The Final Journey

Black Messiah is a German Viking/folk black metal band that capture the Viking essence with great skill and tasteful melodies. In their previous albums they have proven their name in the realm of Viking metal, so this album was eagerly anticipated by many fans who had great faith in them.

This faith was not lost in this record.

"The Final Journey" is one of those albums that has pretty much everything a Viking metal fan would ask for. Incredibly well-written guitar riffs, a wise use of keyboards that add a balance to the shredding violin, a bit of acoustic guitars and mandolins here and there to add an oldish flavor, really good drumming, and clean vocals and growls that are perfect for the record.

The album starts with "Windloni", not exactly the best song on the record, but it's still a good start. The symphonic elements and the riffs are quite enjoyable and gets you excited to what's coming next.

Then comes "Der Ring Mit Dem Kreuz". A very folksy song, the use of violin is very good here and the "funny" and even troll-ish riffing and the German lyrics all add a kick to the record in general and prepare us for a more "serious" song, "To Become A Man". It has more black metal in it than the previous songs, with heavy riffs and vocals that toughen your senses and give you an epic shiver down your spine.

Then comes the real surprise, a Candlemass tribute and the instrumental "Into The Unfathomed Tower" that's played beautifully and flawlessly on the violin. One of the best and most original covers of the song.

At this point the album has reached its peak, and the album's tempo starts to back down a bit with the re-recorded version of "Feld Der Ehre", which, in my opinion, was not such a good idea, but in general its quality is much better, but lacks the energy it had before. The song "Lindisfarne" comes ripping a bit faster than the previous with more melodic riffs accompanied by precise drumming and enjoyable vocals.

Then comes an original idea and concept, a four-song saga under the title of "The Naglfar Saga". It talks about the journey of a dishonorable warrior's damned soul into Hel and his journey to eternity on the back of the ship Naglfar.

The first song in the saga is a slow prologue that guides you through the atmosphere of the saga, with spoken lyrics and violin playing smoothly into the next song, "Mother Hel". Here the album starts to become more theatrical and the music blends very well with the lyrics and the story while a guest female vocalist represents the goddess Hel, adding another good point to the album.

The next song, "On Board", has very good riffing and slow atmospheric keys followed by sad, yet melodic riffs and agonized vocals that get the listener more and more into the story, especially with the part with the keyboards and acoustic guitars.

The last song, "Sailing into Eternity", also has the same technique, but with a more epic feel added by the guitars and the backing keyboard. The song starts to slowly fade away, giving the impression of the Naglfar ship setting sail into the unknown, giving the album a grand finale that could not have been any better.

This album is one of the best efforts for Black Messiah. Highly recommended for Viking and folk black metal fans. It is unique, well-crafted, and might be a cornerstone to a new era of Viking metal.