THE NORSEMAN COMPANY – The Coming of the Chord (Album Review)

The Norsemen Company - The Coming of the Chord
THE NORSEMAN COMPANY – The Coming of the Chord

When I first stumbled onto this album the name and cover made me think of Viking metal. I thought the sound was going to be something similar to Tyr or Grand Magus. To my surprise it didn’t sound like them at all, in fact, I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard. Nothing against the other bands mentioned I do enjoy some of their music but I prefer melodic hard rock/metal better.

The Norseman Company is a band project founded by drummer Geir Arne Dale formerly of the Norwegian band Humbucker. Geir wrote all of the songs and brought together some of Norway’s biggest stars to join him on this release. The album is mixed and mastered by legendary producer Beau Hill (Warrant, Ratt, Kix, Winger, Europe, Alice Cooper etc.).

There are eleven songs on this album and the tracks are sung by five different vocalists. I have only heard of one of them prior. That would be Åge Sten Nilsen of the band Wig Wam, who have released an amazing album this year called Never Say Die you can see the review by CGCM’s Sparky here.

The Vocalists:

Magne Vikra – I tried to find more info on this vocalist but I couldn’t find anything. He sings on two of the tracks “Here Comes Rock and Roll” a sing-along anthem that starts the album off and “In This Neighbourhood” a slower-paced tune. I’m not a fan of the slower-paced song but I did like the opening track.

Jostein Almaasbro – Again I couldn’t find much on this vocalist either. Jostein sings on three tracks. “When the Hammer Falls” is the first of three songs that he sings on. The vocals on this song remind me of the lead vocalist of Shiraz Lane a bit and the riff has a similar vibe to “Detroit Rock City”. Next up is “Gimme Some Rock And Roll”, another surprise on this album is the appearance of Rowan Robertson the guitarist from Dio’s Lock up the Wolves who plays guitar and talkbox on this track. The third song is the Bonus track “One Step Behind”.

Rudi Remme – Rudi started out in hip hop and later changed direction to county pop. He sings on the single “Since You’ve Been Gone” a ballad and “Stone in My Shoe” both songs highlight how good his vocals are and are enough to have me check out his other work.

Martin Steene – Lead vocalist of Demark band Iron Fire, I have never heard of them before but from hearing him on this release I will definitely be checking them out. First of the two songs is “Dirty Nelly” which starts off with a piano and reminds me of The London Quireboys. The second song is “Don’t Wanna Lose You”, both songs are among my favourites on the album.

Åge Sten Nilsen – I left the best for the last. Vocalist for Ammunition and Wig Wam, Age Sten Nilson delivers the best two songs on the album. First up is the Dio-sounding “Master of the Dark” this one is the best song on the album. This song will make my playlist and get repeated listens it’s that good. The second song is “Loud & Proud” it starts off almost sounding like Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” but just for a second.

The Verdict:

Overall I really liked this album. The songs are short and simple, very likeable and memorable. I have never heard of most of the musicians involved and this release has introduced me to some talented Norsemen. It’s worth checking out.

Also, find more of my CGCM reviews here: Ivan Galesic

Ivan Galesic

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Tracklist:

  1. The Gospel (According To Revenant Norse) Here Comes Rock And Roll
  2. Master Of The Dark
  3. When The Hammer Falls
  4. Since You’ve Been Gone
  5. Stone In My Shoe
  6. Dirty Nelly
  7. Gimme Some Rock And Roll
  8. Don’t Wanna Lose You
  9. In This Neighborhood
  10. Loud & Proud
  11. One Step Behind (Bonus Track)
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH1Dl5Mrjj4[/embedyt]

 

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_c5bB-rdjo[/embedyt]

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