Viking
Do Or Die

The Vikings, a thrash metal band from California, belong to the long list of Slayer clone groups. "Hell Awaits" and "Reign In Blood" are their bibles, their altars of madness, the footsteps to follow. They try to recreate the Slayer-like sound, composed of short and direct tracks, extremizing speed and the sonic wall already shown by Araya and company in "Show No Mercy" (the first seconds of "Evil Has No Boundaries"). The limited compositional ability of the four disciples, coupled with deleterious haste, leads inspiration to a resting home. It suffices to think of the title track's start borrowed from "Praise Of Death". Too much rawness, not properly harnessed, similar to a restless mustang that bucks off every cowboy infesting its surroundings.

They release the demo tape "Do Or Die" in 1986, containing three songs that would end up on their debut album, but at the microphone, there was a certain Tony Spider who quickly vanished. The Vikings remain a foursome, with Ron and Brett Eriksen on guitars, Matt Jordan on drums, and James Lareau on bass. Ron and Brett Eriksen are not brothers as I always believed, as reported by the Encyclopaedia Hard & Heavy (Arcana Publisher); the real names are Ron Daniel and Brett Sarachek. Despite initial hesitations, Ron seizes the microphone, spurred by his companions' enthusiasm, though aware that the band needs a real singer. Meanwhile, the Californians watch the Slayer cornerstones parade before them, so enthralled that they attempt to reproduce a photocopy with the debut album "Do Or Die" (February 1988), poorly self-produced despite the assistance of Brian Slagel (boss of Metal Blade). The sound of the drums is deafening and monotonous. Drummer Matt Jordan constantly keeps his foot on the accelerator, probably infatuated from listening to "Pleasure To Kill" by Kreator, while Ron Eriksen growls unwillingly, even coming off convincing in the opener "Warlord", with a sonic wall that is vile but not exciting, as the riffs appear quite lacking, and the rough mixing does not fully highlight the sound textures. The comic book-like front cover of the album in its terrifying sacta simplicitas shows the Normans in battle, as occurs in the Tex episode "Ombre dal Passato". But it's not over. The lyrics retrace the Viking lifestyle with "Valhalla" (but the Zeppelin already talked about this with "Immigrant Song"):

"...We go to Valhalla - the promised land/Where every weapon shines like a pearl/The battle rages night and day/Fight endlessly - the Viking's dream/Finally we arrive to see at least - the land of freedom/Valhalla-Valhalla-Valhalla..."

"Berserker" (also the name of the wrestler who will engage in a feud with Undertaker) is the embodiment of Viking fury, the unbeatable fighter:

"...in the sea of hate/Every land will have to wait for the victims/The berserker will conquer you..."

War ("Militia Of Death"), fury, and fierce punching ("Hellbound") accompany the lyrics along with uncouth and barren vibrations, where the drums seem hammered with a boot, while the symphony of axes resembles a clogged threshing machine that the operator, sweaty and impatient, tries to restart as he can in the sweltering heat. After about half an hour of curses, in any vernacular, the vehicle starts again. And if someone had captured the audio of this scene, it could have been used to create some outtakes towards cultivating this album. The difference would not have been noticeable. Solos in a limited liability company between Ron and Brett, well squeezed and shaken, complete the sonic mayhem, while bassist James Lareau can be heard and not heard (like paper sheets that cut fingers), yet he also signs some lyrics and manages to contribute to the homogenized intro of "Killer Unleashed."

The group, along with the Canadian Sacrifice, too clumsily retold the intertwined plot crafted by the four Californian murderers: full throttle, they slow down and start again. All of this is now widely exploited. Meanwhile, Slayer releases "South Of Heaven." One wonders what the Vikings thought, how they felt listening to the immortal "South Of Heaven," especially poor Matt Jordan facing the double bass of "Silent Scream", or the future Dark Angel Brett Eriksen listening to the distorted and evocative solo of "Live Undead."

The story will end badly, but the following album "Man Of Straw" will silence many. Ron Eriksen rewrites all the lyrics of that album after converting to Christianity, bringing Matt Jordan along on his path to redemption (the creator of the Viking logo). The band will dissolve since the two redeemed refuse to go on tour, and Brett Eriksen joins Dark Angel. Hosanna in Excelsis.