Rebellion - Sagas Of Iceland: The History Of The Vikings, Volume 1 (2005)

After tackling MacBeth, and then going for a lamentable biker image with BORN A REBEL, Rebellion started a trilogy of Viking albums with this impressive release.  Vikings tend to be a favourite topic of black metal (and folk as well), which has led to the subgenre of viking metal, but hey, who can't tackle the Norse if they want to?
While the record goes for over an hour, no song outstays its welcome here, and such pieces as "Ragnhild's Dream", "Eric The Red" and "Blood Rains (The Saga of King Olaf Trygvason)" are first rate. Even if some of the other songs require more commitment to take hold, there's something about the whole enterprise that just works. There are a few moments of spoken narration, but overall, considering the subject matter and presentation, it's pretty much straight metal, without grandiose choirs or orchestras. While this might disappoint me in a way, bands are quite capable of using such things, and bringing out dross. It's better if an act sticks to what it can do best, and Rebellion certainly succeeds here.

****