Released July 7th AFM Records

Swedish Power Metallers, Bloodbound have cemented themselves in the realm of Classic Power Metal exhibiting heavy riffs, huge hooks, and powerful vocals. This band holds steadfast out to prove Power Metal is not dead, and I am a firm believer in this notion. Power Metal is the single handed most under rated sub genre in the Rock and Metal word; It’s almost criminal how talented these bands are, and yet they are overlooked constantly. Power Metal is considered cheesy and repetitive to stubborn elitists, but the genre shield walls and prevails with albums like Tales of The North.

Tales of The North is a Viking Folk inspired Power Metal album that infuses speedy riffs that would make Amon Amarth proud. This album piles up on double bass, melodic leads, and catchy hooks that remind me of classic Gamma Ray and Helloween. The vocals from Patrik Selleby are cleanly sublime with a soothing pitch and perfectly clear diction. This album is bound to stick in your head and fuel you to battle that 5:00 rush hour traffic. It sends you back in time, but keeps with the modern Power Metal sound. From drinking songs, to pillaging songs, to tributes to Odin this album holds true to the Viking theme without being pretentious or cheesy. Odin’s Prayer is a perfect track for those big arena or festival shows, along with sing along songs like Drink With The Gods and The Raven’s Cry. Tales of The North is and was set out to be a classic Heavy Metal brought to Modern Power Metal and refined for a full listening experience, and they’ve achieved an epic album. Is this the Power Metal album of the year? Time will tell.

Rating: 8/10

Tales From The North track listing:
01. Tales From The North
 02. Drink with the Gods
 03. Odin´s Prayer
 04. The Raven´s Cry
 05. Mimir`s Crystal Eye
 06. Between The Enemy Lines
 07. Land Of Heroes
 08. Sail Among The Dead
 09. Stake My Claims
 10.Sword And Axe
 11. 1066

BLOODBOUND is:
Tomas Olsson – lead guitar
Fredrik Bergh – keyboards
Patrik Selleby – vocals
Henrik Olsson – rhythm guitar
Anders Broman – bass
Daniel Hansfeldt – drums

For More Info Visit:
www.bloodbound.se
www.facebook.com/bloodboundmetal
www.instagram.com/bloodbound_official
www.afm-records.de