About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

A solid, no frills black metal album from a veteran Norwegian act.

Pros

• Excellent musicianship, songwriting and production.
• Surprising hints of melody buried in the blasts.

Cons

• Ragnarok continues to have a revolving door of band members.
• Unoriginal.

Description

• Released April 6, 2010 on Regain Records.
• Ragnarok hails from Norway.
• Produced by Magnus “Devo” Andersson of Marduk.

Guide Review - Ragnarok - 'Collectors Of The King'


Ragnarok are a solid, Norwegian black metal band playing a fast, raw style. Plagued by a revolving door of lineup changes over the years, Ragnarok, to their credit, have still managed to release a string of good albums. Unfortunately, though, Ragnarok have never really been able to rise above a decidedly second tier status, and gain some recognition in a genre crowded with heavy hitters.

That may change as Collectors of the King, though a rather typical release for the genre, is very well done and is easily better than some of the recent releases from well known, first rate bands playing the same style. The typical genre elements are present in spades on Collectors of the King; that is, fast guitars with a raw sound, bursts of speed, and hoary rasps from vocalist Hans Fyrste.

However, the bits of melody that creep through the blasts and the sheer catchiness of the album immediately sets Collectors of the King above the rather typical releases that are a dime a dozen in this genre.

Standout songs that showcase the mix of the brutality, melody, and catchiness include “Burning The Earth,” the title track, and “The Ancient Crown of Glory,” a song that also incorporates a few moments of groove.

As good as a number of the songs are, however, there is, admittedly, some filler, particularly deep in the album, but the album finishes quite strong with the finale, a blistering track entitled “Wisdom of Perfection.”

A few minor detractions aside, though, Collectors of the King is a good black metal album. Certainly, anyone interested in the black metal genre would do themselves well to investigate Ragnarok, a solid band that have delivered another solid album.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.