Review: “Machine Blood” by NORD

Conceived in Odense Denmark in 2013 with the ambition of creating Groove metal with Progressive elements and inspiration from the Nordic folk music tradition, it took Alternative Metal quintet NORD three years to hone their skills at the grindstone and write and record debut EP “Alpha” at Molten Rock Studio in Odense with producer Jesper Egeskov Sommerby. That finally saw release via Finnish label Inverse Records in March 2017 and was very well received internationally paving the way for the band to have the opportunity to work on a full length debut and finally after five long years, that record mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, Denmark (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Arch Enemy) has arrived in “Machine Blood“…

…there is no doubting the skills of Hansen and his involvement in this album speaks volumes about the ambition of vocalist Bjarne Matthiesen, guitarist duo Niels Thybæk-Hansen and Thomas Bøgh Jensen as well as rhythm section of bassist Peter Littau and drummer Rune Kolsbjerg Hansen as a band and with good reason because in “Machine Blood” they have created what can only really be described as a diverse Metal album. Lyrically themed around how the decadence with which humanity treats itself is changing the planet upon which we all reside, there is plenty to think about engraved in the lyric sheet should you wish to study it however there is so much more to this than simply the message. Acoustic almost flamenco guitar work to begin and end this chapter aside, NORD have intertwined melodic lead guitars with a solid rhythm section to provide a sonic backdrop for Matthiesen to spit his lyrical venom and his vocal range is incredible, able to dial in beautiful harmonies and beastly Death Growls with ease and switching them from line to line rather than the more traditional verse and chorus seemingly on demand. There are hints at influences from “Route to Remain” era In Flames with none of the introspective lyrics during the earlier cuts, the powerhouse rhythms of cuts like “Depleted Soil” threatening tectonic plates although quite how the band arrive at the Power Metal inspired “The Swordsman” remains a mystery. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with the cliched lyrical narrative, it just feels slightly out of place in contrast to the rest of the album, even with the later half Melodic Death Metal crush after the galloping first half rampage through lands of ancient warriors. This is the start of something of a style shift in the record with the band having a bit more fun and expanding their horizons before “Seasons Erased” and “Law of Jante” find them creating something that sounds like a more recent offering from Killswitch Engage with a few heavier vocal moments punching through the melodies. As solid as the material is, it sounds like the polished debut album of a band a little bit short of focus, straying from the path of the earlier trio of heavy hitters a little too early… [7/10]

Track listing

1. Prologue
2. Left Behind
3. Fear Reigns
4. Depleted Soil
5. The Swordsman
6. The Run
7. Endless Stream
8. Seasons Erased
9. Law of Jante
10. Machine Blood
11. Epilogue

“Machine Blood” by NORD is out 4th March 2022 via Inverse Records and is available for pre-order over at bandcamp