Heidra - To Hell or Kingdom Come

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We all know those popular Roman or Greek Gods and folk tales. Then we also know the Scandanavians and their tales from Thor, Odin, Loki and many more. Wait, aren’t those characters from Marvel? HEIDRA, a melodic, black and power metal band from Copenhagen, has released their 3rd  album. They have been creating music since 2006 and they are getting better with every release. “To Hell or Kingdom Come” is filled with God-like power tunes and brutal growls with a touch of melodies to lift our metal souls up high.

I have heard of Heidra before but haven’t completely allowed myself to get sucked in by their music until recently. Let me tell you this, it is a mix of aggressive tunes with gorgeous melodies. I was blown away by each and every song on the album. All I can picture were these grizzly strong-looking Vikings going out for battles against creatures at sea, hoping their Gods will be with them all the way. The icing on the cake is as I was listening to this album an actual storm was brewing outside so the thundering and lightning enhanced my metal-loving headbanging self. I am a sucker for folk music with some extra heavy spiciness of melodic black metal.

Their first track “The Beginning and the End” opens the album with confidence and power and beautifully connects to the second track “Retribution’s Dawn”, an 8 minute track that holds you on edge. “Retribution’s Dawn” has a balance of anger and melody solely due to the two different vocals. It really tells the story of a warrior seeking our vengeance. It was difficult to pick my favorite track on this album but I will mention the one that really hit me: “The Rebirth”. The harmony in the vocals is so beautiful in the chorus that I didn’t know how to react. I loved every part of the song the anger, beauty, disaster, and betrayal. The best part is the keyboard playing at 2:37 minutes. It was so unexpected and calming that it put me off track. I mean that in a good way.

“Wolfborn Rising”, the 5th track on the album, is less aggressive. Also, my obsession with wolves has been proven once again. Morten’s vocals in this song are one of my favorites. I can really hear how talented he is with the highs and lows. The power guitar solo and riffs accompanied by the growling gave the song a whole different meaning. I can say that HEIDRA has truly won my metal heart, especially with their “To Hell or Kingdom Come” track. It created an eerie mood. I could see a phoenix bird rising from the flames with power. I can go on and on about every single track on this album, but I would rather you check it out yourself.

Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 10
Memorability: 10
Production: 10