Norsemen - Bloodlust
Time to Kill Records
Death/Thrash/Power Metal
10 songs (46'39")
Release year: 2019
Reviewed by Alex

It may be a little strange that a band from Bergamo, Italy is called Norsemen, but it is a known historical fact that Vikings visited Mediterranean. And wherever Vikings visited, they usually raided, while also leaving their genetic seed behind. When you choose a moniker like Norsemen, you also kind of give away to a degree the style of metal you are going to play. Prog or gothic styles are unlikely. In the case of Italians the book can be judged by its cover, even if in the end the book is a straightforward, not too exciting or complicated a read.

Norsemen go for Amon Amarth early sound, with a lot less blackness, a lot more power metal, with more polish and less creativity. Tremolos do fly, but less so. Drums whip up in the bottom end and are made thicker through production, although drum sound itself may come off plasticky. Vocals are bottomless growls, with a rare higher pitched shriek. First and foremost, however, Norsemen rely on fast and steady parade of chords. After somewhat symphonic intro, Evil Master then is energetic, but by the time Black Mountain and Fenrir roll on the death/thrash already feels repetitive with its average chug. The sameness of riffs piled on the front end of Bloodlust make it somewhat arduous to get through the album first half.

Going for more catchiness and hooks (title track), or incorporating a rare short solo (Odin) break up the monotony, and mocking thrash bit of Surtur also stands out. Towards the latter half of the album Norsemen veer further into power metal, there is more solo work and more on the surface melodicism. Using tremolo in Time Wrecked Kingdom also provides some riff variation, but going on the long run with Bloodlust I only could take it in short spans, and not because it has dizzying everchanging time signatures.

Memorable songs would be a good recipe for success for Norsemen. I understand the desire of not copying other pagan brethren (like Heidevolk), and treading closer to death roots (like Unleashed), but spacing out drum kicks and filling them with melody would do wonders for song differentiation on Bloodlust. Then, I also can’t feel death metal on the album either, since there is no sense of depravity here at all, but more of burly uncontained power without specific aim or purpose.

In every Viking movie there is a hero (or several) and then there is a mass cast. If Norsemen want to take the step out of the crowd, individuality is something they must seek.

Killing Songs :
Bloodlust, Odin, Surtur
Alex quoted 65 / 100
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