King of Asgard - ...to North
They say in baseball that it all evens out. For every line drive or frozen rope you hit right at someone, a bleeder will squeak through or a duck fart will drop in no man’s land. Relatively speaking, 2012 seemed like King of Asgard’s year from this spectator’s standpoint. Constant Music Choice bombardment, satellite radio airplay on an almost daily basis, and a music video in heavy rotation on Fuse and Havoc had my inquiring mind wondering what the fuck the big deal was. Then I learned that this group features Karl Beckman (guitar/keyboard) and Karsten Larsson (bass) from the legendary Mithotyn. The criminally underrated Viking Black Metal horde who scored not one but two of 1998’s best albums (In the Sign of the Ravens and King of the Distant Forest), yet never got the recognition they deserved and fizzled around the turn of the century. That’s when the old baseball adage occurred to me. To be fair, King of Asgard’s sophomore outing for Metal Blade is considerably harder hit than a mere “duck fart.” The epic riffcraft on “The Dispossessed” and “Bound to Reunite” is passable enough to remind us of vintage, pre-stardom Amon Amarth, while mid-paced scorchers like “Gap of Ginnungs,” “Nordvegr,” and “Up on the Mountain” at times reveal a hook-laden swagger not unlike Kvelertak minus the party vibe. “Plague-Ridden Rebirth” gives us a taste of Blackened Mithotyn-like fury, and “Harvest (The End)” rides a quirky gallop to semi-greatness, but both tracks are ultimately too drawn out and boring to achieve standout status. In the end, …to North is a quality, Viking-themed Melodeath record that sorely lacks a battle anthem. Good but not great, and no match at all for the borderline-suicidal majesty of Mithotyn’s past triumphs. However, I wish King of Asgard all the success and popularity in the Nine Worlds. For Beckman and Larsson, it’s better late than never.
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