Genre: Death/viking metal
Origin: Sweden
Released: 2007
Website: Wulfgar
Label: Kampas Records
Uploaded: 09.04.08

This is the debut album of the local death/Viking metal act Wulfgar. I got the CD at one of their gigs a few weeks ago, and I�ve listened to it quite a number of times before actually taking the time to review it. Not �cause it�s bad (since that can make some records terribly difficult to review), just because I really wanted to take it all in. It�s a fairly hefty album clocking in at 55 minutes, which in all honesty I think is maybe ten minutes too long. But besides that there�s nothing to make a negative remark on.
Death metal with emphasis on melody is rarely trouble free for me to digest, but I have no problems with Wulfgar. With Gods and Legends Unite is at a sort of steady tempo going from slow to mid tempo. And in today�s metal scene the trend seems to be a contest of who can blast the fastest. So it is actually refreshing with a band that is confident enough to put its weight on strong melody and not blazing speed. . �Cause this CD is jam-packed with powerful, chilling riffs, churning drum work and rough vocals. And speaking of vocals, there�s tons of variety in Emil�s voice, and neither growling nor screaming is very conventional. Lyrically it�s mostly Viking lore that�s the subject; may it be an ode to Odin, Thor or just the Vikings themselves. The artwork and layout is absolutely top notch, and you can see that a lot of effort�s been put into getting it looking wicked. The musicianship is tremendous and each instrument interact perfectly. And the thick sound lets each riff really make a full impact on the listener.
Amon Amarth is an obvious act for comparison, but it also reminds me a bit of Portal, a Swedish band that released a great album in �01. With Gods and Legends Unite is strong melodic death metal with a Viking theme. An excellent debut album by a promising act.

Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. Cleansed by fire
03. Weapons of flesh
04. Heimdall�s horn
05. Wendigo
06. This pagan blood
07. Return from Hel
08. Kneel to the hammer of Thor
09. He stands alone
10. On a battlefield in Midgard I will die
11. Brothers of war (into Valhalla they ride)
12. A wolf�s tale