#19 - Top of 2020

Brothers of Metal - Emblas Saga (AFM Records)

Brothers of Metal have definitely grown a lot since their first album, Prophecy of Ragnarök, which showed some interesting elements that have leveled up in the Emblas Saga. Straight from the great intro about the well-known trickster god, "Brood of the Trickster" to the melodic "Powersnake" (talking about Jörmungandr) and the more brooding but mellow "Hel" (telling the story of the queen of the Underground) the band retells the epic Scandinavian sagas under their own heavy/power sounds and great song writing. The combination of female vocals by Ylva Eriksson, rough & clean male vocals by Joakim Lindback and Mats Nilsson and of course epic choruses with strong male vocals elevate all tracks and make them memorable! The list of tracks that are sing-along worthy is long as they achieve a great balance between the catchy Van Canto-like rhythm and one-of-a-kind Sabaton-reminiscent epicness adding their own touch. The most memorable tracks are the uplifting "Chain Breaker",  the heavier "Njord" and the 100% feel-good "One" which show two different aspects of the band's sound! Brothers of Metal do not only excel in heavy riffs but also in more melodic slow-paced songs like "Weaver of Fate" and the Enya-turns-heavy title song "Emblas Saga" which change the album's pace midway preparing the listener for a second and equally awesome dose of power metal epicness! The band goes the extra mile and puts a lot of effort in the presentation of their songs through imaginative, funny and in theme music videos which fit perfectly with the mood and makes you wanna join them for some beer/wine/ale to sing along together!

 

94.45/100

Below are the official music videos for "Njord", "One" and "Chain Breaker".