VIKING SKULL -

VIKING SKULL - BORN IN HELL - GRAND  
Past a generic cover and a near-undistinguished name is a surprisingly good metal band. Featuring two Raging Speedhorn members and roadies Viking Skull’s debut full-length is chock full of raging (ha!) and irreverent hard rock and heavy metal with a deliberately politically incorrect bent. To sum, the band will appeal to those who get a kick from Jackyl to Motörhead to NWOBHM, but Viking Skull supplies its own gritty hard knocks. The title of the second song, Crank The Volume, says a lot as does the Black Sabbath riff that kicks it off. This song and You Can’t Kill Rock And Roll are slightly more melodious and have a little Maiden in them. Inject My Woman (With Love) is more along the lines of Guns 'N Roses. Red Hot Woman reveals the band’s AC/DC influences while the band supplies wailing leads and prickly lyrics incessantly. Chariot and Deeds never had any luck selling albums, but if those bands, Circus Of Power or any of the aforementioned acts are in a lull and not releasing albums Born In Hell might just be the ticket. Viking Skull is a surprisingly collected band given its profile and background. - Ali “The Metallian”

VIKING SKULL - DOOM GLOOM HEARTACHE & WHISKEY - POWERAGE/CANDLELIGHT  
What is the point of a review when a band cuts out the middleman and says it all in its album title? Indulgence on the writers’ behalf perhaps? For the newest album of this cross-Atlantic band rocks so hard and heavy and with such quality that it is difficult to not rave a little about it. Viking Skull has such a non-assuming way of pounding the chords into the brain. Despite that being so, Viking Skull has found an effective way of upbeating Black Sabbath, melding Motörhead and Fireball Ministry (especially singer Roddy Stone’s throaty voice) into one hell of an organic maelstrom. Viking Skull is a potent serum as an antidote to European so-called power metal with the squeeze-my-balls vocals and keyboard drenched detritus. Double Or Quits may be the best track on this album, but each song has the headbanging feel of genuine metal done to perfection. Listen for the Candlemass riff at the very end of 19 Swords. The sole lame moment arrives at the album’s end when Drink manages to waste time and recording tape to be shrilly and silly. Otherwise, expect everything described in the title cut to be here in straight-up form. - Ali “The Metallian”