NORTHERN - Desolate Ways to Ultima Thule review

NORTHERN - Desolate Ways to Ultima Thule

Moribund Records



From the cold northern reaches of New Hampshire, don't laugh it's cold up there. Now if ya wanna laugh then think about this: Black Metal from New York City, Los Angeles or San Francisco? Yeah now that's funny. But anyway this band started out in 2002 under the name COLD NORTHERN VENGEANCE and in 2016 they just shortened it to NORTHERN. Frankly it's a good choice to shorten your name. 

On the whole this is four Americans on a pagan, viking, black metal trip to Scandinavia. They've probably listened to copious amounts of BATHORY's Nordland Volumes 1 & 2. (Which I don't see a problem with.) Be that as it may it's a pretty cool sounding effort. I already pointed out that they've been around as a band for a while and this is their second full length. They have demos, split releases and compilation albums out as well. 

Musically they've got the whole blackened template sound down. The vocals sound like they're coming from a meaded up viking. There's some cool folk inspired elements worked in. I can't say much for their reasoning behind doing a cover of BURZUM's "Spell of Destruction". Not that I'm against bands doing covers but if ya wanna do atmospheric black metal then write your own material. Other than all of that I'd also drop from the band's promo material "North America’s #1 Pagan Occultist Blackened Metal band". Blatant self promotion won't get ya into Valhalla.   

http://www.moribundcult.com/

https://moribundrecords.bandcamp.com/album/desolate-ways-to-ultima-thule

https://www.facebook.com/UltimaThule666/