Album Review: Neoheresy - Obława

Artist: Neoheresy (Poland)
Album Title: Obława
Record Label: Elegy Records (USA)
Released: 2017
Purchased From: Elegy Records

It was in 2014 when Hellveto became Neoheresy, and in the few short years since then there have been four albums and a split release under the new name.  Hellveto was known for being prolific, and the artist now known as F (formerly known as L.O.N.) is keeping the tradition going with the new project.  When the name change was announced, it appeared as if there were going to be a stylistic shift.  Neoheresy, it was said, is "monumental Black Metal with the influence of ancient folk and symphonic music as well as dark ambient."  The first album released under the new moniker, Noc która dniem się stała, didn't really sound any different to me than Hellveto's Damnaretis two years earlier.  It still sounded like orchestral black metal with heavy symphonic elements.  I wondered if there was any truth to there being a "stylistic evolution," or if maybe I wasn't smart enough to detect the subtle differences between the two projects.

However, the second Neoheresy album, Talionis, which arrived less than a year later, actually did feel like a "stylistic evolution," particularly with its heavy use of choral elements.  My assumption is that these choral elements are synthesized or sampled, since F was, as usual, the only person credited with the creation of the album.  But they sound amazing and sophisticated, another effective tool to serve F's singular sound.  Sometimes they are singing, sometimes shouting, and they seem to form actual words as opposed to the simple "ooh" and "ahh" sounds that you often hear with sampled choirs.  Graveland used something possibly akin to this on the intro to Wotan Mit Mir, but the voices on Talionis sound much more natural.  In addition to the more sophisticated use of choral elements, there was a new level of intricacy in Neoheresy's arrangements.  The slight influence of folk music could be found here as well.

The excellent new direction found on Talionis continued with Potop, released less than a year later.  If Potop was inferior in any way to Talionis, it would be the length of the album, which was a full 11 minutes shorter than Talionis, clocking in at a mere 36 minutes.  Then, about a year later, Obława arrived.  The big difference I can detect between Obława and Potop is that Obława seems to focus even more on the choral arrangements, which have never sounded so good.  The actual lyrical/thematic content of the album is, like usual, completely inscrutable to me, but that has never stopped me from enjoying his music before.  The only major problem I have with Obława is its length.  It barely squeaks in at 30 minutes long.  While there are a bunch of great albums that are even shorter, due to Obława's unhurried pace it feels like I'm listening to an EP instead.  On the plus side, if F continues on the pace he's been on, we shouldn't have to wait long before the next album.

As for the packaging itself, the CD comes in a simple, slim, but attractive digipack.  The cover is simple.  Very Hate Forest-y.  On the inside flap is the album credits (I'll give you a hint: F does everything) over a photo of F holding a violin and its bow, his back to the camera.  On the back is what appears to be a painting of Knights Templar or something similar.  According to Google Translate, "Obława" translates as "Round-up" in English.  Hellveto had themes of the oppression of medieval-era pagan people by Christians (notably in the album 966), so perhaps the painting and the overall album theme are related to that subject.  The music is epic and majestic, and the production is clean and crisp.  No instruments overpower any of the others, and the orchestral instruments are given as much priority as the drums, guitars, and vocals.  Everything is impeccably played and recorded.  Nothing sounds low-budget here.  F continues to impress in every aspect.

It's difficult for me to review Hellveto/Neoheresy albums while doing them any justice because I feel like I have so little to say about them that would be helpful to anyone who is on the fence about purchasing them.  If you're unfamiliar with his music, each new album tends to be as good a place to start as any other.  If you're already a fan, like myself, then you probably already have the album already or are planning to get it regardless of what I have to say about it.  But I review his albums because it's frustrating to me that he continues to create and release such great music yet is almost entirely ignored by metal websites and critics.  F seems to create his music in a bubble of sorts, seemingly not bothered by the lack of critical attention it tends to receive.  He's been doing this for more than 20 years and seems to contain unlimited creative energy, creating great albums that have given him a small but loyal following.  Perhaps that's all he really wants.  As for me, I want more people to listen to him.  I want more people to talk about his music.  I feel like he deserves a much larger audience than he has.

Album Review: Alkonost - Сказки странствий

Artist: Alkonost (Russia)
Album Title: Skazki Stranstvij (Tales of Wanderings)
Record Label: Sound Age Productions (Russia)
Released: 2013
Purchased From: CD-Russia (defunct?)

Before I start, I want to mention that this review is for the original, Russian-language version of this album, not the 2015 English-language version, which I don't have.

Alkonost has not been on an easy road since their 2010 album On the Wings of the Call.  In 2010, many metal labels were looking to sign Russian folk metal bands in the wake of Arkona's success, and On the Wings of the Call, released on Germany's Einheit Produktionen, was poised to be Alkonost's breakthrough.  However, that success apparently didn't materialize, and the band had problems both with their new record label and within the band itself.  The lineup of the band, which was one of folk metal's few stable lineups, having been the same since 2004's Between the Worlds, fractured, first with the departure of a founding member, vocalist/bassist Alexey "Nightbird" Solovyov, and then with the mass exodus of vocalist Alena Pelevina, keyboardist Almira Fatkhullina, and drummer Anton Chepigin.  Eventually (though after the recording of this album) guitarist Dmitriy Sokolov would also make his departure from the band, leaving founding member Andrey "Elk" Losev as not only the sole founding member of Alkonost but the only band member from their 2010 album that was still in the band.  Ouch!  Still, he pressed on, assembling a new (and frequently-changing) lineup of musicians, which recorded a new album in 2016.

But, anyway, back to the matter at hand: their 2013 album Skazki Stranstvij, recorded in the midst of the events that saw its "classic" lineup implode and a new lineup come in to finish the album.  It would not be a surprise to anyone if the album turned out to be a complete mess, considering the circumstances under which it was recorded.  After all, if you look at the credits of the album, you will find 8 musicians credited, including two bassist/vocalists, two lead female vocalists (Alena and new vocalist Kseniya Pobuzhanskaya), and a keyboardist and drummer who were no longer with the band by the time it was released.

However, surprisingly, it's not a mess.  In fact, it's a pretty darn good album.  Granted, I wouldn't include it among my very favorite Alkonost albums (Between the Worlds [English version], The Path We've Never Made, and the 2007 re-recording of Songs of the Eternal Oak are, for now, my favorites), but it manages to be a cohesive, well-written, well-produced record that does not betray the band discord lying beneath the surface.  In fact, I think in particular the variety in vocal sounds between Alena and Kseniya (who were not in the band at the same time) is welcome.  The songs are pretty catchy and interesting throughout the album's all-too-brief 41-minute running time.  The guitars, still featuring the addicting dual leads of Elk and Dmitriy Sokolov, are as great as ever.  Almira's keyboards are atmospheric as always, giving the album its layer of "Alkonost sound" that was so familiar for so many years.  And though neither of the growling vocalists that appear on this album can hold a candle to Alex Nightbird, they are not bad by any means.  All in all, it sounds like an Alkonost album.  Considering the story behind it, that alone makes Skazki Stranstvij seem like an album that defied the odds.

Speaking of the atmospheric keyboards, the one strike I would actually give this album is the fact that its intro, which features only the keyboard, is too long.  4 minutes and 42 seconds of a 41 minute album is too much to take up with a keyboard intro, especially when another 4 minutes of the album are taken up with a cover song, which is closing track "The Eerie," a cover of the well-known Gods Tower song, which actually appears to feature vocals from Lesley Knife himself, unless it's someone who can do a really good Lesley Knife impersonation.  I suspect that when a band asks Lesley if they can do a cover of a Gods Tower song, the first question he asks is, "May I sing on it?" because he also performed the lead vocals on Natural Spirit's cover of "Earth, Wind, Fire, and Blood."

If you take away the keyboard intro and the Gods Tower cover, you've got seven solid tracks and about 32 minutes of Alkonost goodness.  It goes by a little too quickly, but the album is compulsively listenable so I find myself often putting it on repeat.  It will likely be viewed as an album that shows a band in a state of transition before fully embarking into unknown waters.  It's a mixture of the old and the new.  But I think it also deserves to be seen as a pleasingly- and surprisingly- solid album by a band that pressed forward after disappointment and the trauma of a major lineup shakeup that many bands wouldn't have survived.  Not their best, but, considering the circumstances, better than anyone could have possibly expected it to be.  Another solid Alkonost album worth checking out.

CD Review: Scald / Росс - Agyl's Saga

Artists: Scald (Russia) / Ross (Russia)
Album Title: Agyl's Saga
Record Label: Wroth Emitter Productions (Russia)
Released: 2013
Purchased From: Paragon Records

Scald's Will of the Gods Is Great Power (or Will of Gods Is A Great Power on the original release) is a legendary cult album in both the epic doom metal and Slavic pagan metal underground.  It was Scald's only album, released in 1997, shortly after the tragic death of vocalist and leader Maxim "Agyl" Adrianov at age 24, which also spelled the end of Scald.  The surviving members of the band underwent a change of direction and band name; they became the progressive folk metal band Tumulus.  Scald's sole album was originally released on cassette only, and it wasn't until 2003 that Wroth Emitter Productions released it on CD and gave the band a larger potential audience.  Years later, metal fans are still discovering the band and those who are fortunate enough to possess copies of Will of the Gods Is Great Power are not likely to let them go.

Though the CD version of Scald's album was said to be "remastered," listening to the album reveals the fact that, remastered or not, the sound quality leaves much to be desired.  The album sounds, well, like an album that was originally released only on cassette.  The production sounds flat and unclear.  What unfortunately suffered the most were Agyl's vocals, which were arguably the highlight of the album.  A lot of clarity and power that should have been there was lost.  Many of us thought, however, that this was the best that we could expect, that if we wanted to enjoy Will of the Gods Is Great Power, we had to accept that this was as good as it was ever going to sound.

However, some time later (in 2010, to be exact), the album was remastered again.  According to Wroth Emitter's website, this time it was taken from the original master CD.  And it is from this remastering that we find the first disc of Agyl's Saga, a double-CD compilation of the music of both Scald and Agyl's original band Ross (which more or less morphed into Scald in 1993).

The highlight, for me, is the first disc, the remastered-again Will of the Gods Is Great Power.  I've had the original CD release for many years now and have listened to it countless times.  The less-than-ideal (I wouldn't call it "poor," however) sound quality was something I grew accustomed to, and some reviewers even said that it added to the atmosphere of the recordings.  Scald's music was self-described as "ancient doom metal."  Essentially they sound quite a bit like 1980's Candlemass, but with Norse (and, earlier, perhaps Slavic) themes, similar to the Bathory of the early 1990's and in the last few years before Quorthon's death in 2003.  I'm not an expert on Doom metal, but I don't think the flat production fit the style of music.  Fortunately, with Agyl's Saga we have something more fitting.

Granted, it's still not perfect.  Everything sounds much improved with the new remastering, with the vocals getting the most welcome boost in clarity (just try to listen to the vocals toward the end of the remastered "A Tumulus" without melting into a puddle... I find it impossible).  Also, those tasteful guitar solos have never sounded so good.  The drums are far better than in the original CD release, too, though they still sound a bit weak and, at times, sound digital to me.  However, it has been said that when Scald recorded the album, the studio they used was not accustomed to recording the style of music they were playing, so any imperfections in the original mix will affect the final product.  Still, this is by far the best way to hear Will of the Gods Is Great Power.  Even if you are one of those people who felt that the sound of the original CD release was perfect, you owe it to yourself to give this version a listen.  I was skeptical, but from the first minutes of "Night Sky," I could not keep my jaw off the floor.  This legendary album can finally be heard the way it deserves to be.  Agyl would be proud.

The primary difference between the version of Will of the Gods Is Great Power on Agyl's Saga and the original CD release is that the songs have been re-sequenced to match what seems to be the original song order on the 1997 cassette release.  For some reason, the 2003 CD release changed the order of the songs, so that's something you might have to get used to if you listened to the original CD a lot.  The album still starts with the excellent "Night Sky," but from there everything gets jumbled up, and now the album closes with "In the Open Sea," which was the fourth track of the 2003 CD version.  The short instrumental "Bilrost," on the 2003 CD version, was actually part of "Ragnaradi Eve" on the original master, and that has been restored to its place at the end of that track rather than its own separate track.

Agyl's Saga is worth seeking out simply for disc one.  If I were to introduce Scald to a friend who wasn't familiar with their music, I would certainly use the version of Will of the Gods Is Great Power that's included on this double-CD.  However, there's a whole second disc included, filled (litererally... it's almost 79 minutes worth of music) with early material from this cult band, much of which has probably been heard by few people.  Unfortunately, much of it, in my opinion at least, is an interesting glimpse into the history of a band that has not had enough light shed on it, but serves little more purpose than that.  The first ten tracks of the second disc are demo and live material from Ross, the original band of Agyl and eventual Scald drummer Ottar.  Ross was not much more than a fairly uninteresting "patriotic" rock band, with Russian lyrics.  Agyl's voice had not yet found its soaring, epic style (though there are glimpses of it, such as on "Sing, Guslar!").  His voice is probably the best thing about Ross, but that's not saying a lot.  By listening through the demo tracks, then to the live material, which makes its way through 1991 into 1993, I can sort of trace some of the direction that would lead to Will of the Gods Is Great Power, which was recorded in 1996 (in 1993, bassist Velingor and guitarist Harald joined with Agyl and Ottar to become Scald, with second guitarist Kerry joining shortly after).  The only tracks on disc 2 that are credited to Scald are 11, 12, and 13.  Tracks 11 and 12 are from a 1993 rehearsal with what I assume is the same lineup that would go on to record their sole album, minus perhaps Kerry on 2nd guitar.  Both songs have Russian lyrics, as opposed to their later material which was in English.  It is with these tracks that I can first hear the potential they had, which would be unleashed roughly three years later on their album.  These songs (or sections of them, at least) were later reworked into songs that would appear on Will of the Gods Is Great Power, but here they are the product of a band that was still trying to find their sound.  The final track of the second disc is the 1995 rehearsal version of "Sepulchral Bonfire" that appeared on the 2003 CD of Will of the Gods Is Great Power, which is a little disappointing, since I am sure there are some other Scald rarities that could have been included instead.

Personally, I would have removed most of the Ross stuff and included more early Scald tracks, such as the 1994 North Winds demo.  But I suppose what this does show me is that Scald was not an accident.  They were not a band that came out of the gate fully formed.  Getting there took a lot of work.  It gives me a greater appreciation for how great the band was when they finally recorded their album in 1996.  It was the culmination of a lot of hard work, a band that went from forgettable to unforgettable in a few years.  In a more fair world, Scald should have gone on to enjoy an international audience and record a number of highly respected albums in their time.  But, unfortunately, the world isn't fair, and in the end they were only able to record one album, an album that did not find its audience until years after the band had moved on, years after the man with the vision behind it, Maxim "Agyl" Adrianov, had gone on to Valhalla.  Therefore, this double-CD collection stands most of all as a tribute to him, hence the name.

The last thing I want to talk about is the packaging itself.  I don't know if it has or will ever be released in jewel case form, but in its original form, the one I have, it is a digipack.  The packaging and artwork is pretty good, with Scald's nigh-inscrutable logo prominently displayed on the cover, back, and the spine.  The overall effect of the packaging (especially the cover) is not as perfect as that included with the 2003 CD release, and I wish they had picked a better font for the "Agyl's Saga" text on the front and spine, but I know I'm nit-picking a bit.  The included booklet has a short essay about Agyl in Russian and English, which gives a little history of the man and his music.  Also, lyrics for all of the songs on Will of the Gods Is Great Power, with the exception of "Eternal Stone," are included.

In conclusion, I know I'm repeating myself, but I feel that this double-CD collection is worth buying for the re-remastered Will of the Gods Is Great Power on disc one, while disc two is mostly just a collection of curiosities that even hardcore Scald fans will likely only listen to once and forget.  They're important to the overall story of Scald, but I only received any enjoyment from listening to the last few tracks, when the band had really begun to find their voice.  So while I highly recommend the overall package, it is with those minor reservations.  Scald is a band that deserves to be heard and remembered, and if you haven't heard them yet, this is the release I would recommend.  And if you're already a big fan of their sole album, hearing it in this improved form may cause you to appreciate its greatness all over again, like it did with me.

Bringing back The Final Age

I apologize to anyone who followed this blog for my abandoning it a few years back (and, indeed, sporadically updating it for some time before that).

There are a variety of reasons for my long absence, but I don't wish to go into them and thus bore anyone.  I guess the important thing is that I am back and will be writing new reviews shortly.

Split CD Review: Сварун / Midgaard

 

Artists: Сварун (Svarun) [Serbia] / Midgaard [Russia]
Album Title: Коловрат / Начало времён
Record Label: Nymphaea Records (Russia)
Released: 2010
Purchased From: CD-Russia

It's pretty rare that I'll buy a split CD from two bands I've never heard of, but I was intrigued enough by the artwork of Svarun's debut full-length and the samples I heard on Youtube that I decided to pick that up.  While I was at it, I decided to purchase this split from 2010 even though I wasn't yet certain I would like Svarun, and I wasn't familiar at all with Midgaard.  In this case, the risk was worth it, because this is a very solid split CD featuring a generous helping of music (nearly an hour total) from these bands, and both sides of the split are unique enough that it's unlike anything else in my collection.

Svarun begins the disc with their 5-song EP Kolovrat.  It is difficult for me to adequately describe Svarun's music, but basically they are a pagan symphonic/folk metal vocal band from Serbia.  Now, by "vocal band," I don't mean that there are no musical instruments (there is a full set of instrumentalists here) but that the music is based around the vocalists.  There are four vocalists in the band: a soprano, an alto, a tenor, and a bass.  They sing in a style that is not quite operatic and not quite folk, but a sort of blend of the two that seems to be pretty popular in Slavic folk metal lately.  Backing these vocalists are the typical guitar, bass, and drums, and there are extensive orchestral arrangements as well.  The orchestral arrangements are obviously sampled/synthesized, as is typical for most metal bands that utilize them, but they are quite well-done and almost as central to the overall sound as the vocals are.

Four of Svarun's five songs were re-recorded later for their full-length album, Slavija, but I actually prefer the versions that appear on this split.  I think there were some changes in vocalists between the split and Slavija, and I feel that the vocals sound better here than they do on the full-length (though Slavija is still good).  Svarun is an ambitious band but not one with a high budget, yet I feel like they do a good job making their music sound epic and symphonic.  The production is good and clear, and the vocals in particular sound great and are blended well.  The guitar, bass, and drums are kind of in the background (though not as much as they are on Slavija, I think) because, really, the focus is on the voices and the orchestral arrangements, and I don't think anything about it sounds low-budget or amateurish.  A triumph, so far.

Midgaard is a Viking/folk metal band from Yaroslavl, Russia.  I didn't know anything about them, and, to be honest, I didn't expect anything from them.  I tend to prefer my Russian bands to sing about Slavic mythology rather than Norse, so I wasn't really concerned with this side of the split when I purchased it.  However, immediately after Midgaard's side of the split (aka the Nachalo Vremen EP) began to play, I was intrigued.  The brief instrumental intro begins with an acoustic guitar, but soon that guitar is joined by a violin, a jaw harp, and a flute.  I wasn't expecting to hear such a beautiful, folky intro, and it gave me hope for the rest of the EP.

After the prologue, the song "Bitva" began, and I was surprised to hear a gruff male voice singing along with the acoustic guitar and jaw harp.  His voice was soon joined by some smooth background vocals and then a beautiful female voice.  It was then that I began to realize that Nachalo Vremen is not metal at all.  This is a folk EP, and a very good one at that.  I was enchanted by the sound of the guitar, the vocals, the jaw harp, violin, hand percussion and tambourine, and flute.  Oh, did I mention that the female vocalist on this recording is Oksana Knyazeva of the great (and, sadly, defunct) Vnuki Svyatoslava, one of my favorite bands ever?  And that the flute player is Irina Nadeinskaya, also of Vnuki Svyatoslava?  Needless to say, Midgaard suddenly became very interesting to me, and they did not let me down at all over the course of this 7-song EP (which essentially makes up their first full-length album, minus one short track).  A highlight is "Pesn' Vikingov" ("Vikings' Song"), which is actually a folk cover of Falkenbach's "Farewell" from Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty.  But, really, every track here is a highlight.  Midgaard finishes with a beautiful ballad, "Lad'ya," here called a "valedictory" or farewell, and indeed it does sound like that.  What a wonderful and reflective way to close the EP, and the split as well.

Midgaard's sound here is reminiscent of Volkolak (due to the hand percussion and the constant "boing-boing-ing" of the jaw harp), as well as Vnuki Svyatoslava, except with more male vocals.  Normally they are indeed a metal band, and I will keep my eyes and ears open for new music from this band, but I think I will secretly hope that they go back and revisit this pleasant folk sound again in the future.

Unexpectedly, what began as a "filler" purchase became what is undoubtedly one of my favorite split CD's ever.  Either one of the halves of this split are worth buying the CD for, but to have both sides be so great in their own, unique ways, that is just a bonus.  The bands don't really go together very well, being very different styles of music, but both sides are high quality and remind me why I seek out this kind of music.  A very pleasant surprise, and a CD that I recommend.

Album Review: Смута - На Север

 

Artist: Смута (Smuta) [Russia]
Album Title: На Север ("To the North")
Record Label: Sound Age Productions (Russia)
Released: 2013 (January)
Purchased from: CD-Russia

I've been following the Yaroslavl pagan/folk scene for a while, as they have produced several fine bands such as Scald, Tumulus, Vo Skorbyah, the folk bands Krynitza and Vnuki Svyatoslava, and newer metal bands Veda and Shexna.  I've also been following Smuta, a mainstay of the Yaroslavl scene since 2004, who have earlier this year released their fourth full-length album.  However, though I enjoyed the previous three albums, I always felt like there was something lacking in Smuta, despite them having the right ingredients to make a great album.  For instance, for their 2008 album Xmel'naya Pesn' Voini, they had in their ranks Ivan "Harald" Sergeev, former guitarist of the legendary Scald, yet despite his presence it was not an album I consider to be great.  Despite their obscurity and many lineup changes over the years, Smuta has kept at it; a fact for which I am glad, because their fourth album Na Sever is, in my opinion, truly a great one.

The sound of Smuta can be described as fairly typical Slavic pagan/folk metal.  The music is very much black metal inspired and fairly epic, while the male vocals are delivered in a deep, death metal-ish growl.  Like many Slavic folk metal bands, they also have a female vocalist, in this case a very talented woman named Maria Smolia (who also plays flute).  Maria first came to my attention on Krynitza's Hail to the Sun album in 2007, and she has been a part of Smuta since 2008.  Her vocals and flute playing are some of the true highlights of Na Sever, as she excels at both.  Her voice is sort of a half-folk-style, half-operatic style that is gaining popularity in the Slavic pagan/folk scene, and it is a heavenly voice.  This is especially evident on the album's excellent bonus track, the folk piece "Poslednie Otbleski."  This track would not have felt out of place on the aforementioned Krynitza album, and it is a welcome bonus to Na Sever.

Maria Smolia's vocals are not the only great thing about Na Sever.  The instrumentation, production, and songwriting all seem to have improved dramatically, perhaps a product of the longer period of time between the third album and this one.  On the earlier albums, I always felt that the guitar tone was too thin and that the overall sound was too light to support Evgeny Vorobiev's deep and harsh vocals, resulting in a balance that never felt satisfying to me.  However, on Na Sever, the guitar has a nice, thick tone, and the overall mix sounds much better.  I don't know if this is all due to better production equipment (or a better sound engineer), or if it can be partly attributed to the band's newest guitarist Artyom Eremeev (also of the band Veda).  The rest of the band sounds great as well, with a particularly nice performance on the drums by Evgeny Moskovsky, another newer addition to the group.  Na Sever doesn't overstay its welcome, clocking in at a short-but-sweet 36 minutes (including the bonus track), and, in my opinion, stands up quite well to repeated listens.

There's a nice balance of softer/slower, midpaced, and fast songs on the album.  The first few proper songs are scorchers, but then the band slows things down for the ballad-like "Zarovor-Obryad" (which displays Maria's vocal talents nicely) and then launches into a couple of fast-paced tracks before finishing with a pleasant instrumental and the folky bonus track.  The contrast of aggression and beauty is very satisfying on this album because the band does so well at displaying and balancing both sides.  A song that demonstrates this balance really well is "Den' Bika," a song that alternates between a faster and slower tempo and then finishes with a beautiful folk breakdown that sounds like it could have come from newer Nokturnal Mortum.

Although Smuta is not doing anything particularly original on Na Sever, it is an album I can easily recommend due to its quality.  Even those who have heard Smuta in the past and dismissed them should listen to some samples of this album, because I honestly feel that they have reached a higher level with Na Sever than they have previously achieved.  This is a gem of the Yaroslavl scene to be sure, and a very pleasant surprise for me personally, despite the fact that I've been listening to Smuta for more than five years now.  I hope that they gain some attention with this album and that this gives them momentum to continue to achieve great things.  I for one will be paying even closer attention to Smuta after this.

Album Review: Руян - Наследие

 

Artist: Руян (Ruyan) [Russia]
Album Title: Наследие ("Heritage")
Record Label: Sound Age Productions (Russia)
Released: 2011
Purchased From: CD-Russia (via Ebay)

In 2009, a band called Grai (aka Graj, or  Грай), hailing from the Republic of Tatarstan, in Russia, released their solid debut album, Полынь трава ("Wormwood," apparently).  This light-sounding, lyrically-dark album featured a couple female vocalists, including one who goes by the name Rodonitsa, who not only sang but performed the harsh vocals.  Women who can both growl and sing are no longer considered such a rarity, but Rodonitsa is quite good at both and her contributions to that album are notable.

However, at some point after Grai's debut, Rodonitsa and guitarist Char left that band and Ruyan was formed.  The strange thing is that Grai became a much sunnier-sounding band after that, while Ruyan seems to have carried with it much of the melancholy that was at the heart of Grai.  On Ruyan's debut CD, Heritage, Rodonitsa and Char are joined by guitarist Skorb, drummer Filin, and bassist Elk, better known for being a founding member of Alkonost.  Elk has since left Ruyan, as he was apparently only a session member.  So while Ruyan is a "new" band, in a sense, there's a lot of experience behind it, and that shows with the maturity of this band's excellent debut album.

Heritage begins with the much-expected folky instrumental.  Like the Nordverg album I just reviewed, Heritage features the work of multi-instrumentalist Vladimir Reshetnikov --now a full-time member of the highly-acclaimed Arkona-- as well as Yaroslav Morozov on balalaika.  The mood quickly changes with the first proper song, which has a sense of melancholy to it that emerges even before Rodonitsa switches from her soprano and folk-style singing voice to her deep death growls.  The mood, to me at least, is reminiscent of the mournful sounds of Vo Skorbyah, except not quite as brooding or slow.  Ruyan's music is like a mixture of folk and doom/death metal styles, though it occasionally shifts into a happier-sounding, folkish mood, like at the beginning of the third track.

This strange juxtaposition of such happy-sounding folk music and melancholic metal is one of those things that sounds like it simply shouldn't work (as does, I suppose, the idea of "folk metal" altogether, to those who aren't familiar with it), but this is a gorgeous and multi-shaded album.  The fact that Ruyan is Russian and Rodonitsa is a woman (a young and beautiful woman, at that) who seems equally comfortable when singing or shrieking/growling will lead to many comparisons with Arkona, a band that has the distinction of basically being the golden standard of Russian folk metal AND female-fronted folk metal.  Those comparisons are fine, I think, but they don't paint an entirely accurate picture of Ruyan's unique sound.  For one thing, Rodonitsa's voice has a completely different timbre than Masha's.  She tends to sing higher, uses a lot of folk style at times, and has deeper, more death metal-like growls.

The guitar leads are pretty folky and unique, even for this crowded genre.  There are long periods of folk-style vocals and strange guitar leads, like in the middle of the fourth track, "Song About Yarilo-Father."  At times the guitar reminds me of the style of the late Alexander Urakoff from Gods Tower.  The songs often feature various flutes and acoustic stringed instruments like the balalaika, though the impression one gets from listening to the album is not necessarily the same as one gets with a number of other folk metal bands.  There's a pervasive sadness to many of these songs that makes the happier ones, like the fourth or seventh tracks, stand out.  But even in its melancholy, ultimately I feel happy when I listen to Ruyan, like I do with any music that is beautiful and resonates with me.  This is a very talented band, both in the songwriting and instrumental departments, and is truly a world-class pagan/folk metal band on par with the best this genre has to offer.

The only time when Ruyan kind of drops the ball a little bit, at least to me, is on the final track, also called "Ruyan."  This long, mostly instrumental track seems to meander pointlessly before fading into the sounds of waves and birds (which I guess kind of appropriate, since that's how the album begins as well).  Personally, I would have liked the album to have finished on a stronger note, and it's the one fault I can find with it.  On the plus side, the track does have some nice moments, but I find my interest flagging about midway through.

Ruyan is not a household name in folk metal at this point, but Heritage is an album that deserves your attention.  It's very folky and authentic, has a variety of moods, and has one of the most talented vocalists you'll find in this genre.  If, like me, you're a fan of the Russian scene, this is essential.  Somebody please give these guys (and girl) an international record deal.

Album Review: Nordverg - Багровый рассвет

 

Artist: Nordverg (Russia)
Album Title: Багровый рассвет ("Crimson Dawn")
Record Label: Stygian Crypt Productions (Russia)
Released: 2011
Purchased From: The Omega Order

At first glance, there's nothing particularly promising about Crimson Dawn, the debut album of Russia's Nordverg.  The artwork, while by no means bad, is pretty generic Viking metal boilerplate.  And the name Nordverg sounds pretty generic as well.  I'm not even certain that "nordverg" is even a proper word.  It seems to me that the name they were going for was "Nordberg," but, if that's true, I'm kind of glad they didn't go with that one, because Nordberg is the name of O.J. Simpson's character in the Naked Gun films and I'm just not sure I could ever get past that.

Crimson Dawn is published by Stygian Crypt Productions, which is arguably best known for the Folkearth and Folkodia CD's they keep shoving out the door.  This may put some people off.  However, Stygian Crypt has also released great albums by Amber Tears, Heorot, and Leshak, and a lot of their CD's have really nice etchings on the silver side of the disc (like Heorot, Leshak, and Fferyllt), though unfortunately Crimson Dawn doesn't have any etchings (I checked).  There's not much we can tell for sure about this band by the packaging, which is standard Viking fare.  However, what's important is the music, and Nordverg, while not original in any respect, have crafted a pretty fine piece of Viking-themed folk metal with their debut album.

The first track of the CD, which is a folk instrumental, is not surprising in the least, except perhaps by how well-done it is.  Arkona's Vladimir Reshetnikov (playing various "ethnic instruments"), viola player Diana Timoshenko, and bagpipe player Alexander Starkov appear in the intro and elsewhere on Crimson Dawn, giving it a nice bit of authenticity.  True, there's nothing here that we haven't heard before, but they do a nice job.

The band itself is a five piece, consisting of three guitarists, a bass-guitarist, and a drummer.  Two of the guitarists and the bass-guitarist are also vocalists.  I'm not sure why the band needs three guitarists, except perhaps to be able to replicate the music better in a live setting (allowing one to switch to acoustic guitar while the other two are handling the lead and rhythm... but then again what do I know about playing guitar?).  The instrumental section is fine, with a nice focus on the lead guitar and folkish melodies.  There are some interesting acoustic breaks here and there, often accompanied by one or more folk instruments.  The guitar riffs tend to be jaunty and catchy, reminding me at times of their fellow countrymen Noman's Land.  The clean vocals sometimes remind me of Noman's Land as well, though most times they are delivered in more of a plain, folk style, rather than the proud, bardic sound they take on in other parts of the album.  There are growls as well, which are well-done.  Production is clean and crisp, allowing all the instruments and voices to be enjoyed comfortably.

The lyrics are all in Russian, which is a plus for me because I love the sound of the Russian language, though I can understand so very little of it.  The songwriting is rather simple, for the most part, but the songs never overstay their welcome and are pretty catchy.  Some songs even show the amount of depth that one would expect from some of the top Russian pagan metal bands, like Svarga or Rarog.  The lead guitar melodies are often quite enjoyable, and I really like the variety in vocals.  All in all, I can't really find any fault with Nordverg's debut CD.  It's fun and lively, not too heavy, but nicely balanced and refreshingly folky.  Some songs are simpler and more shallow than others, but there's nothing here that sticks out as filler.

I bought the CD mainly because I'm obsessed with this kind of music and I rarely pass up a find.  To be honest, because of generic packaging and band name, I wasn't expecting much more than amateurish Viking-themed metal with weak production.  What I found, instead, is a very competent band that has crafted a great debut album.  While it's true that Nordverg isn't really doing anything unique here, and those who are burned out by folk or Viking-themed metal will probably want to pass on it, I can easily recommend Crimson Dawn as a non-essential but quite worthwhile addition to a pagan metal fan's collection.

Album Review: Крода - Schwarzpfad

 

Artist: Крода (Kroda) [Ukraine]
Album Title: Schwarzpfad
Record Label: Purity Through Fire (Germany)
Released: 2011
Purchased From: Ebay (Apothelyptic Reign)

Wow.  That pretty much sums up my initial reaction to hearing this album.  It is Kroda.  It is different in some ways than what we heard on previous albums, but it is Kroda.  And it is awesome.

I feel a little guilty now at being so surprised, but I have heard bands attempt to carry on after losing an important creative member and fail to live up to its previous work.  And because Kroda was previously a duo, with one member essentially playing all the instruments in the studio, and because that member left the band a year earlier, it seemed like a longshot that Kroda could continue, at least at the level of greatness they had previously known as the duo of vocalist Eisenslav and multi-instrumentalist Viterzgir.  But Eisenslav decided to continue after the departure of Viterzgir, rebuilding the band from the ground up and making a few changes to the sound.  The end result is that Eisenslav was able to keep the band not only relevant but, some might argue, even better than it was before.

One of the first things I noticed about Kroda on Schwarzpfad is that the sound is more stripped-down than it was on the first three studio albums.  The atmosphere on the earlier material is pretty palpable, with lots of sopilka (a type of flute used in Ukraine), vargan, and ambient sounds.  They almost sound otherworldly.  On Schwarzpfad, Kroda sounds more down-to-earth, more raw, more "live," more immediate.  There are still keyboards and the lovely sopilka (as well as a lower, droning wind instrument), but at its heart Kroda sounds even more like a black metal band here, with Eisenslav's vocals taking on a fearsome and passionate presence, similarly to how he's handled the vocals in the live setting.  Guitars are raw and not over-produced, the drums (live rather than programmed) sound awesome and powerful, and you can even hear the great bass parts.  The production is more bass-heavy, I'd say, than I'm used to hearing in black metal, but it works to Kroda's advantage.  This is a black metal album that even those audiophiles who can't stomach typical "raw" black metal could probably enjoy.  Acoustic guitars make a rare showing here and there, which I believe is something new for the band.

Keyboards and other atmospheric effects are used more sparingly than in the past, though the entire last track is an ambient instrumental piece.  When they are used, they sometimes take the form of ambient pads and sometimes choirs, which support Eisenslav's harsh vocals.  The sopilka appears on each of the first four tracks, and I am grateful for it.  There's something about the sound of that instrument and its use on previous Kroda albums that it feels like an essential part of their sound, adding some softer melodic touches to help balance the ferocity of Eisenslav's vocals and the other instruments.  I don't know who plays the sopilka on this album, but my hope is that it will always remain a part of the band's sound.

Every track on the album has its own highlights... I even love the ambient outro, which serves the purpose of bringing the listener into a state of quiet bliss after the first four long, blistering black metal tracks.  Other highlights, for me, are when Eisenslav's vocals make their first appearance on "Schwarzpfad I (First Snow)," accompanied by the synth choir, and when the clean vocals make their appearance in "Schwarzpfad IV (Heil Ragnarok!)."  But I could easily point to a number of other great moments.  Eisenslav and the talented bunch of musicians he has surrounded himself with have made, in my opinion, an arguably perfect pagan/black metal album.  I wish I could say that I knew it would end up being this good, but I must admit that I didn't know at what level to place my expectations.  It is possible (though pretty unlikely) that at this point there may be other Kroda fans who have avoided Schwarzpfad so far out of fear of being disappointed, but, if you do exist, let me say that you need to track down a copy of this album as soon as possible.

I don't know what the future holds for this band, who have achieved so much and have faced so much opposition in their short nine years or so of existence, but I am confident that Kroda is in good hands and will hopefully achieve many more great things down the road.

Album Review: Крода - Live In Lemberg

Artist: Крода (Kroda) [Ukraine]
Album Title: Live In Lemberg
Record Label: Hammermark Art (Germany) / Battlelord Productions (Japan)
Released: 2008
Purchased From: ? (Can't Remember)

I procrastinated so long on writing this review that it no longer seems relevant, considering that the studio duo that made up this edition of Kroda parted ways a few years after its release and the supporting players that fleshed out the live lineup captured here (consisting of members of Ruina and others) are no longer associated with the project, either. I'm not certain, but it appears that although Kroda's first three studio releases, and the following retrospective Fünf Jahre Kulturkampf seem to be finding re-release on Kroda's new label Purity Through Fire, Live In Lemberg looks poised to be forgotten as a relic that no longer holds any meaning.

If that's true, I think that's a bit of a shame, because Live In Lemberg is a solid live album, especially considering that Kroda, though having three fantastic studio albums under their belts by the point this live disc was recorded, had only been performing live for roughly seven months. Sure, there are some rough spots to be found, as some of the music proved to be difficult to reproduce live. And the folkish nature of the albums had to be reduced in order to lessen the band's reliance on pre-recorded tracks in a live setting, so this version of Kroda is more raw than the polished version we heard on the first three albums. However, the upside of this is that the live version of Kroda featured here has a stronger "black metal" sound than the previous studio incarnation, which will appeal to listeners who wanted to enjoy their studio work but found it to lean too heavily towards folk metal. The live drums also add something missing on the previous studio albums, which featured a well-programmed but obvious drum machine.

More importantly, I feel that Live In Lemberg marks the start of a transition that Kroda was making towards a more "live" studio sound, a transition that was continued with the studio re-recordings found on Fünf Jahre Kulturkampf and the latest studio release, Schwarzpfad. Some reviewers have noted how different Schwarzpfad sounds than the first three studio albums (which shouldn't be surprising anyway), but it appears to me that the band was already headed in that live-sounding, raw black metal direction before Viterzgir's departure from the project in 2010.

Now that I've wasted three paragraphs talking about things that are irrelevant to the actual album, I should probably actually get into talking about this disc. Live In Lemberg features thirteen tracks, but three of them are instrumentals and two are encore versions of songs that appear previously on the disc. So, disregarding these, we have eight actual songs, but the band manages to cover quite a range of their early discography with these songs. There are a few songs each from Cry To Me, River... and Towards the Firmament's Verge of Life..., the first two studio albums, as well as songs from their split CD's with Oprich and Velimor (two discs which each contain essential Kroda material, unlike some split releases). They also include a metalized version of a Ukrainian traditional song and an Absurd cover. Sadly missing are any tracks from their third studio album, Fimbulvinter, which in my opinion was their strongest album up until this point. However, considering the length and complexity of that album's songs, it's understandable.

The production of the live disc is pretty solid, though not spectacular. Everything can be heard clearly, but it's lacking the kind of depth and immediacy that I would have liked. The instruments don't really stand out in the stereo spectrum, so it kind of has the effect of being recorded on a single mic, though I know that isn't the case. Fortunately, the levels are good, there's no distracting distortion or too much crowd noise (except between songs), and there's not a whole lot I can complain about. Eisenslav's vocals have a different tone than they did on the previous studio albums. There's more passion and strength behind them, which is probably due to the energy of a live concert. How his voice stays strong throughout the set and its encore is a mystery to me, and it's something that a number of black metal vocalists have apparently failed to master. He sounds quite good, as do all of the instrumentalists. The songs seem to lack the atmosphere of the studio versions, which is to be expected, but it does tend to draw my attention to the fact that these songs are well-written and hold up even in a live setting with mostly guest musicians.

Kroda must have been pretty happy with how their live sound was developing, because they later re-recorded a number of these songs in the studio with their live line-up on Fünf Jahre Kulturkampf. Because of this (and the concert's inclusion on the DVD packaged with that retrospective release), Live In Lemberg as a live concert CD may, as I said at the beginning of this review, seem irrelevant or unnecessary. Maybe that's true. I bought it before Fünf Jahre Kulturkampf was released, so I didn't have the same kind of dilemma that a newer Kroda fan might have, so if you are a Kroda fan and don't already own this disc, you would have to ask yourself the question of whether or not it is worth seeking out. For many, it will probably be "no," as this is hardly an essential piece of the Kroda discography. But, as a monument to a transition that was taking place within the band that led them to translate this live sound to the studio setting, I feel like it's an important part of the band's history, a history which is still being written by Eisenslav and Kroda's new incarnation. Whether or not that makes it worth a purchase depends on how big of a Kroda completionist you are and how much you enjoy live albums.

Site Update

Okay, the elephant in the room here is that I stopped updating The Final Age blog throughout most of 2010, and have only sporadically updated it in 2011. In fact, other than the first few months of keeping the blog, my reviews have been pretty sporadic and I haven't kept things updated as often as I'd like. There are many reasons for this, including other projects, hobbies, etc., as well as personal matters, but I feel like I've turned a corner this year and will finally be able to start updating regularly and reliably.

My motivation for this blog has always been that I love this music and I want to do what I can to support the bands and labels that create and publish it, and I want to help spread the work of these bands by possibly helping others discover new music (as others have done for me over the years). I do not consider myself to be a very good "critic" or a good music writer at all, but I enjoy updating this site and getting feedback from fans or artists. I plan to be here for a very long time and to hopefully do it a lot better. I don't think there are any regular readers of my reviews, but if so, I appreciate your patience and hopefully I am getting back on track. I have a huge backlog of CD's to talk about, so the potential material is there; I just need to keep at it. Thank you and good night.

Album Review: Всполох - Печаль о прошлом

Artist: Всполох (Vspolokh, Vspolox, Vspoloh, etc.) [Russia]
Album Title: Печаль о прошлом ("Sorrow of the Past")
Record Label: Purity Through Fire (Germany)
Released: 2010 (December)
Purchased From: Ebay (Apothelyptic Reign)

In 2007, the German record label Hammermark Art (which, at that time, was the label of the highly-acclaimed Kroda) released an EP by a young Russian band called Всполох, which they romanized as "Vspolox." This EP, Сумерки, or The Dusk, was actually a demo from 2005, and as such felt kind of half-baked and immature. The production was pretty obscure and the drums were programmed, while there was nothing extremely compelling about the songwriting or vocals. It was not altogether bad considering it was a demo, but it seemed an odd choice for Hammermark to put forth the expense and effort to release it on CD. I bought the EP sometime in 2008 or 2009, shortly after purchasing the EP My Lands by Smaga, a band which shares a member with this one, and my impression after hearing the two EP's was that Smaga was definitely the more promising band.

However, Всполох stuck with it and, after adding a bassist and drummer and losing one of the two original guitarist/vocalists (though he appears as a guest vocalist on this album), the band released their first full-length in 2010. I was on the fence about buying it when I saw it for sale, but then I checked out a sample on Youtube and decided it was worth giving a try. One thing that caught my attention was the artwork, which this time around was done by the talented Kogaion Art (one might remember them from the artwork for Wodensthrone's Loss and Askival's Eternity, among others). Later, upon hearing the album and reading the lyrics, I realized that the dark, somber artwork is very appropriate considering the subject matter. Another thing that caught my attention was that, in the sample, I heard a large improvement over the debut EP/demo. I actually ordered this at the same time as Kroda's Schwarzpfad, kind of as a supplement to that order, but upon having the time to absorb this CD properly I was immediately impressed. If you heard the band on The Dusk and didn't like them, I encourage you to give them another try. This is so different that it might as well be an entirely new band.

One thing to get out of the way is that the band's name has been transliterated a few different ways. I already mentioned that they were called Vspolox on the 2007 EP, but on this release their name is romanized as Vspolokh. Vspoloh may also be appropriate. Their website and Myspace uses "Vspolox," so I'm at a loss as to which version to use. I'm going to go with the spelling that's used on the spine of the CD, so, going forward in this review, I'm going to call them Vspolokh. Okay, so now that's settled. One thing that's easier to settle is the name of the CD, which is translated as Sorrow of the Past. This title is very appropriate, because the lyrics (which are in Russian, but are helpfully translated into English in the insert) are primarily concerned with lamenting the loss of the old, heathen ways of Russia, which have been largely replaced by the alien faith of Christianity. This is certainly not a subject that is new or original in pagan metal (the subject is probably dealt with in roughly 95% of all pagan metal albums), but the lyrics are poetic and are pretty well-translated into English, and I get a sense of earnestness from the band as I read along and listen to the anguished and proud shrieks of guitarist/vocalist/flute-player "Vel" (aka "Velemudr" on the first release). I find some of the lyrics very moving and wistful, like: "Where are the flames and sparkles of Kupala piles in the night? Nowhere. There are only ominous shades of crosses on Earth." According to the liner notes, the lyrics are inspired by a story called "Death of Volkhv" by G. Osetrov.

Vspolokh is a band with a strong backbone of black metal, with some folk as well, though they tend to keep that separate from the black metal. The lead-off song, "Grief," begins with a sorrowful-sounding a capella folk song which floats in the distance, accompanied by sounds of nature (and soon a thunderstorm). This piece of music, as well as the way it is replaced by a doomy guitar tone, reminds me of the Hate Forest album Battlefields, though here you've got a real drummer and can actually hear the bass. The doomy section is replaced by a brief moment of acoustic guitar (accompanied by more nature sounds), and then the song speeds up and the proud, powerful harsh vocals emerge. The guitars here have a similar thick, fuzzy sound and style that Drudkh has, and I would guess from that and some of the songwriting that the well-known Ukrainian band has had some influence on Vspolokh, though that certainly is not a bad thing. At times they also remind me of Khors, except without the keyboards.

The second track begins with a clip taken from the 1930's Russian film Alexander Nevsky, also not really an original thing to do, but in this instance they don't use any speech, only a brief (and creepy-sounding, due to the poor condition of the film's soundtrack) musical fragment that leads into another fairly Drudkh-like riff. I like the simple but competent drumming and the audible bass, and I like the vocals, which don't have a lot of variety in style but do display emotion. I would imagine they are even more effective if the listener understands the Russian language. Towards the end of the second track, the acoustic guitar returns and is accompanied by a nicely-played flute. This folk section is very brief, however, and the metal comes roaring back with a very nice guitar solo (the first of the album).

The third track continues in like manner to the first two tracks, but then the album features a nice five-minute acoustic interlude: the instrumental entitled "Long Forest Paths of Rus'." It's a pretty simple song, just guitar and flute, but it gives the ears and spirit a little time to rest before the band tears through the final two lengthy songs, "Extrinsic Obscurantism" and "The Call." These last two songs are similar to the first three in that they contain a variety of moods and tempo, a few little acoustic sections, and long stretches without vocals. Admittedly, the songs tend to sound pretty similar to one another, and they all have similar characteristics, but everything is very well-done and it is a nice album to listen to. Despite the aggression, it has a rather melancholic, ancient quality, like one would hear listening to Drudkh's Blood In Our Wells or Estrangement. Not that Vspolokh is a sound-alike of that band, as they feature more acoustic parts and less repetition than Drudkh does, but that is the closest comparison I can find. If I knew more about the actual playing of music, I could dissect the guitar playing and rhythms and things like that, but unfortunately there is not much I can contribute to that discussion.

Sorrow of the Past is a very good pagan black metal album. It is lacking in originality, but it makes up for this (in my opinion, at least) with its sincerity and solid writing and performance. This is the kind of album that fans of Khors, Drudkh, Wodensthrone, and the like will want to check out if they're looking for a new album in the style of those established bands, with great, beefy production and a rather satisfying and ear-pleasing group of songs. I'm sure that Vspolokh will, in future releases, better establish their own identity, but the foundation is here. All the basic elements are in place already. It will remain to be seen if they will reach for true greatness, but, whether or not it ever comes to fruition, Sorrow of the Past is already a valued part of my collection, and I recommend it to fans of atmospheric, melancholic, pagan-themed black metal. If you can listen to the album while ignoring the shadow of similar bands that have come before them, you may find that these guys are heads-and-shoulders above many bands in this style. In my opinion, Vspolokh can proudly stand beside the bands that influenced them.

Also, this is certainly better than Drudkh's Handful of Stars or their Old Silver Key album.

Album Review: Dalriada - Ígéret

Artist: Dalriada (Hungary)
Album Title: Ígéret
Record Label: AFM Records (Germany)
Released: 2011 (February)
Purchased from: Ebay

Okay, before I start my review, take a moment to look at that album cover. One of the unique things about folk metal is that an album cover featuring a field of flowers really doesn't seem all that strange. How many genres of metal can you say that about? Maybe some power metal, possibly. Then there's Opeth's cover for Orchid. But really, the typical metal image of "evil" is really done away when you look at an album cover like that of Dalriada's Ígéret. And there's something kind of refreshing about that. Anyway, this has nothing to do with the rest of the review, so ignore this entire first paragraph if you wish.

I've reviewed the last three Dalriada albums over the last few years and I consider myself to be a huge fan of their music. The fact that, in the past, I've only had one consistent source from which to buy their CD's (a Hungarian seller on Ebay) has made me wonder with each of their albums I was able to obtain that there might come a day when I would be unable to legally purchase Dalriada CD's at all. So with each review of their latest album, my only real complaint has been that they need to land on a label with better worldwide distribution. Naturally, then, I was overjoyed to find that their latest CD, Ígéret, was released on AFM Records, a German label with very good distribution, because now hopefully I will not have to worry about whether or not I can get my hands on future releases from the band. Also, their signing to a label like AFM means hopefully more exposure and better promotion for the band that I feel is one of the more underrated folk metal bands in Europe. Things are looking up for one of Hungary's best-kept secrets, and that makes me happy.

Ígéret arrived about fifteen months after their previous album, the excellent Arany-Album, which is a pretty typical turnaround time for Dalriada, who has now released six full-length albums under this name and their previous name, Echo of Dalriada, since 2004. Just as impressive as how prolific this band is, is that every album starting with 2006's Jégbontó has been pretty amazing (even their 2004 debut, Fergeteg, is pretty good). Fortunately, Ígéret does not break this streak of great albums.

The album begins with a folk song, but I don't know what the source of it is. As the track fades in, I hear what seems like a scratchy record sound, so I don't know if this piece was taken from a previously existing folk recording or if the "scratchy record sound" is just an effect, as midway through the track the sound becomes crystal clear. I suspect, therefore, that this is an original piece to the album, though the song itself may not have been written by the band. At any rate, the album properly begins with the second track, "Hajdútánc." This song is awesome, what can I say? It's catchy and fun, and, most surprisingly of all, for the first time lead vocalist Laura Binder shrieks as well as sings. Laura has long been one of my favorite female vocalists in pagan metal, with a voice that isn't quite power metal and isn't quite folk, but something unique. In the past, the black metal shrieks were always performed by guitarist András Ficzek or, more recently, drummer Tadeusz Rieckmann, but here Laura proves to have a pretty wicked sounding shriek as well, sounding not like Masha Scream (Arkona) or Rodonitsa (Ruyan) but more like Kriegtalith (Darkestrah). However, Laura keeps the harsh vocals to a minimum, and they only seem to appear on this track as well as "Leszek A Hold" (growls do appear elsewhere on the album, but not from Laura). The band recorded a pretty great music video for this song as well; I recommend checking it out.

One of the improvements Dalriada made to their sound beginning with 2009's Arany-Album was the addition of various folk musicians to flesh out the sound. While in the past the band has introduced folk instruments that would disappear with the next release (ie: the flute on Jégbontó or the violin on Kikelet), happily this time they've returned, and the various stringed instruments and even a harmonica on "Hozd el, Isten" add nicely to the sound. Not that Dalriada is the type of band to rely on the novelty of traditional instruments to make up for any deficiencies of their own, as this is a band known for its talent and tight musicianship. The sound of Dalriada is difficult to describe, as they feature elements of power metal, black metal, and occasionally even doom metal. But comparisons with other bands are pretty difficult because I haven't been able to find another band that sounds at all close to Dalriada. Perhaps it's the way they incorporate traditional Hungarian melodies into their sound, or the way they blend their influences into something completely their own, but, regardless, Dalriada is Dalriada.

Another strong element to their sound is the harmonizing of vocals. Mostly it's Laura harmonizing with András, but here we have a number of choruses that feature a lot of voices in the mix, sometimes with a low growl in the background (as is the case with "Mennyei Harang"). Add in some great drumming, the occasional guitar or keyboard solo, excellent folk instruments, and those awesome and unique melodies, and you've got a folk metal album that should appeal to many.

As for highlights on the album, other than "Hajdútánc," as I already mentioned, I particularly enjoyed "Igazi Tûz," mainly due to its wonderful and catchy chorus, and a particularly nice guitar solo. Both of these tracks are certainly in my top 10 Dalriada songs of all time. Another highlight is "Leszek A Hold," the last proper song on the album (unless you count the short outro). Besides the catchy chorus and beautiful violin solo, this track also features a guest appearance by Korpiklaani vocalist Jonne Järvelä. He appears to sing in his native Finnish, and even does some joiking and possibly even throat singing here.

Not every track is a winner, as there are some that aren't as interesting as the others. A few of the tracks are more rooted in black or doom metal, with a lot of harsh vocals, and these didn't appeal to me as much. After the very consistent Arany-Album, I'd say Ígéret doesn't quite maintain its greatness on every track as that album did. However, past Dalriada albums have always had a handful of songs that didn't work as well as others, and with a band that utilizes so many different styles within their overall sound, it's natural that songs that emphasize one particular facet of their sound may not appeal to each listener as much as songs that emphasize other facets. All in all, I'd say this is a great release from the band and a worthy release to serve as their introduction to a wider audience. Hopefully their earlier releases will also see wider distribution, because more people should hear this band and be able to purchase their albums.

I've been listening to Dalriada for about four and a half years now, and so far they have yet to ever let me down. Though Ígéret will likely not be my favorite album of theirs, it is only because they have consistently managed to release great albums, and this is one that stands proudly with the rest of their discography even if it doesn't quite manage to top everything else they've done. I am glad that the band has found new opportunities and I hope that they will make the most of them. After seeing a number of lesser bands find big record deals when the "folk metal trend" as at its zenith, it's good to see a worthy band like Dalriada finally get their break. Hopefully good things are ahead for this talented group.

Album Review: Alkonost - On the Wings of the Call

Artist: Alkonost (Russia)
Album Title: а крыльях зова ("On the Wings of the Call")
Record Label: Einheit Produktionen (Germany)
Released: 2010 (May)
Purchased from: The Omega Order

On the Wings of the Call is Alkonost's long-awaited (by me, at least) follow-up to 2007's Stone Heart Blood, an album that was mostly made up of re-recordings of very old Alkonost songs from the mid-to-late 90's. On the Wings of the Call is also their first album for Germany's well-known pagan metal label Einheit Produktionen, home of a few of my favorite bands in the genre, like Odroerir, Finsterforst, and Mistur. While this isn't the first of their albums to be released on a non-Russian label (their 2002 self-titled compilation was released on Germany's Ketzer Records), it will probably serve to introduce the band to a number of fans who are unaware of or hadn't had a chance to hear their earlier albums. That being said, this isn't exactly a "typical" Alkonost album, specifically in the vocal department, because a temporary line-up change carried over to the recording. However, the album is very good and should give new fans a solid indication of the kind of quality music this band is capable of making.

For a while around late 2009, Alkonost did some live shows without their operatic female vocalist, Alena Pelevina, who was on a temporary maternity leave from the band. Replacing her for these shows was Irina Zybina, whose folk vocal style is very different from Alena's. But apparently the band was so impressed with Irina that they had her perform roughly half of the female vocals on this album. The line-up change is noticeable immediately on the first track, "Bird-Ship," as Irina handles most of the lead vocals on this song. "Bird-Ship" begins with the sound of a small choir, made up of guest vocalists Ilya (Svarga), Kseniya (Kalevala), and Alexandr "Shmel" (Kalevala, Rarog), accompanied by the ambient keyboard work of long-time member Almira Fathullina. Soon the dual guitars of Dmitriy Sokolov and band founder Andrey "Elk" Losev join the mix, as well as the solid drumming of Anton Chepigin. The harsh vocals of Alexey "Nightbird" Soloviev appear next, and then the ice-meltingly beautiful folk vocals of Irina bring a refreshing softness to the overall blend. Later in the song, Kalevala's Kseniya handles some lead vocals as well. The rest of the songs on the album do not have the same kind of vocal variety as "Bird-Ship" does, but it's a great lead-off track even if it doesn't give an accurate view of what is in store for the rest of the album.

The second song, "Chilly Fire of the Night," is a more typical Alkonost song, one that would not sound out of place on their excellent 2006 album The Path We've Never Made. On this track, Alena Pelevina returns with her higher-pitch, operatic-style vocals, and Irina Zybina disappears until track 5. This, as well as the next two songs, are closer representatives of what you could expect if you pick up most Alkonost albums from 2004 forward. Their unique blend of gothic, folk, black, and doom metal stands out from every other band I've heard in the folk metal world. There are no folk instruments to be found on this or any other Alkonost album so far, but the "folk" style can be heard in the guitar leads and in the lyrics themselves, which often read like dark fairy tales. I believe many of them are based on Russian folklore, but I'm not certain. Fortunately, although the lyrics are in Russian, in the booklet they are translated into English for their international audience, a thoughtful touch.

Tracks 3 and 4, "Thought-Trees" and the great "Ineffable Light," are pretty similar to "Chilly Fire of the Night," but on track 5, "Wonderland True Story," the band slows things down a bit and we get something unique on this album: both Alena's and Irina's vocals on the same track. Their differing styles of vocals sound good whether alternating or blending, and both of these things happen on this song. Also, Ilya from Svarga lends his voice to the mix again, singing while Alexey "Nightbird" growls in the background. This song is probably the highlight of the album for me, and it makes me wish we could hear more of Irina Zybina on future Alkonost releases, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen.

The next song, "Fire Bloom-Charm," features Irina's folk vocals again, and a nice, catchy chorus. Her voice reminds me of the female vocals on Natural Spirit's Sita Rosa, which is a good thing. On "Princess' Lament," a cover of a song by the band Canonis (of which guitarist Andrey "Elk" Losev was once a member) things slow down again, as this has more of a doom metal sound. I have no idea what the original sounds like, but it sounds so much like a natural Alkonost song that I'm not sure anyone would have suspected it's a cover song. I'm impressed with Alena's vocals on this track.

The last two tracks on the CD are re-recordings of songs that originally appeared on Between the Worlds in 2004. The primary difference with these re-recordings, other than the fact that "New Unknown Lands" is a little slower than the original and "Hard Times" is a little faster than the original, is that they both feature Irina's vocals exclusively. I suppose these tracks serve as a send-off for Irina for her great work filling in for Alena, as well as a gift for fans who enjoyed hearing these songs live with a somewhat different vocal style. I would have preferred a few new songs, since I already have two different versions of each of these songs (the original English versions on Between the Worlds and Russian versions on Межмирье, the 2005 re-recording of the entire album), but, taken as bonus tracks, they are a nice addition to the CD and I'm never tempted to stop the CD after the new songs are finished.

Because of the unusual line-up situation, it's difficult to say exactly where On the Wings of the Call fits into the Alkonost discography. It's something unique, a capturing of a specific moment in the band's history. As it turns out, it will also be the last album to feature founding member Alexey "Nightbird," as he parted ways with the band later in 2010. The band replaced him with a guy whose vocals sound remarkably like his, but Nightbird also wrote the band's lyrics and undoubtedly has had a huge hand in the direction of the band over the years, so I'm not yet sure what his departure will mean for the band's future. However, as a sort of introduction to the larger metal world of Alkonost's existence as a band (though they have enjoyed much popularity outside of Russia already, despite the relative difficulty of finding their music outside of Russia), On the Wings of the Call shows us a band that has quietly been perfecting their craft and are ready to enjoy the success and opportunity of a larger international audience. I would not quite put this album up to the high level of their arguable peak with The Path We've Never Made, but it's certainly a step up from their vaguely disappointing Stone Heart Blood and gives me hope about the band's future, despite the loss of one of their founding members.

Pagan metal fans looking for something abrasive, aggressive, and relentlessly dark may balk at the female vocals, everpresent keyboards, and folky leads, which definitely balance out the heavier elements into something accessible and often beautiful (though, I would argue, not lacking in power). Some will compare them to middle-of-the-road gothic metal bands and will claim that their songs all sound alike, but, you know, detractors of Alkonost have been saying that for years and yet they are still going strong and gaining fans all over. If the sound clicks with you, it is likely that you will enjoy their entire discography, and if it doesn't, then you probably won't like anything they've released. For those of us with which this long-running Russian band has already clicked, On the Wings of the Call will undoubtedly be a solid addition to our collections and hopefully a sign of even better things still to come.

Album Review: Темнозорь - Урочища снов

Artist: Темнозорь (Temnozor) [Russia]
Album Title: Урочища снов ("Haunted Dreamscapes")
Record Label: Stellar Winter (Russia)
Released: 2010 (January)
Purchased From: Ebay

Temnozor was pretty quiet for a while after the release of their second proper album, Folkstorm of the Azure Nights, but then suddenly as 2010 dawned they put out two big releases: the live CD/DVD Twilights at the Winter Funeral and the studio album Haunted Dreamscapes. I ordered them both at the same time, but it was Haunted Dreamscapes that most interested me. As is usual for Temnozor, there had been some lineup changes since the previous studio album, and because of that, and the relatively long period of time since Folkstorm, I wasn't sure what to expect. The albums Horizons and Folkstorm are highly respected among fans of pagan/folk metal, so many of us wondered if Temnozor could maintain their place towards the top of the pantheon despite the time passed and lineup changes.

Well, looking through the various reviews of Haunted Dreamscapes, it seems that reception to it has been rather mixed, but I'm pretty impressed with the album. First of all, the artwork. I have the Stellar Winter digibook edition, and the word I'd use for it is "lush." The cover is quite evocative of a dreamscape, with its gray fog and ghostly figures. The beautiful artwork continues throughout the generous insert (well, I say "insert" but it's attached to the front cover of the digibook), and one can see a mix of dreamlike and pagan visuals here. Props to Temnozor and Stellar Winter for making the effort to make this packaging really stand out.

The mystical blend of dreamscape and paganism continues with the music and lyrics as well. I don't know who wrote the lyrics to the album, though Gorruth (a non-musical member of the band and the head of Stellar Winter) is credited as lyricist on their Metal Archives page. He also wrote the lyrics to Walknut's Graveforests and their Shadows, which are very good considering English is not his first language, but all the lyrics on Temnozor's Haunted Dreamscapes are in Russian so it would make sense that these are even better. There's an excellent and poetic English translation on Metal Archives, and when I read along while listening to the music, it really helps the atmosphere. A favorite part, from "The Heart of Crane Distances," goes (in English): "Pinewoods stand like ancient armies, In the blue mists of endless distances, In the hands of autumn, I heard, The heart of my land still beats." Now, Temnozor has a bit of, let's say, "notoriety" due to past lyrics and the political positions of band members, but you won't really find any of that on this album. Perhaps it's due to the lineup changes (for instance, Kaldrad Branislav, Mr. Blazebirth Hall, is apparently not present on this album at all... I think he may be in prison).

On to the music itself, it seems that not a lot has changed since Folkstorm of the Azure Nights, though it appears that most if not all of the guitars, bass, and drums were played by live drummer Svyagir (from Walknut and various other bands). I would say that Haunted Dreamscapes, overall, has a more mellow feel to it. Yes, there's still a black metal influence present, and fans will instantly be able to identify the band as Temnozor when "Evilgod's Ravens" starts after the intro. Ratibor's unmistakeable flute can be heard throughout that track, and later in the track you can hear the distinct clean vocals of long-time member Petr. I was a little worried after hearing samples from the live CD/DVD that Petr had been replaced as vocalist, but fortunately he is here and his vocals are used a lot over the course of the album.

"Sunwheels of Solstice" (or "Kolyada," more accurately) is a pretty decent song, though probably my least favorite track on the album. Lead vocals on this are handled by new member Rodoslav, probably best known as the frontman for pagan folk band Krynitza, though he's also shown up in Oprich and Vo Skorbyah. I like Rodoslav as a vocalist, but not so much as a part of Temnozor. One of my main criticisms of the live album was that they used Rodoslav to do a lot of the clean vocals on songs that should have had Petr's voice instead. That's just personal opinion, though. Petr does sing a little on "Sunwheels of Solstice," in what I guess I would call the chorus of the song. This is a pretty heavy song, like "Evilgod's Ravens," but after this the album gets a little more mellow (and, in my opinion, becomes better).

The title track is a gentle song, with what I would call "grim whispers" along with the sung vocals. This album restores the dreamlike quality established by the album's intro that had sort of disappeared with the second and third tracks. Light synths swirl around like fog in the background, and some beautiful voice-like synths complement the melody and atmosphere. The lyrics on this track reinforce this atmosphere, with talk of burial mounds, a wizard moon on a ship (portrayed in the artwork as well), and ancient oaks. The next track, "Chalice of Morrow," is a fairly typical Temnozor track, beginning with what may be some sort of bagpipes or zhaleika, as well as the flute. I don't mean "typical" to say that it isn't a standout track, though, because it's quite good.

However, the last two tracks on Haunted Dreamscapes are my clear favorites. "The Heart of Crane Distances" begins with soft synths and acoustic guitar, and Petr's excellent vocals. It's a relaxing and beautiful track, at least until about four and a half minutes in, when it suddenly turns into a metal song. But it doesn't stop being beautiful when that happens. Petr's voice becomes stronger and more forceful, and at this point I realize that the track this most reminds me of is my favorite Temnozor song, "When the Lazure Skies Tear the Hearts Apart," from Folkstorm. And it is also at this point that I realize that, lineup changes or no, Temnozor has managed to recapture the things I loved so much about the previous albums.

Haunted Dreamscapes finishes with "Silent Be the Wind," which starts softly again but doesn't take long to become a metal song. On this track, Petr is supported by Rodoslav on vocals. It is also on this track that the band veers closest to Nationalistic themes, with the lines: "For this ancient land, for these azure skies, For our freedom we would fight till the end, Till the rivers would run red with our blood, Death is all what awaits us." That's about as controversial as they get here. As the track winds down, the guitars fade and Petr finishes the song (and album) a capella, with words that translate to: "Silent be the winds in the fields of rye. Do not disturb our slumber. Soon, as the morning rises, I will go away. Forget me not, but don't await my return." Somber and a little sad, it's an appropriate end to an album that is dark but not oppressively so.

The 41 minute running time of Haunted Dreamscapes seems to go quickly each time I listen to it. Sometimes if I don't pay enough attention to it, it just sort of glides by in the background. I don't know if that's a fault of the album so much as it is a statement about how subtle it can be. The album is solid from beginning to end, but it may be too mellow for some fans, or perhaps too "gray," if that makes sense. It feels kind of low-key compared to the past two albums, but the songwriting is good and the production values are high. I doubt that it will be held up to the same level that Horizons or Folkstorm is held, but I feel that, since its release, more and more fans have been warming up to it. It's a great little album, a minor work I would say, but one I'm glad I have in my collection. Temnozor managed to surprise me a bit, but they didn't disappoint me with this one.

Album Review: Nokturnal Mortum - Голос Сталі

Artist: Nokturnal Mortum (Ukraine)
Album Title: Голос Сталі ("The Voice of Steel")
Record Label: Oriana Music (Ukraine)
Released: 2009 (December)
Purchased From: Ebay

Back in September 2007, I reviewed the album Mirovozzrenie by Ukraine's Nokturnal Mortum, and right at the beginning of the review I stated that it was quite possibly my favorite pagan metal album. Since then I've stated the same thing about Moonsorrow's V: Hävitetty, but I think I'm ready to give the title back to Nokturnal Mortum after giving myself sufficient time to absorb the absolutely monstrous piece of art that is The Voice of Steel.

Nokturnal Mortum went a bit quiet for a while, taking a long time to work on the album. I think the title was announced way back in 2007 or so, and it took so long to work on that, during the recording of it, they had two changes to their lineup. Their drummer Odalv was replaced, along with guitarist Alzeth. Their replacements, Bairoth on drums and Astargh on guitar, join Varggoth, Saturious and Vrolok. Odalv and Alzeth can still be heard on one or two tracks, but the majority of the album was recorded with the new lineup. While this is usually no big news, since Eastern European pagan metal bands seem to change lineups every other week, and Nokturnal Mortum has been pretty much a revolving door of band members since the beginning (with only Varggoth and Saturious being the "core" of the band since back in the demo days), in this case it seems to have actually made a difference in the sound of the band.

This "new sound" is not apparent at first. Following the typical instrumental introduction (with the now-familiar battle horn and nature sounds leading into an interesting folky tune), the band immediately turns the intensity level up to 10 with the first proper song, "The Voice of Steel." Nice clean vocals, war-like drums, Varggoth's aggressive black metal shout... yep, this is nice, this is familiar. It's like all the good things about Mirovozzrenie, except refined even further. In fact, the clean vocals are really, really good. There were some clean vocals towards the end of the previous album, but these are more like Moonsorrow's wordless background chants, like a chorus of warriors. Already, with barely 10 minutes under our belt, The Voice of Steel sounds fantastic. However, the song isn't really a departure from the sound of Mirovozzrenie, so people who didn't really care for that album may already dismiss it.

The next track, "Valkyrie," starts off sounding like pretty typical Nokturnal Mortum. It's a little faster, and the synths are a little more modern and less "symphonic" (ie: not sounding like strings and choirs), but the only real difference, at first, is that Varggoth's vocals sound a little more distant, not as up-front. But then, in an instrumental break about four minutes in, the funky guitar and bass start. I don't really know how else to describe it. Not being used to the band using anything more than distortion on their guitars, it's initially jarring to hear different effects being used, as well as the bluesy-jazzy style that is played. But then I start to dig it. I start to really dig it. This long instrumental part lasts for four minutes, and it may be enough to single-handedly cause even non-fans of Nokturnal Mortum to prick up their ears and start listening. The song gets back into a more typical mode, but the impression has already been made. Nokturnal Mortum has tinkered with their established style and have come up with something amazing.

I'm getting ahead of myself, but the strange thing about this album is that it basically alternates between tracks that more closely resemble the previous two albums with tracks that utilize the funky guitar effects and more progressive, even psychedelic, elements. I don't know where these elements came from. Perhaps new guitarist Astargh?

At any rate, after "Valkyrie" the band continues with "Ukraine," a powerfully uplifting track with some nice violin and addicting clean vocal bridges and choruses. If ever a better track has ever been written about one's home country, I haven't heard it. Then again, I live in America, where those songs tend to be awful country-pop anthems. "Ukraine" doesn't have any of those new guitar effects, but it does have a nice solo. It seems like such a new experience to be paying so much attention to the instrumentation on a Nokturnal Mortum album. This has never been a band that has banked on their instrumental prowess. The guitars, drums, and bass have always just kind of been there. Sometimes, as in the case of the guitar on the classic Goat Horns album, they were so buried underneath the keyboards that they might as well have not even been there.

After the excellent "Ukraine," the band gets back into their mystical psychedelic mode with "My Dream Islands," with a long, beautiful intro. This song perhaps best blends the "old" with the "new," as there are some perfectly placed bagpipes to be heard on this track. It just has such a wonderful atmosphere that it manages to even top "Ukraine" in terms of pure musical splendor. It's at this point that I almost thought I was dreaming, because it seemed impossible to be listening to something this unexpected and awesome. But, indeed, repeated listens have confirmed that it really is that great, and its greatness has not diminished in the year and a half or so since I first heard it. Towards the end of this song, I can really detect how much fun the band is having on this album. The interplay of guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums seem so effortlessly playful and fun that I can hardly believe this is the same band that has stirred up so much controversy in the past.

The momentum of the album slows a bit with "Path of the Sun," which I believe may be the first song that was recorded for the album, since it features both the former guitarist and former drummer. It reminds me quite strongly of the material on Mirovozzrenie, especially the folky parts after the chorus and towards the end of the track. It's not a bad song, but it's a bit of a letdown after the last few songs.

Nokturnal Mortum throw it into folk rock mode with "Sky of Saddened Nights," which is as melancholy as its title would imply. It's a very nice track, though, with some beautiful flute and acoustic guitar. It also allows the listener to catch his or her breath before unleashing the final massive dose of awesome, "White Tower." Now, at this point it seems impossible for the band to top what they accomplished earlier, with tracks like "Valkyrie," "Ukraine," and "My Dream Islands," but they manage to do it with finesse and confidence with the album's final track.

On "White Tower," everyone gets a chance to shine. The drummer channels his inner funk early on, while the synths go sort of "ambient house" on us. It's amazing that this even works with Varggoth's aggressive vocals in the mix. As the song fades out, I tend to sit there with my jaw on the floor, trying to comprehend what I've just heard. This is Nokturnal Mortum? Where did this come from?

Wherever it comes from, I hope it continues. With the band's ever-changing lineup, I'm not sure it will (bassist Vrolok has apparently already left the band since the recording), but I suppose that even if the planets never align in the same way as to allow the band to recapture the creative spark that inspired The Voice of Steel, we will always have this, at least.

A perfect album? Maybe not quite, but it's about as close as I've heard. Absolutely essential. Worth checking out even if you don't generally like symphonic black metal or folk metal.