Band: Winterblade
Album: Greatest Saga
Label: Independent
Genre: Heavy/Viking Metal
Released: 9th September 2020
Hailing from Norfolk, VA and in what was going to be a one-song gift to his girlfriend, Alex Waters (Winterblade) has crafted not just one - but two albums in very little time. Greatest Saga focuses on the rise of the first king of Norway, Olaf Tryggvason, with striking detail and storytelling.
If you're looking for Amon Amarth style Viking metal, this isn't going to be what you're looking for as it's chock full of folkesque style song structures. That's not to say that it's not heavy, because I can assure you it is! In a way, I'm not sure a traditional band could pull this off as Greatest has an intrepid personality that Alex lays on it. The immense amount of research and love Alex poured into the record is palpable, and I'm here for every damn second.
As Jackal already stated over at Metal Temple, this record is truly best listened to with headphones on. Greatest kicks off with cinematic quality atmosphere and narration of the start of the story. A similar atmosphere is present throughout the entire record as we hear the tale of Olaf's rise to power and the conflict along the way.
I'm giving Greatest Saga a 7.5/10
The fact that I immediately listened to it again because I wanted to, not just for my review, is quite striking to me for such a new project. Winterblade has truly crafted something special here, so do yourself a favor and check out Greatest Saga!
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