VALHALLA
"The
Aftermath" (Agent Records; 2005)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
Power metal is a genre that I've deliberately ignored for well over six months – pretty much the last half of 2005 and the early days of 2006. Not that I have a love-hate relationship with power metal – it's just that sometimes I don't get much from it. Consequently it's easy to not miss it when I'm not actively seeking to listen to it.
Then along comes Valhalla's "The Aftermath" looking very much like an under-produced demo. But all it really is was a promo version of the band's latest effort. Further inspection reveals that Valhalla definitely has a track record with at least two prior full-length releases.
Valhalla is more like Primal Fear than Helloween – and by that I trust that you clearly understand that Valhalla like their riffs chunky and heavy yet not forsaking melodies (fleet or otherwise). Typical slick power metal elements like choirs pop up every now and then, but are thankfully not overdone. Valhalla convincingly shows that despite their preference for less speedy material that they can kick it up a notch when they want to ("XXX"). Valhalla are definitely not one-dimensional – these guys know their way around songs.
The nine tracks on "The Aftermath" clock in at 49minutes mostly due to an 11-minute epic track that closes the album. That means that most of the tracks are under the five-minute mark with each song's concise journey never outstaying its welcome.
I'll be enjoying Valhalla's "The Aftermath" as one of the nicest surprises of my early 2006 listening experiences.
"The Aftermath" was produced by Valhalla.
Valhalla: Javier "Patxa" Navarro on vocals, Ignacio "Jevo" Garamendi on guitar, Mikel Martiniez on guitar, and Ivan Corcuera on drums. "Jevo" played bass.
For more information visit http://www.valhalla-metal.com/.
"The
Aftermath" (Agent Records; 2005)
Reviewed by Snidermann
Power metal is firmly established as one of my favorite types of music. Valhalla's "The Aftermath" fits the description of power metal perfectly and that's a-okay with me.
The songwriting here is high quality and just the type of epic sound you'd expect from a band called Valhalla. I don't often list the tracks on a release, but sometimes such a list is a powerful tool to get a quick picture of what a release is all about:
Enemy
Farwell
Heroes
Inseminator
Lost in Space
Memories
Miracle
XXX
"The Aftermath" is fast paced and full of life and all you have to do is sit back and let the experience happen. I really liked this CD and heartily recommend it to any fan of power metal. This shit is bigger-than-life fun and well worth the listening effort.
Valhalla: Javier "Patxa" Navarro on vocals, Ignacio "Jevo" Garamendi on guitar, Mikel Martiniez on guitar, and Ivan Corcuera on drums. "Jevo" played bass.
For more information visit http://www.valhalla-metal.com/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
