| CD REVIEW Ereb Altor |
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Band: Ereb Altor The Swedish duo Ereb Altor, consisting of Mats and Ragnar, started fifteen years ago, but soon their project was put to sleep for a while. It was only in 2003 that they recorded some songs that were originally written more than ten years ago, which resulted in the mini-album / CD-R Awakening (released in 2004). Again it went quiet for a while, but last year, the two Soldiers of Odin decided to write and record a full length, even though they hadn’t been signed to any label. And yes, the fast-growing and innovative label I Hate Records from Sweden did have the intelligence to recognize quality, which results in the co-operation between the label and the musical duo. Result: By Honour, having duration of fifty three minutes. After a short intro (Perennial), the band opens with Awakening, a song that shows the main influence of Ereb Altor: Bathory in the late eighties - early nineties-era. Slow yet very powerful and epic hymns with a Nordic feeling, true Pagan / Viking Metal with melodic and harmonious vocals, oppressing riffs, acoustic parts, a slow yet overwhelming rhythm and a glorious atmosphere, that’s what Ereb Altor’s victorious music stand for. This album certainly is no copycat-stuff, even though a few parts are so recognizable, or better: could have been written by Bathory’s Quorthon himself. Besides this main influence, Ereb Altor also introduce (Traditional) Doom elements into its music, and especially a band as Candlemass comes to mind. Yet again, a ‘cheap’ rip-off isn’t the case when it comes to this project’s epic hymns. Ereb Altor is the best Viking project from Sweden since Quorthon joined Odin and His crew in the eternal halls of the brave warriors. 93/100 Ivan Tibos. |