The new norther album "N" is a step in the right direction for Norther. after the release of a pretty weak album "till death unites us" the new album "N" seems like a good mix of the norther we came to love. The first differences i noticed was the great improvement of drum playing and a bigger use of clean vocals. bolth adding nice new dimensions to norther. The guitar playing and keyboard playing is excellent. this album has some nice leads and solos. there just seems to be something missing that's keeping this album from hitting the greatness of "death unlimited" and their more early albums. I think its also the lack of catchy guitar and keyboard melodys. The eairlyer albums were filled with them. This album is more riff orientated.

but it still has its very catchy parts, and has very nice synth playing.

so we got a strong melodic death/black metal album here.

for fan's of "children of bodom, soilwork, and in flames"

I'm a big fan of Norther, particularly of their best-ever album 'Dreams of Endless War'. That being said, my first thoughts of their new album 'N' were highly negative -- it felt overproduced, with too much synth and vocals in areas that never really needed it.

After several more runs through the album, I must admit I was spot-on with the changes, but I was very wrong about the impact. The vocals tend to fill in a gap that I never knew was there, and the keys have never been more expanding of the range of the music. No longer limited to face-melting solos, guitar and synth are now working together to create cohesive, tight rhythms. Some songs actually seem to incorporate elements from the lead guitar (that is, no actual chords) into the rhythm sections of tracks. This leads to a feeling that the verses are actually inlaid with a solo -- something a listener will have to hear to understand.

As a bassist, I know that metal bands rarely employ a bassist willing or able to cut through the rest of the mix. This is largely true with 'N', but the bass has plenty of moments to shine, and many times matches the intensity of the guitars and keys.

The must-have tracks for Norther fans from 'N' are the following: "Down", with ultra-fast choppy riffs; "My Antichrist", the opening track that sets the stage for the enhanced use of vocal and synth elements; and "Always and Never", showing off more of the strictly musical talents of all members of Norther.

If Norther/metal fans are willing to overlook the dramatic shift in this album's lyrical focus (speaking more of emotions than of death and murder) and the relatively-lame "Saviour", they'll be treated to an exceptional album. Norther's 'N' might not be their best, or even my personal favorite, but it displays an unbelievable intensity that not even 'Dreams of Endless War' or 'Mirror of Madness' can match.

Great album! If you're a Norther fan, buy it. It's great, new material. Awesome melodic death metal. For Bodom and Kalmah fans as well.

This Finnish Melodic Death band has long been one of my favorite groups for a few years now and though I am happy they are still together and putting out new material I am not sure the route their music is going is one I agree with. Their debut album Dreamz of Endless War is easily a modern classic in the Melodic Death scene and album by album the band has let more and more of their original style fizzle away.

'N' isn't a bad album by far, still some amazing guitar work by one of the best axemen in the genre. Kristian's vocals remain similar to 2006's 'Til Death Unites Us' as gritty yells but I miss the days when he on rare occasion sung in a clean tone, he has an amazing voice that is being wasted. Norther are further from their Melodic roots then ever and are starting to merge more into the Thrash sub genre. My favorite track on 'N' would easily be Frozen Angel, with it's catchy synth work mixed in well with thrashy riffing and to the point vocals, especially the clean sung chorus parts.

All in all Norther is a band that if your just getting into you should travel back and start from the beginning. 'Dreams Of Endless War', 'Mirror Of Madness' and 'Death United' are easily three of my all time favorite albums EVER. I advise checking those out before getting into their later stuff. Thanks for reading and check out my review's for other Norther albums.

-A loyal Norther Fan