Once again I have the luxury of reviewing a great band from Sweden. The Melodic Death Metal band HAVAMAL has released their first full length album "Tales from Yggdrasil". To me it's pretty difficult to sing and write about Norse Mythology and be taken seriously, but this band actually pulls it off. With Bjorn on vocals, Lennie and Kjell on the guitars, Sandra on bass and Andreas on the drums, this band is sure to appease your Nordic appetite.

The first thing I would like to point out is that Bjorn has a very unique vocal style for this style of metal and it works really well. The first song up is "Harken the Shadows" which is a really well written instrumental that really helps set the mood for this viking adventure. In comes the beast of a track "Draugers March" which is epic as fuck. The line "You're a coward, a traitor, defector and for this you will join the ranks of the Drauger" is one of the most epic lines I have heard all year.

"Berserker" is one song that really puts you in the mood to go and pillage something. I'm about to grab my ax and go start taking over the whole neighborhood. I think this song is really well written and has the perfect blend of tempo changes. "Dawn of the Frost Giants" has a really mystical sound to it in the beginning that leads to a beautiful riff. If you don't start headbanging immediately you need to get your ears checked out. This song is wonderful through and through and I enjoyed every last second of it.

"Blood Oath" is exactly what I thought it would be just by reading the name, Heavy as fuck! It may not be the fastest song but what it lacks for speed it makes up for in sheer brilliance! This is another song that makes me want to just go on a rampage. I absolutely love this song and I think a lot of you will as well. "Net of Ran" picks the pace back up and is completely amazing. It's very well constructed and produced. This is one of my favorites on the album for sure. "Death of Balder" really shows off the bands ability to be heavy as hell yet melodic at the same time. I think this may be one of the best songs so far as well, it's really hard to choose because they are all really good.

"Hail Hvavamal" is one of the most intense songs right off the bat. It's definitely one that will get your blood moving and your adrenaline rushing. Don't be surprised if somehow you transform into a viking without even knowing it while listening to this song. The final song on the album is "Ginnungagap" which is one hundred percent the most epic sounding song on the album. It has everything you look for in a band like this. I really enjoyed this song and I think you all will as well. This whole album has been a work of art and is very much appreciated. If you are a fan of Viking Death Metal you will for sure love this album so I recommend buying it as soon as possible.