The 9th album from the Faroe biking-themed Faroe Islands-based band. Given their heritage, they are more qualified to do this sort of thing. Even more so than Amon Amarth. They are still cranking it out at an epic scale, My initial impression is that the album is more finetuned in the studio and not as heavy. By the second song, I can feel my disappointment mounting as it does not retain the same girt of their earlier work but finds them frolicking about with the other power metal bands that are doing this sort of LARP metal. When it comes to guitar solos they are rooted more closely to traditional metal, but the big choral vocal refrains are certainly more power metal-like.
"Dragons Never Die" is a better song title than a song, as things do not get any darker or more aggressive for it. "Row" is too happy for the subject matter, as I do not think any Viking felt rowing was fun. I used to refer to these guys as one of the bands who were the exception to the rule when it came to this sort of thing, so it is sad they have been reduced to becoming another drinking song band. The synths on this album do not help things either. The band tried to say that the context in which the title was referring was not the kind of power ballads we associate with 80s metal, but used as storytelling. This was just trying to give a spin to the fact that there are actual ballads on this album. They have more in common with Nordic folk than Whitesnake but are ballads all the same.
Even if we took away the cheerful tone I detest, the songs are not holding up against their classics like "Hold the Heathen Hammer High". Heri Joensen's voice sounds fine, perhaps he is singing a little higher to match the more progressive tone of the album, there is certainly booming grit to his voice. The first darker notes do not come until seven songs in for 'Hangman". His voice starts off with more grit but as layers of vocals join in it begins to sound like the other songs. A similar could almost be said for "Axes" as the title track comes the closest to sounding like the band they used to be. The fast tempos only make the guitar sound thinner. The last song is more deliberate which helps a little. I will still round this down to a 7.5, as they are now just rowing alongside their peers and lack the qualities that set them apart earlier in their careers. Looks like Metal Blade Records might be to blame when they drop this album on April 12th.
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