Gastrike by Ereb Altor

The call to battle is neigh, my heathen brothers! Ereb Altor released Gastrike, and this is one album you do not want to pass up! This band combines two very unique genres of metal, viking and doom, to make epic metal. Der Metal Krieger had the pleasure to preview and review this metal masterpiece.

Band: Ereb Altor
Album: Gastrike
Genre: Viking Doom Metal
Label: Napalm Records
Release Date: June 29th, 2012

As stated before, this album uses a combination of Doom and Viking metal. Fans of both genres will greatly appreciate this album, and band.  The first track, The Gathering of Witches is definitely one that will grab one’s attention. The album starts off with a nice piano intro, and goes into the brutal guitar and drums. The instruments bring the sound of typical Doom metal, but has a much faster tempo. The drums perform a series of blast beats at certain areas in the track, and the guitar will occasionally play a very melodic riff. After listening to this track, you will be craving more.

Another interesting track was Dispellation. This track has a very unique guitar solo about a minute into it, and is very fast past. It also has a very beautiful backing track of chants, giving it the folk metal feel. This track is definitely one of the heaviest tracks off the album. Fans will be headbanging through out the song, and violent pits will erupt at live shows. This track is one of the best on this album. It gives the best example of the mixing of the two genres.

There are not any cons with this album, except for the fact that it is only 7 tracks. But the length of each song makes up for the short selection of tracks on this album, with them being on average 6 minutes in length.

For those who have not had the opportunity to listen to this band, definitely make sure to check them out. Even if you are not a Doom metal fan, this album will even have an appeal to you. Blending the two genres together makes for one amazing sound. This album will leave you headbanging, and wanting more! Check these guys out, pick up a copy of the album, and show your support for these creative musicians.

8 out of 10