Lords of the North, Lords of the North

Emerging from the “steam caves” and “swirling ice storms” of the Pacific Northwest come Lords of the North…wait, what? Steam caves? Ice storms? Wait, Iceland is part of the Pacific Northwest, right? Yep; as far as Washington’s Lords of the North are concerned, it most definitely is.

This is exactly what I’ve always imagined the darker side of the 1970s music scene to be. It’s as if Lords of the North are still pissed off about the whole love-and-peace crap of the 1960s. It’s the kind of music that would cause Midwest parents to organize protests. It’s not real complicated: an overly distorted guitar, an angry drummer with some huge ride cymbals, and a singer with the voice of Nordic Barbarian. Don’t mistake simplicity, however, for a lack in talent. Guitarist Tony Thorpe throws down some pretty sweet solos in “Loyal Legion” and “The March,” Jim Roche knows his role as a drummer and holds Thorpe and singer Pat Kearney together with fist-pounding, psychedelic beats, and Kearney’s hard-edged vocals bring it all together, with confrontational and biting lyrics that sound especially good when seemingly recorded through a homemade microphone.

While it’s quite enjoyable, though, Lords of the North fits a little too well into the Sabbathesque metal genre. This isn’t a bad thing, really, because Sabbath rules, but it’s been 30 years since Sabbath and maybe we need something more? I’m not sure if this is true, but it certainly kept me from thinking this was anything beyond a very good first album. Either way, drop some acid, plug in your lava lamps and smoke machines, and prepare yourself for Lords of the North.