In Battle – The Rage Of The Northmen (Re-release)

In Battle is/was a Swedish Black/Death Metal quartet, one that was/is active from 1996 up to the year 2008 where it was apparently put on hold for an unforeseeable amount of time. In the twelve years they were active they released a grand total of one EP and four Full-length records, The Rage Of The Northmen being the second of these latter four. 

Now, while they clearly more leaned towards the traditional Black Metal concepts of the era in which this record was originally produced (1998), it still carries several hints as to the more Death Metal-oriented direction the band would later take, most noticeably in regards to their use of drums, repetitive-yet-catchy guitar riffs and a relatively high-register growl for the lyrics. That being said however, the lyrical themes revolving around Norse mythology (no doubt used as a conduit to delve into their own cultural heritage) are precisely as I would have expected it to be. 

Overall, In Battle managed to release what would seem to be an early example of what the Black/Death Metal genre would become (I read somewhere that they had similarities to both early Panzerchrist and Setherial and I am inclined to agree), with this particular album containing nearly thirty-eight minutes worth of examples of it spread across nine tracks – Each one more aggressively relentless than the last. And while I will still admit to not being particularly inclined towards the mixing of genres, it is interesting to see what could easily be a modern album of the genre that was released just short of thirty years ago. 

In short, an impressively performed and produced second album, brought to the front yet again for fans of the genre to enjoy.