Ahtoh Skald is a nom de metal of Ukrainian musician Anton Gruzinsky, perhaps best known for his work with Russian thrash/groove metallers Restless Mind; There’s nothing thrashy or groovy about Yggdrasil I, however; rather, the album is a beguiling mix of instrumental folk and neoclassical tracks that could easily form the musical backdrop to your next lost weekend of RPG and mead drinking…

There is absolutely nothing new on offer here, of course – track titles like Valhalla, The Wild Hunt, Asgard and Bifrost Bridge tell you that much before you’ve even pressed play, but everything here is done very well – with the odd cheap-sounding orchestral software being the only thing that lets the side down – and the tracks flow very nicely within the context of the album.

Asgard is probably the best track; a big Cathedral organ leads the track like something Manowar might have toyed with circa Kings of Metal; on the less grandiose side you occasionally get a whiff of the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, whilst Liesalfheim starts off like something Mortiis would have written circa Crypt of the Wizard before spreading it’s black wings a little at the end.

Down to Svartalfheim adds some heavy metal drumming to the orchestral mix by way of a bit of diversion, and it’s an effective ploy if only because it sticks out like a sore thumb compared to what goes before and after. The following track, Nifleheim, looks like developing into a sinister piece of Mike Oldfield-styled tubular mayhem but feels rather sawn-off when it ends at just under the two minute mark as it appears to be warming to it’s theme; If there is one overriding complaint about Yggdrasil I it would be that many of the themes feel underdeveloped, with good ideas thrown at the listener and then snatched away before they’ve been given proper time to embed themselves.

Still, this is an enjoyable way of whiling away a few lockdown minutes, and with the artist only asking for two bucks a pop for the pleasure own owning it it won’t break the bank either. Worth a punt if Viking fantasy music is in any way your thing…

Yggdrasil is out now.