Northerion – Sky Above Sea Below

Label: Self-released
Releasedate: 09-11-2019

Northerion is a metal band from Aurich, Germany. They were formed in 2009 and describe their style as ‘an ovation and curtsy to the great pioneers of metal without copying them’ . 7 years after the release of the debut album “Silent Screams”, they are back with a brand new record called “Sky Above Sea Below”, out on 9th November.

With “Sky Above Sea Below”, Northerion delivers an interesting concept revolving around East Frisia, the region where they come from. There is a certain dedication to their hometown as well as passion reflected through their music and the lyrics. For those who are not familiar with this region, this can also be a foreign concept where the listener has to do some research on this region to get into the songs.

A surprising aspect for me was the fact that the sound in “Sky Above Sea Below” consists of many styles, with the focus on classical heavy metal. There are influences from heavy metal and the sound gets technical at times which the band delivers perfectly through the guitars and the drumming, On the other hand, I can’t figure out what the exact style of the band is. For some this might be a nice mystery to solve but for the ones who want a record with a steady sound, these different styles might be a bit ‘over the place’. However, this approach and style give room for the band to develop their style over time maybe and to go different directions and experiment. So depending on the listener’s preference, this aspect may either be interesting or not.

One aspect I found weak is the vocal arrangements, as I think that the vocals could have been arranged differently to fit with the guitars and the drumming. Guitars, on the other hand, are the highlights of this release and give that extra layer and technical approach to the album. So the band definitely has some aspects to improve. However, I believe this will come with experience as well as live shows and then we might experience the development of the band’s sound. Overall, I can recommend the fans of classical heavy metal to check out this album and keep an eye on Northerion as well as to see them live if the opportunity comes!

Line up:

• Tim Grögor – vocals
• Jörg Saathoff – guitar
• Pascal Meinen – guitar
• Harald Gerdes – bass
• Nikolai Neumayer – drums

Tracklist
01. Intro
02. To The Raging Tides
03. Warriors
04. The Valkyrie’s Wings
05. Under A Blazing Sky
06. The Omen of Fire
07. Now That The Night Falls
08. Last Alliance
09. When The Blade For Us Will Fall
10. She, The Ocean

Links:

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