Thousand Year War. Nothing we think we’d would want of course, because we’re all friendly people at The Baboon and we don’t wish anyone dead. Except for pop music perhaps. But, because we’re talking about a band, who’d have thought, that is turning out precisely the type of music that tickles our fancy, we actually do want it.

The project was started at the end of 2008 / beginning of 2009 by Hiram Lohr from Alaska. He then got reinforcements in the form of Kellen Sharp and after hiring a session drummer they recorded their first EP, and self-titled it. Not long after, in the same year still, work was started on the group’s debut record. After proper mixing and mastering, and finding a lable, Tyrants and Men first saw the light of day last September. With help of more session musicians, Hiram, who’s currently the only official member again, has now started work on the next EP, which is to be titled Doom Rides These Mountains.

So, after our recent announcement of the list of lists, today marks the first part of three of our list. We’ll start with a grouping of six albums. Albums that are ‘good’, to such an extent that they should really be in any Metalhead’s collection.

These first six are in no particular order. In fact, to express this, I’ve put them in alphabetical order based on band name – and so actually they are in a particular order, but it has nothing to do with how high I would rank each.

By the way, to cover my ass, my list entries may not necessarily match up 100% with the grading given or the reviews themselves. The reason is time. Sometimes hearing something the first few times can be an amazing experience, but as time passes and you hear something more often, the experience wears off. Obviously a review should incorporate this possibility, but the simple truth is you can never be completely right or accurate. And tastes and preferences shift, in my case quite heavily over the course of this year.

So, what this list captures is longevity. An album’s capability to continue to capture its listener. In that sense, these are all albums that will stay interesting. Albums that need to be taken out of your huge motherfuckin’ album rack regularly or from time to time, because they will keep on tickling pleasure bones.

Vienna was shaping up to have a blast of an evening with the tour lineup that was announced. Three strong Metal acts with varying degrees of pagan leanings, all touring on recently released albums and all producing music that works great in a live atmosphere. Escape, a pub of around 200-capacity in the room downstairs itself, didn’t know what hit it. Moonsorrow and Týr were co-headliners; some may argue that they are different sounds, but, as Mitja and Ville pointed out, Pagan Metal is not governed by genre stylings but by an atmosphere, which was certainly present at this concert.

For the fans of dark black Viking Folky type of Metal, otherwise known as Vikingy Black Metal or Folky Dark Metal, we’ve got Slartibartfass. “What? Slarty bass fart?” Yeah, something like that. It’s Slartibartfass, which is German for Slartibartfast, which is a character in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book series. I didn’t know that, so I’ll just continue to read the dirty version.

Anyfuck, going back to the band from the German city of Ulm, they’ve got a new record out. Their fourth since forming in 2004 and it’s called Schwarz Verhüllt, a German title, just like their three earlier works. It means ‘Black Covers Up’ or ‘Black Veils’ or something of that notion. Loosely said it’s probably meant as ‘Black Disguises’ or something. The album was released on October 26^th and the promo pack has been sitting on my desktop for weeks.

So yeah, the evening of Monday November 7^th started with a huge fuckin’ disappointment: Omnium Gatherum. Not that they didn’t play well, I just wouldn’t know. Because I fuckin’ missed them. Because I was an hour fuckin’ late at the venue, The Garage, on Highbury Corner! Why was I an hour late for the band I wanted to see that night, the band I came for in the first place? Well not because I was a sloth and looked on my watch too late before I left! It was because the Neckbreaker’s Ball tour site stated the show would kick off at 5:45 pm, while in reality the show commenced at 4:45 pm.

Yesterday marked what must have been one of the most enjoyable days in my whole fuckin’ life, I shit you not. I haven’t had such a good time in years and the smile on my face was both ridiculous and terrifying. Similarly, the ache in my upper neck muscles I’m currently experiencing is ridiculous and excruciating. All attributed to the efforts of Septic Flesh, As I Lay Dying and Amon Amarth, each in its bigger or smaller share.

Won’t be long now. Skálmöld – kudos to motig for warning us for them – a band of not-even-so-very-bearded Icelandic Vikings has set off on its quest to conquer Metalheads worldwide. The fresh, meaning they formed only in 2009, band from the island’s capital of Reykjavik released its debut album, Baldur, locally in late 2010. In late July of this year, they released it worldwide through Nuclear Blast.

If you’ve ever heard Viking Metal, this’ll go over and beyond. The album is fully in Icelandic, which apparently is the one remaining language closest to the Vikings’ Old Nordic. A very befitting language for their game then.

Ages ago, in Viking times, there was a band that released an album. It was the eighth album in their nearly 20-years career and they hadn’t lost their touch. The band of course – if you read titles you know this – is Amon Amarth, the album is Surtur Rising and the release date is March 23^rd 2011. I bought it then. I listened to it then. I loved it then.

But I never got to reviewing it, due to what’s probably a completely fucked up setting of priorities or perhaps just plain ol’ stupidity. It sat on my desk all the time, begging to be heard, begging to make an impression again, begging to be written about. But I didn’t see it, as it was covered by a big pile of other Metal albums, some of matching stature, but others of much lesser decent and worthiness.

Now, about an era further down the ever-flowing line of time I’m holding this album in my hand. Hard paper-back cover of the special edition with its DVD full of Metallic goodness inside. It’s old, but it was built with such craft that it withstood the unforgiving wrath of time. The CD is not inside the casing anymore, as it plays on my stereo and once again sets the membranes of my speakers in motion.

It’s returned to life, it’s old strength once more in its powerful riffs. And despite its clear feeling of ages ago, its tales of battle, bloodshed and bastard Vikings of war, it still feels crisp, up to date and overly delicious. I guess it’s time to review the old bugger!

Remember some 4 months ago, when we focused on a bunch of angry Scots forming a band called Achren and playing a musical flavor they’ve termed Blood Metal? We briefly mentioned the then imminent release of their live DVD recorded at Bloodstock Open Air 2010. Well guess what: it’s out and they baptized it Impaled at Bloodstock-Open-Air 2010.

The official press release is this: “Scottish Blood Metallers Achren have released their debut Live Concert DVD entitled ‘Impaled at Bloodstock-Open-Air 2010.’ Produced in conjunction with UK based Darkbox Films, the DVD features their whole award winning Bloodstock performance from the New Blood Stage at last year’s festival, band biography, photo galleries and preview recordings of their upcoming debut album.”

To clarify, the band’s full performance consisted of 7 blood spilling tracks, together measuring about half an hour, which are then all found on the DVD. We’ve got the performance of the title giving track lined up for you after the break, from which you can judge the intensity of the audio blood bath.

Divine Element is a Greek “Black Metal” band formed in 2002 who’ve released a demo in 2005 and a self-titled full-length in 2010. I quoted Black Metal because that’s what the Metal Archives lists as their genre. However, I don’t think that label does their music proper justice. Sure it’s blackened, but there are elements of many Metals present, including lots of folk/pagan/Viking type stuff and some out-right melodic Death Metal riffing too. I’m not sure what to call it myself, other than awesome, but it’s definitely far beyond “stock” Black Metal.