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It is pretty hard not to be aware of Hildr Valkyrie, if you are into the Folk /Viking Metal scene. This is even more the case if you have listened the latest work from Folkearth & Folkodia, where she contributed her special vocal tonality.

This Viking lady from Greece is delivering her very own debut full-length, Shield Brothers of Valhalla. Hildr has succeeded in her desire to make Viking Metal sound different from what we have been used to hear. Indeed, the music recorded on this release is more melodic and ambient. Another special aspect of this album is the fact that it is a one woman solo project. It is not very frequent, but even less in Viking Metal. She invited some guest musicians for additional vocals, as well as electric guitar parts. This lady plays acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, and used a drum machine with a rather realistic sound. At least the programming doesn't make them sound like an annoying mechanical machine. Lots of keyboards come into play, creating a nice epic and symphonic environment. Her voice is pretty distinct, and in many cases, she backs herself up with choirs and the likes. The compositions are very melodic, with a certain tendency to be repetitive. In general, they are pretty well following the same formula, although the whole album doesn't suffer from redundancy as such. I found a couple tracks standing out for their punchier sound. They are: "Valkyrjas Spoken Words", and the excellent title track. This release comes in with two very good cover songs. One of them is Falkenbach's "Havamal" and the closing track from Bathory, a cool acoustic tune by the name of "Ring of Gold".