Review by Damien Doherty for MPM
Ren Marabou and the Berserkers are a Viking/Norse Pagan Metal band based in Donegal, Ireland. Vocalist/Guitarist Ren originally hails from Dublin, while Bassist Michael Casserly and Drummer Terence McCann are from Roscommon and Derry respectively.
The lads have recently returned from a Scandinavian tour supporting Polish death metal legends Vader. However, towards the end of the tour news came through that Ren’s father had taken ill, and unfortunately he passed away a week later.
Released through United Music Mafia this EP consists of a combination of reimagined and new songs dedicated to Odin, the All Father, in memory of Micka Gaffey.
Odin’s War from 2021s Way Finder album immediately launches into fast paced chugging guitar riffs and blast beat drums.
The track has an anthemic feel and features Ren’s distinctive layered vocal recording style with some heavy breakdowns and plenty of John Christ-esque pinch harmonics! The Wanderer (Odin) from the album Vahalla Waits opens with a gentle lute passage before swelling into a riff heavy tale of Odin’s days as a wanderer among the Norse peasants in his quest for knowledge, a brief lute interlude leads us into a melodic solo bringing the track to a close.
Next song All Hail Odin from 2022s SAGAS is my personal favourite on this EP. What sounds like a Hurdy Gurdy intro suddenly bursts into a shredding guitar intro and spirited verses that suddenly crash like thunder into the chorus that declares “All Hail Odin, All Father lead us”. At just under 3 minutes this track is a seriously energetic tour de force.
Odin’s Sons and Daughters off the Tales of Rune album opens with a pensive guitar intro before a solid riff and spoken word verse enters, then onto a dynamic chorus worthy of banging your head to. Final track King of Asgard is a newly penned number.
The opening riff is very southern stoner metal, but the song rapidly increases in its heaviness as Ren exalts Odin’s power and glory.
A fine EP from the Donegal trio, available on all streaming sites now. Check out their Bandcamp page too for all their previous albums along with some excellent Norse inspired merchandise.
