review by: Mladen Škot

Nomans Land have done it again. Just like many other things Russian (i.e. the Lada Niva, Raketa watches... or AK-47s, if you wish) their music might not be made out of expensive materials or appear to have perfect construction, but they get the job done where many more sophisticated products would fail.

On the downside, the sound would have been great if Raven Flight were released ten years ago. Some moments (breaks and parts where the rhythm changes) are somewhat dodgy and the English is terrible (Like "warrior" constantly being pronounced "verrior," and "sword"... well, imagine. Is "Beard of Storm" a stormbird?). And they are Russian Vikings.

Yes, Nomans Land might appear to be funny, but there is nothing fake about them. Arm yourself with all the props necessary for active participation — a Viking heart, two feet of hair (imaginary or in this case, real), a drinking horn and a sword (real, imaginary, or in this case, a plastic one) and don't feel surprised, let alone embarrassed when you end up loving this. Raven Flight is as honest and convincing a Viking metal effort as they come.

Even if you have heard the previous two (dissimilar) Nomans Land albums, you will still be surprised to hear the changes on Raven Flight. At first, it's slightly disappointing to hear the new vocal direction — this time Hjervard doesn't use the high, reverbed screams but instead opts for lower-range growls. But after getting used to them, they make sense because they are still poisonous and persuasive, but more listenable in the long run. Another change is the tremendous improvement in the musicianship department. Nomans Land are now comfortable at high double bass drum speeds while exhibiting addictive guitar hooks and often thrashing like Children Of Bodom.

And there's classic guitar riff after classic guitar riff. Some original, some not, but Nomans Land's contagious enthusiasm has made the riffs their own. The signature folk guitar melodies are still here, loud and proud. Every song has an identity and its own points of connecting with the listener. Even though some parts might sound illogical, after a while they somehow make sense and nothing is superfluous, be it Iron Maiden or black metal, it all fits into place. It's also nice to notice Sigurd's warm, clean vocals coming in only when necessary and also doing one complete song. After a couple of spins, this is simply great stuff and to hell with criticism. Just join Nomans Land and scream the announcements between the songs.

So, the small matter of the obsolete production? It just brings the feeling of listening to something that traveled a long way to come to you (like for instance Russia – Germany – USA – Croatia) and it's still powerful and natural. Forget the logic, even if the mind might say "no way," any true Viking heart will know that Nomans Land are the real deal. (9/10)