BLACK MESSIAH

Viking/folk metal suffers the same fate as black metal and various other genres - oversaturation! It’s certainly not hard to find a new band, but to find one who has that special something is another matter entirely. Having listened to Germany’s Black Messiah and their fourth album, ‘First War Of The World’, a few times now, there is enough of interest for the hardcore following but I wonder if I would be listening to this as much if I wasn’t reviewing it. I do really enjoy the spoken intro of track one’s prologue, describing Odin’s journey to the Vanir village of Vanaheimr and of his warning to the Æsir. The opening guitars leading to the main riff of track two (and the first track proper on the album) ‘The Vanir Tribe’ gave me high hopes for the album. Track three puts me in mind of fellow German band In Extremo, but where I find In Extremo edgy and full of guts I’m finding Black Messiah just don’t excite me in the same way. As the album progresses there are times that I am just about to give up with them but then a rousing chorus may start up or a well placed harmony of guitars and pseudo keyboard choir – when it’s all there, it sounds big, but maybe it’s the overall pedestrian feel that is overwhelming and leads me to rate this album as mediocre. I have heard much worse but I’ve heard much more exciting as well! Oddly enough it’s the occasional spoken story intros that help lift this album above half marks, but ultimately aren’t tied in well enough to save it entirely. I can’t find myself recommending this album but if you like the sounds you hear from Black Messiah on their MySpace page if you check out tracks from their ‘First War Of The World’ album then what you hear is pretty much what the album sounds like. It may do more for you than it did for me but as far as Viking/folk metal bands there are many other albums I would listen to ahead of ‘First War Of The World’.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

AFM Records

Album

FIRST WAR OF THE WORLD

Review by Paul Sims

RUNNING TIME:

64:43

RELEASE DATE:

20th March 2009

TRACK LISTING

1) Prologue - The Discovery
2) The Vanir Tribe
3) Gullveig
4) Von Rachsucht Und Luege
5) March of the Warriors
6) Vor Den Toren Valhalls
7) The Battle of Asgaard
8) The Chase
9) Burn Vanaheim
10) Das Unterpfand
11) Peace At A High Price
12) Andacht; 13) Soeldnerschwein

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Germany

"...the occasional spoken story intros that...lift this album above half marks, but ultimately aren’t tied in well enough to save it entirely."