Here we have the first album from a late-period NWOBHM band, which, like many of its contemporaries, had eschewed most of the NWOBHM cliches (which by 1986 were getting mighty stale) in favor of more epic traditional heavy metal influences. Gone are the rockish tendencies, gone are the songs of love; I think by this point most of the NWOBHM bands and labels realized they weren't going to score any lasting success by courting mainstream rock and radio fans, and gave up trying. Almost gone also are the dual-guitar-harmony sections. Instead, as I mentioned, we have a lot of plain ol' heavy metal influences, with a good dose of epic to boot. As the title of this review states, The Son of Odin sounds a hell of a lot like Omen in many places, from the mid-ranged singer to a lot of the album's overall mood. Chronologically it's possible this isn't a coincidence, either; Battle Cry was released two years earlier in 1984, and the boys in Elixir could've heard it and decided that was a direction they'd like to take. Interestingly enough, ex-Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr would join this band for their second album. I guess he liked what he heard too. Anywho, on to the nuts and bolts.
According to the legend of Ragnarok, the sons of Odin, Vidar and Vali, will be among the few gods to survive that final conflict. The song itself is rather unclear as to which particular one it's referring to, as the eagle isn't a symbol of either as far as I know, and both are associated with the vengeance the song hints at: Vidar avenged his father's death at the hands (paws?) of Fenris, and Vali slew blind Hod, Baldur's killer. But regardless, this song tells of hope rather than the unmitigated despair of the previous tracks. It really serves as a fitting end to the album, and shows the band was concerned not only with the individual songs, but also with the album's overall effect. It's this attention to the "big picture" that cements The Son of Odin as a quality album in my eyes, and raises it above the sea of mediocre NWOBHM acts. Apparently this band caused a stir back in its day, but now they're just one of countless criminally under-appreciated mid 80's metal acts.
![INQUISITION - Incense Of Rest [Inferna Profundus]](https://www.hellsheadbangers.com/pulse-regular/02LP45081439.jpg "INQUISITION - Incense Of Rest [Inferna Profundus]")
