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This overview is straight from the press release: "Pagan Fire is a collection of the best classic up-and-coming Folk, Pagan and Viking Metal acts around. Tracks from influential, genre-defining bands such as Bathory and Unleashed fall alongside exciting new blood in Wintersun, Eluveitie and Korpiklaani. A must-buy for fans of war-obsessed, triumphant war metal!"
Got that, friend? Good. This is a sort of "companion piece" to the upcoming Pagan Fest tour (April and May 2008 in North America), with all 4 main acts from said tour appearing on this CD. Regardless, this is a solid compilation from the fine folks at Nuclear Blast, though it features acts from other labels, and it serves its purpose well, if only to offer a solid smattering of songs from within the overall "Viking field," which mainly includes the Black, Death, and Folk subgenres.
Some track selections are not wholly representative per band--Bathory, Amon Amarth, and Primordial in particular, the last band having their song curtailed by some 3 minutes--but one can only expect so much from one disc, plus the opening track is a sort of memorial to Quorthon, or so it would seem. Offerings from Unleashed, Enslaved, Ensiferum, and Thyrfing stand out in a good way. Otherwise there are some 'just' solid tracks and some not (i.e., Bal-Sagoth).
A DVD accompanies the commercial product and apparently offers different songs/acts from the CD, but this did not come with the promo package. All in all this is an excellent starting point if a newbie to so-called Pagan Metal.
| Tracklist |
| CD: |
| 1. Bathory – Song To Hall Up High |
| 2. Enslaved – Isa |
| 3. Unleashed – The Longships Are Coming |
| 4. Amon Amarth – Victorious March |
| 5. Wintersun – Winter Madness |
| 6. Finntroll – Nedgång |
| 7. Equilibrium – Blut Im Auge |
| 8. Moonsorrow – Kylän Päässä |
| 9. Primordial – Empire Falls [edit] |
| 10. Eluveitie – Inis Mona |
| 11. Korpiklaani – Tapporauta |
| 12. Ensiferum – Deathbringer From The Sky |
| 13. Falkenbach – Laeknishendr |
| 14. Thyrfing – Höst |
| 15. Turisas – Battle Metal |
| 16. Bal-Sagoth – Shackled To The Trilithon Of Kutulu |
| DVD: |
| 1. Amon Amarth – The Pursuit Of Vikings |
| 2. Helheim – Jerskogen |
| 3. Tyr – Regin Smidur |
| 4. Battlelore – Storm Of The Blades |
| 5. Enslaved – Path To Vanir |
| 6. Einherjer – Ironbound |
| 7. Wintersun – Beyond The Dark Sun |
| 8. Ensiferum – Ahti |
| 9. Finntroll – Trollhammeren |
| 10. Manegarm – Sigrblot |
| 11. Eluveitie – Of Fire, Wind & Wisdom |
: 77:22
| Buy other Various Artists albums |
