The Clans Are Marching

After the rather weak second part of the trilogy, I was still hoping for a great comeback and authentic and atmospheric third part, but the last album was delayed many times and this EP was finally released shortly before the final part has been published.

I just can say that this brilliant little gem was worth waiting for. "The clans are marching" is a cover of the legendary song by Grave Digger and this new version has a more epic introduction and some faster and sharper riff attacks. The singer of Rebellion does a more emotional and diversified job than Grave Digger have done over one decade ago and though I like both versions a lot, I must admit that the new one is better from a technical point of view. This song is way more than just a cover song and has its own approach and flair as it fits to the style of the band.

"Arise" is taken from the upcoming album and a melodic and epic track with a catchy chorus and mystical atmosphere that reminds of the brilliant first part of the trilogy. "Ragnarök" has also a mystical atmosphere and is a little bit more complex than the previous song and less easy to approach but surely a great little epic track that creates high hopes and expectations for the next release.

"My blood in the snow" is an exclusive track that didn't make it on the album and I ask myself why, because this song is atmospheric, diversified and powerful and especially brilliantly sung. This track reminds me as well of the style of the first part of the trilogy and is maybe even the best part of this great EP.

Finally, there is also a video clip for a live performance of the first track that is of a quite weak quality as it has been shot by a little hand camera. But the song shows that the band has a great stage presence and is able to animate a big crowd.

All in all, this EP is a great gimmick for any fan of the band and for me the rebirth of the style that I admired so much on the first part of the trilogy. I would say that this is easily the best single or EP of the year 2009 and I quite often listen to it as it is short, diversified and yet pure heavy metal. By the way, it is better than the band's last little gem, the "Miklagard" single output.

Rebellion seems like a well established band in the power metal scene. Shamefully, this is my first encounter with their music and it won't be forgotten soon. As this is an EP wiht only four tracks, I will follow the despised track by track review method. I beg your pardon in advance.

The first track is the awesome 'Clans are Marching'. It starts off with a powerful chorus with echoes and stuff and then kicks in an acoustic guitar playing a melodic tune in the background. Really sets a great mood for the EP. After some moments, the electric guitars kick in with a very headbangable tune. The vocals are powerful and the chorus is very catchy. It was hard to control myself from singing along it during my second course through the EP. The bass is literally absent due to the production and is the chief reason I deducted some score. The drumming is tight, quite fast and rythymic. There is this fascinating part in the end with someone from the band playing a bagpipe or something. Whatever that instrument is, it sounds totally folk-ish and great!

The next song is Arise. It starts off with what seems a piano intro and then the drums and guitars kick in with a capturing melody and some great riffs. The vocals again fail to dissapoint and the lyrics are beautiful too. The bass is hardly audible and I really craved to listen to it! Too bad. Anyways, this song also kicks ass like the previous. This track incorporates some lead work which is quite nice. It ends with the piano playing in the background and some battlefield esque chants.

Moving on to Ragnarok. This track kicks off at a good speed with some raw guitar riffs and some consistent, tight drumming. The vocals are again mesmerising. The lyrics are again power metal type. This song has some awesome riffs. The drum fills rock too. The solo on this track is a slow atmospheric one and is quite decent.

The final song is My Blood In The Snow. It starts of peacefully with an acoustic guitar melody playing in the background with some clean, normal vocals. It sounds pleasent and catchy. It then kicks off with a nice riff. The guitars on this track are decent compared to the rest of the album. The vocals still fucking rule. The drumming is consistent with a few fill-ins here and there. At around, 3/4 mark, this song changes into an extrememly catchy one. Then a solo kicks in which is short and okay. The song is just as the rest of the album, amazing!

I will say that if you stumble upon this somewhere, be sure to pick it up. It's a great EP. Can't wait for their next album to come.