[ENGLISH BELOW]
Le groupe de Power Metal Warkings nous présente son cinquième album intitulé Armageddon, disponible à partir du 4 juillet 2025 par le label Napalm Records.
Ils se caractérisent comme des personnages avec le spartiate à la batterie, le croisé à la guitare, le viking à la basse, le maître de cérémonie au chant masculin et enfin La Fée Morgane au chant clair féminin et guttural.
Warkings nous propose un album chargé d’histoire et de récits plus cultes les uns que les autres. Une belle leçon d’histoire avec en prime une excellente bande originale. Les feat proposés sont plus que pertinents et très bien construits.
[ENGLISH VERSION]
The power metal band Warkings presents its fifth album, Armageddon, available from July 4, 2025, on the Naplam Records label.
They characterize themselves as characters with the Spartan on drums, the crusader on guitar, the Vikings on bass, the master of ceremonies on male vocals, and finally La Fée Morgane on female clean and guttural vocals.
The band usually tells stories from legends of the past and mythology, but for this album they have focused on the fearless warriors of history, and it is To Lindisfarne who begins the narration with enthusiasm. A beautiful setting of the general atmosphere with captivating tribal choirs, giving way to Armageddon as a primordial battle cry for the rest of this epic. The song itself is simple and effective.
The next track gets right to the heart of the matter by telling the story of Genghis Khan, the famous bloodthirsty and ruthless conqueror, founder of the Mongol Empire. His portrait is painted here in collaboration with the giants of Power Orden Ogan in a haunting song, followed by Kingdom Come, which resonates like an official anthem of this new empire.
A short interlude with an incredible incantation by La Fée Morgane invokes the next song, Circle of Witches. This one is much more frenetic and energetic with a darker tone in its interpretation. This change is entirely consistent with the theme. A little Burning Witches vibe immediately strikes me.
Another theme of this opus is Kings of Ragnarök, which revisits the foundations and very essence of power metal: Greek mythology. With effective riffs and structure, this song could be considered one of the classics of Power Metal. Another call to arms with Call to Arms, which introduces Troops of Immortality with disconcerting ease. Barely enough time to blink and the song rolls by with skill and lightness, while eliciting a few headbangs and raised fists.
There’s a drastic change of mood with Nightfall, with its slower, more measured rhythm, like a tribute. A little sweetness in this album filled with history and battle, allowing us to enjoy the Hard Rock-influenced guitar riffs and solos. And it intensifies with Hangmen’s Night, featuring the excellent monsters of Dominum, for a gem of composition and imagination. It’s quite a mix, where the two identities are both similar and different, but work so well together.
Let’s head to Scandinavia with Varangoi, which tells the story of the Varangians, Vikings from Sweden who were mainly concerned with conquering the coastlines and trading. It’s a fairly classic song in terms of structure, allowing the album to continue in the same vein. There’s another change of atmosphere with Here Comes the Rain, which will soothe the hearts of our valiant warriors with a beautiful piano melody and spoken interludes creating a melancholy worthy of the greatest slow songs. The album concludes with Stahl auf Stahl, which literally means steel against steel. This collaboration with Subway to Sally marks the ultimate epic battle, accompanied by absolutely flawless instrumentation.
Warkings offers us an album steeped in history and stories, each more cult than the last. A beautiful history lesson with an excellent soundtrack as a bonus. The collaborations are more than relevant and very well constructed.
Tracklist :
