Nordic Union – Animalistic
Frontiers Music s.r.l.
Release Date: 12/08/22
Running Time: 39:27
Review by Simon Black
10/10
Nordic Union is probably the best example of why there are many, many supergroup projects that Italian label Frontiers Music s.r.l. assemble. The idea is simple – take a couple of famous names, pop them together in a studio with any gaps filled by house session players, and crank the handle, riding the tail wind of the established brands. This can be a bit hit and miss sometimes, but there are some projects that stick head and shoulders above that madding crowd, and this is definitely one of them.
Nordic Union is a vehicle for Ronnie Atkins and Erik Martensson to pool their not inconsiderable talents, and employ the same tactics as Frontiers deploy in their Italian studio at Martensson’s one, with musical support more locally for the rest of the slots. That’s one of the things that makes this more distinctive than many of the labels’ outputs, as they churn so many projects out with the same studio players and production team that one can blur into another, but this sounds and feels distinctly different.
For a start, Atkins is on fire right now. Since the news broke near the start of the Covid crisis that his cancer prognosis had turned terminal and that he was living on borrowed time, he has thrown his remaining energies into as many projects as he has time for. His “One Shot” solo album was tinged with sadness and felt like a goodbye, but at the same time was one of the best things he has ever delivered and that energy led to a second solo release more recently. I’m not sure what his current medical status is, but he’s still hanging on in there and long may that continue, because this third Nordic Union release knocks both of those solo releases out of the ballpark in terms of quality, energy and sheer power.
Then there’s Martensson’s contribution. Which is pretty much everything instrumental apart from the drums, and with both of them sharing the songwriting duties. Martensson injects an incredible level of buzz and energy into his playing, and knows how to capture his sound in the studio, creating a rich and punchy feel which simultaneously gives each instrument a clear voice whilst sounding like a cohesive band at the top of their game. Highlights for me include the belting opener ‘On This Day I Fight’, ‘Animalistic’ and the incredibly anthemic and catchy closer ‘King For A Day’, which whilst short, is incredibly sweet. To be fair, this record doesn’t drop any fillers in, and plays well end to end, which is just as well, as I think I’m going to be giving this one a lot more airplay. Catchy, anthemic, lavishly crafted and thoroughly well-rounded, this is Melodic Metal at its absolute best.
‘In Every Waking Hour’ Official video
TRACKLISTING:
01. On This Day I Fight
02. In Every Waking Hour
03. If I Could Fly
04. Riot
05. This Means War
06. Scream
07. Animalistic
08. Wildfire
09. Shot In The Dark
10. Last Man Alive
11. King For A Day
LINE-UP:
Ronnie Atkins – Lead & Backing Vocals
Erik Martensson – Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards and Backing Vocals
Fredrik Folkare – Lead Guitar
Henrik Eriksson – Drums
Thomas Larsson – Lead Guitar on “Scream”, “Riot”, & “Last Man Alive”
LINKS:
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