ALBUM REVIEW: Under The Raven Banner – Atorc

ATORC are a heathen rabble of musicians from the quaint village of Bury St Edmonds in England. Though they have been pillaging Brittania’s shores in the name of the Norse pantheon since 2012, Under The Raven Banner is their debut album, forged through crowdfunding is this a precursor of ATORC‘s glory or have they pulled a trick out of Loki’s book on their devout followers?

A cunning Norse linguist sparks the start of the album as Hrafansmerki marks the perfect prelude to Under The Raven Banner which does all in its capacity to immerse you with a tasty musical pic-n-mix – there’s some strong vocal melodies here, some not as prestigious, but none the less propped up by a powerful barrage of melody driven anthemic delight. From bloody battles straight to wooden lodges filled with alcohol fuelled shield brothers; Mead Hall is either a witty joke or something that otherwise works wonders live, it hails the fun side of folk metal but nothing more. Hammer To Anvil gives you a glimpse into the potential of ATORC – roaring guitar solos like furious berserkers spinning majestically through an ugly battlefield.

By the time Maidens Of The Shield hits you, you will start to think of ATORC as a sort of mash up of SKILTRON and norsemen, but you are soon reminded that there is a lot more to them than this as they pull out the beautiful SKYCLAD-esque Sovngarde. If you are a fan of bands like ELVENKING, MAGO DE OZ and SPELLBLAST, you will probably fall to your knees after hearing Voice Of The Storm and offer up whats left in your drinking horn to these ambitious champions. However, if you like your folk metal rough, harsh and full of grit, ATORC are perhaps not the band for you.

It would be easy to mistake Isle Of The Brave for a famous pirate rabbles shanty about Wenches And Mead yet there is significantly more substance to this one; wailing vocals proceed to capture the imagination supported by commendable bursts of musical prowess, mostly at the hands of the bands two guitar gods. Ragnarok keeps often visited Norse mythology alive, this time the band successfully intertwines the grittiness of harsh vocals into their sound, territory you wish they would visit more often as it creates a contrast both refreshing and fitting considering the lyrical content. The Saxons of England a thousand years ago were renowned for their death-defying Shieldwall so it is no surprise that this track stands out above all others on this album. Its certainly anthemic and it surely has the capacity to rally together modern day descendants in the same way their ancestors once did.

ATORC have done a worthy job of introducing themselves to the world with Under the Raven Banner, especially with their guitar masters at the helm. Despite perhaps keeping to a very niche form of folk metal this album brings a sincere scent of individuality and puts ATORC on the road to glory. As previously mentioned fans of Italian pagan poets ELVENKING will find themselves captured by the spirit of ATORC yet that being said it does not mean others will not heed their call and stand too as warriors of the ancient ways.

Rating: 6/10

Under The Raven Banner is out now via self release. 

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