but are enough for the band to create their musical work.

Following the tradition of the style (in terms of those bands that prefers to stay in the deeper parts of underground movement), the sound quality is harsh, and a bit rawer that the needed. But not raw to the point you can't understand what the band is doing. No, because the band uses a lot keyboards' parts, so some clearness must exist.

Obviously, they have some very good songs on the album, some of them lasting more than 5 minutes. And the pagan "Saksen" (with very good tempos, and fine guitar riffs), the hooking "Litus Saxonicum" (again the band is showing good riffs along the wise use of a precious rhythmic session), and the long and wonderful "Blutbad von Verden" (more than ten minutes, so it's rich in musical arrangements and tempo changes, going from tender and melodic moments with clean guitars to some more aggressive and harsh ones, presenting very good shrieked voices, and great and atmospheric keyboards).

A very good work from these veterans (the band was born in 1994), so after these 20 years, they still have something very good to show.