DEMONAZ – March Of The Norse

Maybe this new project was bound to happen. Years after his regrettable departure from one of the pioneer bands of Norwegian Black Metal, Immortal, the ex-guitarist / lyricist Demonaz (Harald Naevdal) returns. This time it is under the banner of his own morbid nickname. With the help of friends from the local Black Metal scene, and along with his peer from the Immortal days, Abbath, Demonaz has released his cold debut album, March Of The Norse. Although the origin of the chosen name for the album wasn’t that hard to figure out, its atmosphere says it all.

Just to get things clear, even though Demonaz is no longer playing guitar, instead handling the vocals, it doesn’t mean his own solo album is any less crooked than the old Immortal albums. If you do make comparisons, there is a strong resemblance between one of Immortal’s strongest albums, At Heart Of Winter, to this new release. However, Demonaz alone is no Immortal and his vision of Black / Viking Metal is very different from that of the old blizzard beasts. March Of The Norse is a sort of mixture between Viking Metal and darkened Heavy Metal. Don’t expect the burning fire so much from this album… instead, as the artwork clearly shows, there is total coldness and a frosty atmosphere, just as the Norwegians like it (and perhaps not just the Norwegians).

The album’s material is flowing and bears the great tradition of the scene. However, even with Demonaz’s great lyrics regarding the might of the Norsemen, and the ultimate production of a well-done cold sound in the vein of the late Immortal, his debut lacks uniqueness. It is not that his release wasn’t special in its own way; it is just too filled with monotonous passages and riffages. It seems that almost every song is similar to the next or to some other song on the tracklist. The atmosphere might have been the winning chip; but what about a little bit of diversity? Moreover, it seems that the last track, “Legends Of Fire And Ice”, the finest track offered here, is sort of a developed result of the tracks before it. Sounds weird, eh? Well, you have to listen to understand better. It will be unfair to say that the rest of the material doesn’t have its moments. You can check “All Blackened Sky”, which is the opener, “Over The Mountains”, “March Of The Norse”, and “Under The Great Fires”. Even with their monotone shortcomings, the aura struck back with vengeance.

March Of The Norse can be recognized as a cold, but fun album to listen to, and if you are a fan of the Winter season, it will be a smooth ride for you, yet, nothing that special. Demonaz is talented, maybe less as a lead vocalist, but as a composer / lyricist, he is still remarkable. Hopefully this album won’t be the only release by Demonaz as the future unfolds.

Tracklist

1. Northern Hymn
2. All Blackened Sky
3. March Of The Norse
4. A Son Of The Sword
5. Where Gods Once Rode
6. Under The Great Fires
7. Over The Mountains
8. Ode To Battle
9. Legends Of Fire And Ice

Lineup

Demonaz – Vocals
Abbath – Bass / Backing Vocals
Ice Dale – Guitars
Armagedda – Drums