Brothers of Metal: Prophecies of Ragnarok (AFM)

Swedish heavy/power metal band Brothers of Metal made their debut in late 2017 with Prophecies of Ragnarok, which they independently released. They came to the attention of the AFM label this year, so Prophecies of Ragnarok is getting another chance to reach the metal fans who may have missed it the first time around.

Brothers of Metal is an eight-piece (!!!) band that I can only assume hails from the hallowed halls of Valhalla. The band is garbed and painted like Viking warriors, and their music is clearly inspired as much by Norse mythology as it is old school heavy metal. Three vocalists (two male, one female), three guitarists and many tankards of ale make Prophecies of Ragnarok as fun and epic as is cheesy (in the best possible way). Think Orden Ogan, Powerwolf and Hammerfall, with ridiculously cheesy lyrics, monster riffage, huge layered vocals and just a hint of folk melodies. It’s heavy, it’s catchy, the vocals are just massive and the whole thing comes together really well. So much so, and in such a familiar way, that you’d swear Orden Ogan’s Seeb Levermann produced it (he didn’t, Erik Berglund did).

Prophecies of Ragnarok is an absolute blast. Some favorites here are “Son of Odin,” “Defenders of Valhalla,” “Siblings of Metal” and “Fire Blood and Steel,” but any of these songs will have you raising your sword (or your beer) and swearing allegiance to Odin and power metal.

If you don’t mind a hefty dose of cheesiness in your power metal (and if you’re a power metal fan you know that’s at least part of the deal), you’ll want to get your hands on this one. Major kudos to the AFM label for knowing just how much fans of their roster would love Brothers of Metal. This album definitely deserved the reissue and the exposure to a wider audience.