Rating: 9.5/10
Release: 24 November 2023
Label: At Dawn Records

From North is a five-member Swedish folk metal band, and “Raven Banner” is their second full-length album, and what do you mean I have to stop listening to it and write a review? The line-up lists only the standard tools of metal, but there are a lot of folky whistles, bagpipes, and strings accenting the whole album. Presumably, they’re VST, but they sound amazing. The lead harsh vocalist goes hard, and the songs are written to compliment him. The supporting vocals add to the magic, but Håkan Johnsson is a class act.

The real From North sorcery is in the writing, though. The songs have simple melodies and a lot of rhythm in a way that’s highly conducive to screaming along. The album has ten tracks, and while some are stronger than others, there’s guaranteed to be at least a little nugget of memorable gold that travels with you. “Oh, that’s that song!” was my reaction to every From North title when shuffling this album into a playlist. It’s a mark of quality writing. Also, not all of the lyrics are in English, which, if you’ve read other of my reviews, is an easy way to score high marks.

The album is chock-full of hits and only one or two weaker tracks that overly remind me of other ones. “Winterblot”, for example, really made me want to sing “One, two, three four…” from “Into the Oblivion”. The hits, though, start right from the beginning. “Raven Banner” is an epic intro track using all the tricks to draw listeners into the album: catchy refrain, clean guitar intro, and excellent instrument mix. If you don’t instantly love this track, From North might not be for you. And “Into the Oblivion”, the next track, is more of the same. It’s so much fun to sing along. “The Queen” is a slower and longer track that shows off their folkier side with minor key droning and reverent lyrics. In my mind, it pairs with Amorphis’ “The Bee”.

“The Plague” also caught my ear. It’s another slower song with a reedy, bagpipe timbre, proggy bridge, and memorable refrain. It juxtaposes well with the album’s greatest hit: “Shield Wall”, an absolute banger that leans into folk metal’s underlying power metal roots. And while it could be argued that the end of the refrain could be sung to the tune of the first track, there’s so much driving momentum that you want to throw some horns, slam into things, and not care.

I’d never heard of From North before this month, but I’m really glad I found them. I went back and listened to their first album (simply called “From North”) and it’s quality, too. I wish them every success, because holy shit, they’re good.

Tracklist

1. Raven Banner
2. Into the Oblivion
3. Berserkers
4. The Queen
5. Harmbidder
6. Shield Wall
7. Runestones
8. The Plague
9. Järnvidja
10. Winter Blot