Should we call this “Viking Metal” and add another subgenre of Metal to the list that was probably written by Metal bands trying to sound better and more educated then they really are? No. Do you know what we should call it? Good Metal! High quality Metal! Well written, well produced, well worth investigating Metal!

Legend of the Viking, whether or not it intends to be, is a tribute to old-school heavy Metal like Led Zeppelin. Sure, they do incorporate some new ideas and the theme of the album is nothing that would have been considered back in the seventies, but it stays true to the spirit of the sound and treats instruments like carefully honed weaving looms rather then as sledgehammers. The sound, while no means delicate, flourishes in its subtly and has a hidden grace that would not be expected of bands of this genre in the twenty first century. And that’s what make’s this album all the more precious.

“Son of The War” swings in with beautifully blended guitar over calm, paced drums. “Where’s My God?” feels more subdued but still bubbles away with creative and fighting spirit. “Warriors of The Northern” has the feel of a ballad with pulses with real rhythm. “Legends Will Sing Through The Wind” (Is it just me, or could that song title be shorter?) is in a reflective mood, and there is a sense of sad longing and nostalgia for times and people gone past. But nonetheless it does qualify as an epic, running over eleven minutes long and going through an entire spectrum of sound and feelings. One that will certainly impress the Old Guard of Metal, no doubt about it.

“Born In Fire” is much more choleric as the drums really make their presence felt. “Eternal Wind” takes a melancholic turn as it lets it’s grief into the mountain wind to bear it away to a better place. Melodic, reserved and mournful, this is another epic that is every bit as good as the epic that came before it.

This is real manly Metal, but not manly as in the testosterone sweating, overdeveloped muscles and prone to brooding manly, but properly mature, experienced and confident manly. Bloodshed Walhalla are secure in themselves and rather then try and create the most bombastic of sounds that aim to assault the listener, they instead step back and focus on producing good music that can really tug the heartstrings as well as raise the listener to a better mood.