Baldrs Draumar - Njord Review

Here we’ve got a Schrödinger’s cat’s album. hehehehehehehehe Nah, not in the sense we’re used to. I mean Baldrs Draumar “Njord” isn’t dead and alive at the same time. I’ll elaborate. The musical elements of this album are very known to my child of the night even though it’s by no means is directly related to Metal music. So, the album is indeed known but at the same time not known. Its acoustic built with many nordic elements are very familiar to Metal fans. I said nordic not to use the trendy term viking which by the way it’s not properly used. But it’s useless to fight against some pop culture stands. Just useless. Though Baldrs Draumar stand as Metal band, “Njord” isn’t a Metal album. It may have a Metal music intent but there are no distorted guitars in it and so.

By the way, just for my child of the night to know “in Norse mythology, Njörðr (Old Norse: Njǫrðr [ˈnjɔrðz̠]) is a god among the Vanir. Njörðr, father of the deities Freyr and Freyja by his unnamed sister, was in an ill-fated marriage with the goddess Skaði, lives in Nóatún and is associated with the sea, seafaring, wind, fishing, wealth, and crop fertility. Njörðr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, in euhemerized form as a beloved mythological early king of Sweden in Heimskringla, also written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, as one of three gods invoked in the 14th century Hauksbók ring oath, and in numerous Scandinavian place names. Veneration of Njörðr survived into the 18th or 19th century Norwegian folk practice, where the god is recorded as Njor and thanked for a bountiful catch of fish. Njörðr has been the subject of an amount of scholarly discourse and theory, often connecting him with the figure of the much earlier attested Germanic goddess Nerthus, the hero Hadingus, and theorizing on his formerly more prominent place in Norse paganism due to the appearance of his name in numerous place names. Njörðr is sometimes modernly anglicized as Njord, Njoerd, or Njorth.”

Besides nordic influences there are some medieval song structures and instruments in the making of the songs of the album. For Accept fans the album brings that music driven in melody and catchy choruses followed by those characteristic ‘ohohohohoh’ that Accept love – so do I. Folk Metal bands have profusely drank into those waters, so “Njord” might ring some bells. The easiest and near reference are bands as Verikalpa “Tunturihauta” and Korpiklaani “Jylhä” both without Metal traits. I guess that would make things more understandable musically to you my child of the night. The album is pleasant even without those Metal traits. I mean, sometimes it’s pretty important to understand where some influences come from. That’s why I opted to review this album. I guess that a very important modern influence to today’s Metal music.

Baldrs Draumar “Njord” will be released on November 19th.

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