Thank to the help of Viking Metal, I’ve only recently begun to accept bands with lyrics that aren’t in English. I’m a lyrics person, so when I can’t read the lyrics, it’s hard for music to fully sink in. With Viking Metal, most bands are curtious enough to offer English translations, which really helps, but now that I’m listening to LÖRIHEN’s fourth full-length (not counting a live album), I can say that non-English lyrics are still hard for me to swallow.

“Bajo La Cruz” is a sturdy and pretty well written Heavy Metal album, with some good rough vocals, plenty of double bass coupled with good dose of mid-paced groove, and great leads and solos. I generally enjoy the disc, but can’t help but think how much more I would like it with English lyrics. To the credit of LÖRIHEN, the choruses are still plenty memorable, despite not understanding a word of what’s being belted out. This is thanks mainly to the fact that LÖRIHEN are pretty good at composing a nice hook, which is something I also appreciate.

“Bajo La Cruz” also sounds very good, with each instrument getting its fair share of the sound. Even the bass is readily audible, which can be a rarity at times. Besides the lyrics, the only real complaint I can offer is the terrible cover art. Maybe it ties in the lyrics, who knows, it’s really bad regardless.

So there you have it, LÖRIHEN’s “Bajo La Cruz” is an album of steady Heavy Metal, well written and fully enjoyable. If you, unlike me, have no problems with non-English lyrics, I would highly recommend the album. For me though, it’s taking some getting used to.

(Online January 12, 2008)