Nordheim

Gjallarhorn, the bastard child of the glorious DoomSword proves its consistency with this outstanding release. A release wholly dedicated and in memory of the late Quorthon has his soul engraved and reincarnated into it. Take any track off this release, and compare it to any latter Bathory songs. You'll notice the similarity between the two. Layers upon layers of guitar, the pounding war drums, the backing choir-esque vocals and the distinctive lead vocals, which is where Gjallarhorn shines far above Bathory.

The disc opens with the ambient "The Plane of Vigrid". An intro it is, with nothing too outstanding about it. But it better prepare you for what's to come. "The Day Odin Stood Still" thunders with a powerful guitar pound and is later joined by Deathmaster's outstanding vocals. Just listen to the fucking range he has. Quorthon would only dream to hit the notes he does. The song continues in a basic structure until it comes to a halt, and a very viking influenced tune takes over. An excellent opening track with plenty tempo changes, and just enough energy to keep you interested.

And we fade straight into the second track "Blood Over Asgard". As the first track continues to fade into raven cries, the horn sounds and a sadistic evil-imbued riff greets the listener with enough might and vigor to tear him into shreds. "Blood Over Asgard" is one of the weaker tracks, but not by any means is it un-listenable. It just drags. Though the outro is worthy of note here.

"Chaos Unleashed". Oh what a fucking intro this is. The wolfcry announces the arrival of the mighty god himself. If Odin played guitar, that's exactly the kind of riff he'd play. Pure evil. This is one of the most energetic songs on the record, and perhaps my personal favourite. The chorus is pure sing-along material and extremely catchy. After two verses, the guitars head into a galloping tremolo duel showing just how verastile the songs can get. Again, as with the previous track we exit to a sludgey screeching guitar, and head into "Ragnarok".

"Ragnarok" opens with another grim riff with the devil's own signature tattooed into it. This track has the best chorus. Period. It strikes heavier than Thor's own hammer and annihlates everything in path. Pure energy and brimming epicness oozes out of it. Deathmaster's vocals shine again in this chorus. Powerful and operatic enough to drag emotions and energy from you. His performance on this track reminds me of the godly A.A. Nemtheanga of Primordial. Yes, on this track, his sheer energy rivals even that of the mighty Alan.

At last, we have "200 Years of Fury". Pure chaos is unleashed in this awesome disc closer. Shortly after the intro all hell breaks loose as we hear the war cries soar above the layered guitars. The chord progression in this track is worthy of mention, as it's perhaps the best on the album. Kudos to the guitarist whom I'd love to know, as he's not even mentioned in the lineup. What a pity. Anyway, the song continues to pound in a steady pace crushing all that tries hinder it's progression. A short solo then kicks in and is later followed by a vocal overdub of Deathmaster's clean voice and his grunts. That better get you ready for the chorus, as it's the catchiest chorus on this album. An awesome warchant over the galloping riffs. Deathmaster's operatic vocals continue to kick ass along with the sinister riffing until the song and the album come to an end.

An extremely awesome performance by Gjallarhorn. In the end, it only left me craving for more. Fans of either Bathory, DoomSword or Primordial should not hesitate to get this album. A more polished Bathory, a more epic DoomSword and a vocal and guitar performance that rivals Primordial. Quorthon would be very proud.

Long live the pounding hammerheart. Long live Quorthon.