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There's a lot happening on Black Messiah's fifth album, The Final Journey. Much of the vocal work is a Bathory-inspired blackened growl. The guitars and drums blaze along with Power Metal riffs like Rebellion. Singer Zagan also plays the violin and gives the album a folky sound, similar to Tverd or Trelleborg. The occasional clean singing doesn't hurt the comparisons to those bands, either. But, since the lyrics retell the Nordic Legend of the war between the Aesir and Vanir gods (before they teamed up against the giants), Viking Metal is probably the genre The Final Journey fits into best.

Raw Black Metal, this is not. Keyboards, the aforementioned violin and tons of melody characterize songs like "Der Ring Mit Dem Kreuz" and "Lindisfarne." Black Messiah does ramp up the speed and intensity on "To Become a Man" and "Mother Hel." Drummer Mike ‘Brööh' Bröker comes as close to blast beats as he ever does on these tracks. There's the usual "acoustic" track, "Prologue – The Final Journey" and even a killer cover of Candlemass' speedy instrumental "Into the Unfathomed Tower." Zagan's violin replaces the guitar as the lead instrument and it sounds like the song was written to be played this way.

On the one hand, there's nothing new on The Final Journey and if you're looking for supremely heavy, raw and blackened Viking Metal, you're going to need to look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you like the melodic approach with folk elements, Black Messiah is a band worth checking out.