### Heathen Foray: The passage

#### 29/05/09 || Euthanatos

Another day at the office, another Viking metal album for me to review. Heathen Foray are newcomers to the scene, this being their debut, and there are actually two bands with that name! Isn’t that something? Anyway, one is English, the other is Austrian, and the one here is the latter. Thankfully everything is sung in English, so I won’t feel totally in the dark.

Now, I’m trying to think here of some bands I can compare Heathen Foray to, because the band isn’t really that special, nor are they particularly bad. They’re in that metal limbo, where you actually know how to play your instruments, know how to write a song, but you haven’t really come into your own yet, sounding like a generic version of… yeah, something. It’s somewhere between Falkenbach and Black Messiah. Not really a grand comparison, eh? Let’s just say Heathen Foray plays a more extreme side of viking metal; there are enough folkish elements to keep things from going too brutal, but enough death metal in it not to sound like fairies dancing around a fire in an enchanted forest.

Some tracks like “Winterking” and “Theater of Battle” I found really appealing, and if Heathen Foray continues down that path, I’m sure good things will follow. The instruments are all adequately played, particularly the drums, and there are some great guitar leads. The vocals are a bit too even for me, but it doesn’t become annoying, just nothing special.

As usual, I’ll grant a review a better grade than I would if this were an experienced band, because you’re allowed to get an overall feel of your music in the first album. One must give a band time to gain personality and fully comprehend where the hell it wants to go. In Heathen Foray’s case, it’s quite obviously Asgard, but it’s going to take a little while to get there yet.

The cover: Now this one I really like. Se, everyone, take notice! This is how you do a damn cover!

5 vikings that didn’t really go a-viking, instead stayed home to take care of the flock, do some farming out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Black Bards Entertainment
- Website: www.heathenforay.com
- Band
- Robert Schroll: vocals
- Jürgen Brüder: guitars
- Bernd S. Zahn: guitars
- Markus Wildinger: bass
- C. Michael Hofbauer: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Fading Tree
- 02. Northstar
- 03. Winterking
- 04. Fortress Of Faith
- 05. Chants
- 06. Dragon’s Eyes
- 07. Ancient Secrets
- 08. Wolkenbruch
- 09. Theatre Of Battle
- 10. Wilderness Lore