Friday, November 2, 2007

What I was listening to in October instead of updating this blog...

I have many excuses for why I didn't update this blog through most of October. For one thing, the Half-Life 2 Orange Box was released, so I spent some time trying to play through Half-Life 2 again so that I could start episodes 1 and 2. Team Fortress 2 took some time, as did my attempt to finish Bioshock (which I'm not done with yet). I also re-joined my old black metal band at the end of October, though that doesn't excuse the rest of the month.

However, the biggest reason why I didn't update the blog was that I was too busy listening to a lot of new CD purchases from October. I will list a few of those CD's here.



Alkonost - Alkonost

Alkonost (Russia) - Alkonost (2002 Ketzer Records [Germany] / Beverina Productions [Latvia])

Before the very talented Alena decided to lend her operatic voice to Alkonost, the folk metal band featured the harsh vocals of Alex "Nightbird" almost exclusively. You can still hear him on newer Alkonost releases, but not nearly as much (except for Песни Вечного Древа, which I'll address in a bit). This self-titled 2002 release also featured lyrics in English instead of their native Russian, as well as more raw production and a somewhat harsher sound altogether.

Alkonost actually consists of the mini-album Songs of the Eternal Oak and the demo "Spirit Tending To Revolt." Much of this was re-recorded for the 2007 release Песни Вечного Древа (romanized as Pesni Vechnogo Dreva), which consists of mostly superior versions of these songs. Therefore, it's difficult to recommend this release over that one. However, it's an interesting look at a young band that showed great promise.


Alkonost - Песни Вечного Древа

Alkonost (Russia) - Песни Вечного Древа (2007 Metalism Records [Russia])

Keeping track of Alkonost releases has proven to be difficult for me. Not knowing Russian is one part of the problem, and the fact that they have been going back and re-recording their older songs with new Russian lyrics is a bigger part. Песни Вечного Древа is basically a partial re-recording of their 2002 self-titled album. I enjoy the newer Alkonost albums I have, but this one is probably my favorite, as it is dominated by the vocals of Alex "Nightbird." New lead vocalist Alena shows up once in a while, and there are some nice guest vocals on track 5 by Ilya from Svarga and Alexandr from Rarog (the Russian bands, not be confused with the Ukrainian NS pagan metal band Svarga or the Polish folk metal project Rarog).

I enjoy Alena's vocals, but Alex has a great harsh voice. If you like Alkonost but lean towards the harsh male vocals as opposed to the soprano operatic vocals of Alena, this is definitely an album you need to check out. This album features a re-recording of "My Last Day" and is my favorite version of my favorite Alkonost song. The argument can be (and has been) made that Alkonost songs mostly sound the same, with similar keyboard sounds and musical style. That's somewhat true, and it's also true that they would benefit from some traditional instruments, but they're a solid and very accessible band in the realm of folk metal, and I like them a great deal.


Carved in Stone - Tales of Glory & Tragedy

Carved In Stone (Germany) - Tales of Glory & Tragedy (2007 Schwarzdorn [Germany])

Okay, I actually ended up getting this CD at the very end of October, as it was not released until the 26th of the month (thank you to Dark Symphonies for getting a few copies in immediately; you guys continue to rock!). But I listened to this quite a bit in the last few days of October, as this was an album that I was anticipating with great interest.

Carved In Stone is a solo pagan folk project of Swawa (Ilona Jeschke), who is connected to the metal scene due to her involvement in the Viking metal band Taunusheim. Her 2004 album Hear the Voice is one that I've spun countless times in the past year or year-and-a-half since I bought it. It's a difficult album to follow up, in my opinion. I love its mystical melodies, the fuzzy recording quality of the guitar, the proud lyrics, and, most of all, Swawa's enchanting vocals.

Fortunately, those things are all present on this album, and there also some nice choir-style vocals. Once again, her songs are in German, English, and what I think is Norwegian. She managed to deliver a fine follow-up to Hear the Voice, though so far I do not feel that Tales of Glory & Tragedy is quite as good as its predecessor. Still, if you like pagan neo-folk music, either of Carved in Stone's albums are great choices. I'm certain that her debut MCD is great as well, but unfortunately I have yet to find or hear it.


Drudkh - Estrangement

Drudkh (Ukraine) - Estrangement (2007 Supernal Music [England])

Estrangement is certain to be another controversial Drudkh album. With every release, there is an inevitable backlash from metal fans who feel that Drudkh is terribly overrated, or from Drudkh fans who wish that they had gone in a different direction. I've already seen many comments and reviews from people in both those categories. Personally, I love Estrangement. It's not a continuation of Blood In Our Wells (perhaps the most acclaimed of Drudkh's albums), nor is it a return to any of their older styles. It's not as epic as Blood In Our Wells, which initially disappointed me a bit, and it doesn't have as "thick" a sound in the guitars as their previous albums. To me, it sounds closest to their 2005 album The Swan Road, which to me is not at all a bad thing, though thankfully they don't sound as if they are simply recycling old material (many will disagree).

An element of the album that will likely annoy many listeners is the drums. The snare has a sound that kind of irritated me until I got used to it, and I'm not sure I like the blastbeats very much. However, I like the fact that they sound more "live" than on previous albums. Also, the guitars seem to have more texture to them; they're not simply a wall of sound. I can occasionally hear acoustic strumming behind them, which is something you'd hear a lot on early Drudkh albums. I can also hear the bass. What has thankfully not changed are the proud but melancholy melodies. They aren't quite as "epic" on this album, but they're every bit as good as on previous albums. The guitar solos make a return, and sound great, especially on the instrumental track that closes the album.

A fine album from one of the best bands in the genre.


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Rarog (Russia) - I Know the God (2006 SvaSound Records [Russia])

Okay, the actual title is in Russian, with Cyrillic letters, but it's difficult to find any information about this album, so this will have to do for now. Even rateyourmusic.com doesn't have an entry for them. Rarog plays pagan folk metal with a mix of clean vocals (male and female) and harsh male vocals. The clean vocals are often nicely harmonized, which adds a nice flavor to the album. There are also some occasional acoustic passages. Overall their sound reminds me of early Odroerir. They recording is kind of raw, but the beauty is able to come through anyway. There are no traditional instruments, however; the folkish melodies are done on guitar and on keyboard.

This album was a pleasant surprise for me. I bought it because the listing mentioned that they would appeal to fans of Pagan Reign and Arkona. There was probably only a few seconds between when I read that and when I clicked "Buy." I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I got was a refreshing and unique folk metal album. They're not the best band out there, but if you like bands like Odroerir and don't mind some black metal mixed in (yes, I know that Odroerir had a bit of black metal on their first album...), Rarog is a band worth checking out. Hopefully we will hear more from them in the years to come.


Svarrogh - Kukeri

Svarrogh (Bulgaria) - Kukeri (2006 Heavy Horses Records [Germany])

Dimo Dimov is a Bulgarian who now resides in Germany, but pays tribute to his native land through the folk/black metal project Svarrogh. Actually, the latest releases from this band seem to be completely folk/ambient, without any traces of metal, but I'm not absolutely sure as I have not been able to track down very much from this band. I almost avoided this album because I figured it was typical black metal, but fortunately I listened to some samples and realized that it was something much more than that.

Svarrogh's sound (on this album, at least) is very difficult to describe while doing any justice to the music. There are some electronic, somewhat industrial moments. And there are many raw black metal moments. However, the dominant style on this album is folk, and, refreshingly, rather than being played entirely on synth, there are actual traditional instruments used, like mandolin, bagpipes, and kaval-pipe. The vocals are often delivered in a black metal rasp, sometimes distorted, but there are also a lot of clean, often folkish, vocals.

Because he mixes raw black metal with a strong folk presence, I'm tempted to compare Svarrogh to one of my favorite bands in the genre, Slavland, but Svarrogh has an entirely unique sound. Kukeri is a fascinating listen, and I'm discovering more about it every time I listen to it. Recommended if you have an open mind and are looking for something unique within the genre of pagan folk metal.



I had some other albums I was thinking about adding, but I'm not sure I've listened to them enough yet. Albums from Marblebog, Primordial, North, Perunica, Elffor, and others have been on my playlist this month. Maybe I'll talk about them another time.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Album Review: Elffor - "From the Throne of Hate"

Elffor - From the Throne of Hate

Band: Elffor (Spain)
Album Title: From the Throne of Hate
Label: self-released
Released: 2004

From the Basque Country comes Elffor, the side project of Eöl, keyboardist of Suffering Down. From the Throne of Hate is the third Elffor album, and the first that I heard. Elffor began as a medieval ambient project, but over the course of its history has added more and more elements of black metal into the mix. From the Throne of Hate can properly be considered black metal, as it includes guitar and a greater amount of vocals than the first two albums. Still, considering that Eöl is a keyboardist, it should come as no surprise that synths dominate this album. That's just fine with me, as this is one of my favorite synth-driven metal albums.

I cannot properly describe the atmosphere this album gives off. Whenever I listen to it, I can vividly picture medieval forests and villages. I have no idea if Elffor's lyrics are about these things (all I can ever hear are short phrases like "mystic darkness" and lines about ravens). I think what gives me these mental pictures are the beautiful synths, which almost always consists of a choir sound and some strings. There are also frequent folkish passages, which gives From the Throne of Hate its unique sound. You can draw comparisons to bands like Graveland and Summoning, but Elffor maintains its own identity on this release. Sometimes the music reminds me of something familiar, like the music in medieval fantasy role-playing games on the computer. That may also explain why I picture forests and villages when I listen to Elffor.

The song titles are generic and sound more like something a Darkthrone rip-off band might come up with; however, don't let that fool you. Elffor is an ambient/black metal project of the highest quality, and deserves a wider audience than it is currently getting. I wouldn't necessarily describe it as "pagan metal," despite the fact that the t-shirt that was put out for this album definitely looks like one you'd see for a pagan band, with its runic letters, Celtic knotwork, and what appears to be a triskelion made of wolves on the back. All I can think of to call it is "medieval, symphonic ambient black metal." Judging from the few interviews I've read with Eöl, I don't feel that there's any strong pagan ideology in Elffor, anyway.

Essentially what you get with From the Throne of Hate is mostly mid-paced, synth-driven black metal, with vocals that sound like Graveland's Rob Darken. But that doesn't adequately describe the music, as the reason this album has enchanted me so much are the melodies. Whether done through the synth-choir that is used in most of the metal passages, or the synthesized flutes, woodwinds, and other instruments in the softer, folkish passages, there are many memorable and addicting melodies on this album. I even love the two instrumental tracks. There's a certain melody that is brought up frequently on the album, which binds the album together into a cohesive whole.

The fact that From the Throne of Hate is self-released and limited to 500 copies (though it looks like a re-release is in the future) is something that makes me kind of sad, as this is one of my favorite albums, and one that I have played probably more than any metal album in my collection. It may be very difficult to track down as a result (I had to buy mine off of Ebay, and that was two years ago), but it's well worth buying if you enjoy this style of music.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Vo Skorbyah Lives!

I'm very late with this news here, but, according to their official website, Vo Skorbyah is no longer just a studio project. They began recording a new album this past summer and are playing at the "Wings of Doom 4" festival in Moscow on December 1st.

This is very, very good news for the many fans who adore the self-titled album they released earlier this year. Originally, they were set to be a one-off project (read my review from September), but I suppose they realized how awesome they are and decided to continue as a band.

Awesome, I feel giddy...

(The post stating that they are working on a new album is from July, so yes, I am very late with this news. I didn't even know they had a website until tonight.)

Album Review: Krynitza - "Hail to the Sun"

Krynitza - Hail to the Sun

Band: Krynitza (Russia)
Album Title: Hail to the Sun
Label: Sonnenvolk / Stellar Winter (Russia)
Released: 2007

Krynitza's debut album, Angel, was well-received among metal fans, despite not resembling metal in the slightest. Nothing terribly surprising there, considering the critical success of folkish bands like Tenhi and latter-day Empyrium in the metal realm. Krynitza, faced with this success, could have just pushed out another album similar to Angel, but instead has greatly evolved their sound with the follow-up album, Hail to the Sun.

Rodoslav (who now plays the zhaleyka and balalaika in addition to vocals, flute, and guitar) has fleshed out Krynitza's line-up into a full folk band, at least in the studio (I don't know if they ever play live). The female vocalist from the previous album has been replaced by the very capable Maria, and the violinist has been replaced as well. Also in the band are an additional guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, and a mouth harp player (the same mouth harp player from Angel). The final track also features a bayan (Russian accordion). What results is a very rich and full sound, aided by much-improved production.

Hail to the Sun is a great step forward for the band, and one of the most beautiful pieces of pagan art you are likely to hear this year. There is a greater variety among the songs on this album than there was on Angel. The sound is more aggressive, overall, due to the percussion and bass. Also, the female vocals are better-utilized, as Maria is not relegated to singing "Ooh" and "Aah" as Tatyana was on the debut.

The most experimental song on the album is the traditional Russian song "Raven Dark." On this track, the traditional instruments are done away with entirely (except for the mouth harp), replaced by electronics and sound effects. Some may not like the inclusion of this track, but I thought it provided a bit of variety and a nice break in the middle of the album.

Unfortunately, Hail to the Sun is almost as short as its predecessor, clocking in at just under a half hour. With music this good, naturally you want it to last longer, though I suppose shorter run times are typical for folk albums. But, like their debut, Krynitza's second album is a great journey while it lasts. This time around, they were kind enough to include English translations of the lyrics and recording information, courtesy of a separate insert, though I'm not sure if all copies of the CD have this. It's nice to see that they are keeping their non-Russian-speaking fans, like myself, in mind.

Hail to the Sun managed to exceed my already-high expectations for a follow-up to Angel. I would imagine that few if any Krynitza fans could possibly be disappointed with this release. As an aside, Krynitza's nationalist politics are made known on the closing song, "Motherland," but if you're already familiar with the Stellar Winter stable of bands, then there is nothing here that will offend you.

Album Review: Krynitza - "Angel"

Krynitza - Angel

Band: Krynitza (Russia)
Album Title: Angel
Label: Sonnenvolk / Stellar Winter (Russia)
Released: 2005

I don't listen to a lot of traditional folk music, and most of it I do listen to has some sort of connection to the metal scene. From the great pagan metal label Stellar Winter comes Krynitza, which is connected to the metal bands Oprich and Bog Morok (and, more recently, the awesome Vo Skorbyah). Rodoslav, the leader of this project, is (allegedly) a session member of Oprich, and violinist Vasilisa played on that band's split with Kroda. Rodoslav also contributed much to the Vo Skorbyah CD, which is one of my favorite CD's of 2007.

You won't find any metal on Angel. The music is entirely acoustic (except for a bit of keyboard on one track), consisting of guitar, violin, flute, mouth harp, and male and female vocals. Rodoslav supplies the male vocals, his voice sounding proud yet melancholic. Tatyana Vyugina is the primary female vocalist on Angel, yet her voice is mostly used as an ethereal-sounding backdrop to Rodoslav's vocals, as she sings very few actual words on the album. All lyrics are in Russian, and there is no translation provided in the insert, so I can only guess as to the nature of the lyrics. Song title translations include, "Song of the Wind," "As Upon the Wild Wasteland...," and "The Leaves of Life," which are pretty ambiguous.

The album begins with "Requiem," which is mostly instrumental, except for the wordless female vocals. For some reason it sounds to me as if it would fit very well in an Italian western film. This song also features some nature sound effects, which is something that is also used in the next few songs. The other instrumental on Angel is the very pleasant "Rusalia," which features two flutes, a simple keyboard backdrop, and nothing else.

There's no single exceptional element to this album. The guitar is little more than strummed chords, and the violin, though well-played, loses a bit of its character due to the somewhat rough recording. However, it's how it all fits together that gives Angel its unique and charming sound. The album gives me a nostalgic feeling, despite my not being able to understand the words. It's a short album (only 28 and a half minutes, which includes the live recording of "As Upon the Wild Wasteland...," a song which appears earlier on the CD in a studio version), but it's very enjoyable, from beginning to end, and it's one that I play quite often.

Though Krynitza improved in many ways with their second album, Hail to the Sun, their first little gem should not be overlooked.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Turisas goes disco

Well, not exactly, but the band managed to not only record their cover of Boney M's "Rasputin," which they had been playing live for a few years, but film a music video for the single as well.

Video is here

It's very tongue-in-cheek, as you would expect.

And this is not exactly news, as the video and single have been out for a little while now, but I felt it was worth posting as I find it amusing... and catchy.

For those interested in the more serious side of Turisas, I whole-heartedly recommend their new album, "The Varangian Way." I wasn't a big fan of their previous album, but this one is awesome.

Interesting

The Woodtemple CD I ordered came in today. When I opened the package I was amused to find that, by coincidence, the place I ordered the CD from had used, in order to cushion the CD during shipping, the very same issue of Terrorizer magazine (UK) in which my former band's debut CD was reviewed.

I already had a copy of the magazine, but it gave me a good laugh nonetheless. Terrorizer gave us one of our strongest reviews, and now I have a second copy in case anything happens to the original.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Album Review: Die Saat - "Wir laden zum Feste"

Die Saat - Wir laden zum Feste

Band: Die Saat (Germany)
Album Title: Wir laden zum Feste
Label: Ewiges Eis Records (Germany)
Released: 2006

Well, here it is, the crowning achievement of a great Viking metal band. Wir laden zum Feste, in my opinion, is the fulfillment of the potential Die Saat has shown. It's a full 20 minutes shorter than Der Schlachten Tribut, the band's previous album, but to me it's to Die Saat's benefit, as it sounds tighter and more focused. It would have been great to see how they would top Wir laden zum Feste, but unfortunately, it looks like the band has split up (according to Encyclopedia Metallum, at least).

Although I enjoyed the first and second album greatly, I was not prepared for how good their third album would be. Everything has improved over the previous album, including the production. Finally, the production is worthy of the music, or at least very close to it. There is still room for improvement, but everything is more clearly recorded and is given proper space within the stereo spectrum. Even the drum machine has improved.

If the album has any fault, it's that it takes a few minutes to get moving. It begins with an a cappella track called "Willkommen," and follows with "Midgards Erben," the first real song on the album. "Midgards Erben" is not a bad song over all, but it starts out kind of weak. However, things pick up by the chorus, and for the rest of the album, I was entirely captivated.

The keyboard sounds and arrangements have a majestic, sweeping quality. There are some moments that are so perfect that I have to smile, and those moments come quite often on this album. I was going to try to list some of them, but there are just too many. Picking a favorite track is difficult as well, not because the songs seem to blend together into one long song (they don't, they each manage to stand out), but because they are all so good. "Asatru" is particularly breath-taking, though. And I love the clean vocals that close the title track.

As I stupidly decided to write reviews for all three Die Saat albums in one evening, I'm at a loss for words to describe Wir laden zum Feste adequately. I guess the biggest endorsement I can give is that it's in my top 5 metal albums of 2006. If it's the final contribution we'll see from Die Saat, at least they went out on a high note. Unfortunately, it's one that few will probably hear, as it was limited to 1,000 copies between two editions (a regular digi-pack and a metal box version). It's definitely worth tracking down, in my opinion.

Hails to you, Die Saat! May you one day return!

Album Review: Die Saat - "Der Schlachten Tribut"

Die Saat - Der Schlachten Tribut

Band: Die Saat (Germany)
Album Title: Der Schlachten Tribut
Label: Ewiges Eis Records (Germany)
Released: 2003

On their second album, Der Schlachten Tribut, Die Saat has evolved into a Viking metal band to be reckoned with. The production is still raw, and the drum machine is still pretty weak, but the album shows the band maturing in their songwriting and arranging while maintaining the energy and spirit of their debut. At just under an hour long, Der Schlachten Tribut is epic in more than one sense.

The album opens with the title track, which features two sets of clean vocals. I'm not sure if Sturm handled both sets of clean vocals, or if Tormentor is the second voice, because both are credited as vocalists on this album. At any rate, the harmonizing clean vocals sound great, and they appear often on this album as well as the third album, Wir Laden Zum Feste. The rest of the vocals are again done in a distorted shriek, though they are sometimes alternated with low, growling vocals. The vocals are one improvement over the previous album. The clean vocals are used quite frequently, sometimes at the same time as the shrieking vocals, and they sound proud and Germanic.

The keyboards have also improved, and can finally transmit the epic quality that the music requires. The keyboard arrangements are an important part of Die Saat's sound, which I'm sure will bother pagan metal fans who despise the heavy use of keyboards. I enjoy keyboards, though, especially when they're used tastefully, as they are here. The guitars are sometimes relegated to background duty, but, despite the keyboard-heavy arrangements, there is some really nice (and frequent) lead guitar playing going on.

Most important to me is that this album has the atmosphere I crave in my Viking metal. Although I have no idea what is being said in the German lyrics (one song, the slightly goofy "Black Metal," is in English), the music manages to stir the noble spirit within. With the penultimate track, Die Saat pays tribute to their home, the German state of Thuringia. I've never been to Thuringia, but it must be quite the place, because no fewer than four of my favorite pagan metal bands have emerged from that region of Germany (Die Saat, Menhir, Odroerir, and XIV Dark Centuries).

Their third album may be my favorite Die Saat release, but that's certainly no reason to write off Der Schlachten Tribut. If you can still locate a copy (it was limited to 1,000, which is twice as many as were pressed of Niedergang), I whole-heartedly recommend it. Like me, you may need to get past the production and the weak drum machine before you can truly enjoy it, but I found it to be more than worth the effort.

Album Review: Die Saat - "Niedergang"

Die Saat - Niedergang

Band: Die Saat (Germany)
Album Title: Niedergang
Label: EE Records (Germany)
Released: 2002

Die Saat has quietly become one of my favorite bands in the pagan metal genre. But, to be perfectly honest, I initially hated their music. It actually took me a few months before I would bother to sit through the first album, Niedergang, and it quickly began to grow on me.

This Thuringian band plays Viking metal with German lyrics. At this point, the band consisted of guitarist/vocalist Sturm, guitarist Tormentor, bassist Eofperaz, and keyboardist Ardor. The vocals on Niedergang are delivered mainly in a distorted shriek, though there are also clean vocals, though not to the extent that they would be used on later releases. Production is raw for a Viking metal album, especially one that is attempting to sound so epic. That is the reason why I initially disliked the CD. The keyboards are a major part of the overall sound, yet on this album they sound like cheap toy keyboards. When epic parts are played (like on the excellent "Adler der Asgard") it is somewhat frustrating that the keyboards have such a weak sound when the arrangements are so good. Another problem is the weak drum machine. It is well-programmed, but it doesn't provide as good a backbone for the music as a real drummer or a better quality drum machine would have.

Though these initial frustrations were enough to keep me from enjoying this album for a while, I'm glad that I was able to eventually get past them, because this is a good album. Although not as fully-realized as on Der Schlachten Tribut or Wir Laden Zum Feste, the songwriting and arrangements on Niedergang are very good. Keyboardist Ardor (if that is indeed him playing... it may be Sturm) is given a chance to shine in the great closing track, "Armageddon." It was on this track (as well as the aforemented "Adler der Asgard") that I received the best glimpse as to what Die Saat would achieve in the future. Everything really comes together on this track.

Though I don't enjoy Niedergang as much as the later Die Saat releases, it still provides a great look at a young band with a lot of ideas and ambition. It is music full of passion and nobility.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Album Review: Nokturnal Mortum - "Mirovozzrenie"

Nokturnal Mortum - Mirovozzrenie

Band: Nokturnal Mortum (Ukraine)
Album Title: Mirovozzrenie
Label: Oriana Music (Ukraine)
Released: 2005 (2004 copyright date)

This is quite possibly my favorite pagan metal album to date. I'll say that outright. It's an immensely satisfying listen, and it's difficult for me to find any fault with it. Nokturnal Mortum has been a consistently good band over the years, but, in my opinion, Mirovozzrenie is their crowning achievement so far.

This album is better known by the title Weltanschauung, which is the name of the English-language version released by the German label No Colours. There are other differences besides the language of the lyrics and packaging, but, having never heard that version, I'll have to take someone else's word for it.

Nokturnal Mortum's career has seen them change with every release, sometimes drastically. Their previous full-length, NeChrist, was generally very fast symphonic black metal, but Mirovozzrenie, for the most part, slows things down quite a bit, and also introduces more folk into the songs and the interludes. What results is a classic pagan metal album with a huge sound and presence. They also dropped many of the trappings of the black metal image for chain-mail and swords. Now they look less like Satanic minions and more like mighty pagan warriors.

Mirovozzrenie consists of 14 tracks, six of which are actual songs. Each of these six songs are excellent, in my opinion. Three of them are newer versions of songs heard previously on The Taste of Victory, but these versions are more refined and better-produced. In fact, the production on the album is wonderful. Every instrument is given room to shine, and the songs sound appropriately powerful. The music is still very epic and symphonic, with some great keyboards that greatly enhance the atmosphere but do not dull the impact of the guitars, drums, and vocals. This is the way it should be done. Vocals are delivered in a sort of black metal shout. It's not shrieking or growling, and it's not like the shouting used in hardcore music. It's hard to describe, but it fits. There are occasional clean background vocals, as well as clean lead vocals on the final actual song, "The Taste of Victory."

I suppose those who dislike the use of keyboards in metal will find problems with this release, and I'm certain that many will find fault with the band's politics. Some will also feel that the album is overlong, or that Nokturnal Mortum lost the plot when they decided to slow down their music and drop much of the black metal sound of previous releases.

However, many, like me, have and will continue to consider this one of the finest releases in the genre. Nokturnal Mortum has shown us just how sweeping and powerful a pagan metal album can be.

Just excellent...

Friday, September 21, 2007

Thoughts 21-9-07

Judging by the few "reviews" I've posted so far, I realize that it looks like I'm pretending to be an actual music critic. I'm really not trying to be. I tend to read a lot of reviews, and it appears that I've picked up the format and the cliches, much to my chagrin.

To clear things up, I'm just a guy who really enjoys this kind of music, and because there are so few outlets for me to discuss my interest in pagan and folk metal, I decided to start this blog. I have no desire to be a "professional" critic. Personally, I would rather be making music myself, which I do on occasion, though not as often as I'd like due to many reasons. This blog is my place to share my own personal opinions on albums I've bought, as well as news and other items about the scene. If nobody ever reads it, that's okay. As long as I get it out of my system, I'm happy.

I also realize that a number of the bands I have discussed and will be discussing on this blog have controversial politics. I will try to not draw attention to those politics, because I hate reading reviews where the author spends half the space distancing themselves from any political messages of the band. If you have a problem with these kinds of bands, there are plenty of other places you can go to talk about it. Please don't use my comment system as a place to gripe about politics. If you do, I'll delete your posts and disable the comment system.

I will not have anything to do with the illegal "trading" of albums in mp3 form. Don't write me asking if I can send you files, or where you can obtain them. If you know how to use the Internet, I'm sure you'll find them if that's what you want. I stand for supporting the pagan metal scene, not cannibalizing it via the (apparently) socially-accepted thievery known popularly as "file sharing." I can direct you to distros where you can obtain the music legally and relatively inexpensively, but I won't help you on your path of dishonor and greed.

Anyway, to give you some background, I've only been listening to this kind of music for a few years now. The first CD I bought in this genre was Windir's 1184, a classic album. My favorite countries for pagan metal are Russia, Finland, Germany, Ukraine, and Poland. My current favorite bands are Moonsorrow, Kroda, Slavland, and Nokturnal Mortum. My most recent CD purchase was Woodtemple's Feel the Anger of the Wind. Right now I am listening to Turisas The Varangian Way, which is far better than I expected it would be.

Well, I'm signing off now.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Album Review: Vo Skorbyah - "Vo Skorbyah"

Во Скорбях - Во скорбях

Band: Vo Skorbyah (Russia)
Album Title: Vo Skorbyah
Label: Sound Age (Russia)
Released: 2007

Vo Skorbyah (in English it seems to mean something like "in sorrow") is a one-off project featuring members of Bog Morok, Oprich, and Krynitza. Bog Morok I'm not at all familiar with, but Oprich is a folk metal band known for their 2005 split CD with Kroda, and Krynitza is a well-received neofolk band.

The music on this album has been described as "folk funeral doom." I don't listen to much doom metal, and have had even less exposure to funeral doom, so I can't even imagine who I'd be able to compare Vo Skorbyah to. Judging by what I've read from others, there really isn't a good comparison. If I were forced to make any sort of comparison, I would say that they kind of sound like Oprich, only much slower. And better.

The lyrics are apparently taken from Slavic funeral texts that date from pre-Christian times. The fifth song contains a sample of a Russian woman mourning a dead child through song. I'll have to take their word for it, I suppose, as I have no way to figure out what is being said, as all lyrics are in Russian. However, it is easy to determine from even a single listen that there is a lot of sorrow in these songs.

Many of the vocals are of the growling variety (delivered by Oprich frontman Yaromir), and there are also some beautiful clean male and female vocals. Krynitza's Rodoslav, besides contributing some excellent clean vocals, also plays flute (and jaw harp). Keyboards are used to good effect, and are never overbearing. Guitars and drums are devastatingly heavy. Even though four of the five songs are about 10 or 11 minutes long, I've never found myself bored or reaching for the "track skip" button. Each song unfolds perfectly.

In fact, I can't think of a single thing I would change about this release. Well, okay, the "crying" vocals at the end of "Batushka Part I" are a little off-putting, but I'm sure that if I had any idea what they were saying, it would all make sense to me.

I really wish I were better at expressing my thoughts and feelings about music so that I could do this album justice with my words. It's simply so good that it should be heard, as there seems to be no way to adequately describe how beautiful and near-perfect Vo Skorbyah is.

Though 2007 has been seen great releases in the pagan metal genre, Vo Skorbyah is certain to make my top albums list. It's one of those brilliant albums that came out of nowhere.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Album Review: Volh - "Solemn March Into the Ragnarok"

Volh - Solemn March into the Ragnarok

Band: Volh (Russia)
Album Title: Solemn March Into the Ragnarok
Label: Vacula Productions (Ukraine) / Othal Productions (Russia)
Released: 2006

When Russian pagan folk band Volkolak issued their metal album Dark Shine of Scales, many fans of the band were dismayed. Had they abandoned their folk sound for good, some wondered? Not to worry. In actuality, Dark Shine of Scales pre-dated their folk material by a few years. It had just taken a while for it to be released, for whatever reasons (I'd rather not know, personally).

While Dark Shine may be Volkolak's least-popular material, a few of us were intrigued by the sound. It was an interesting artifact, certainly, and not a terrible metal album, either, though somewhat mediocre.

Those that enjoyed Dark Shine may be interested in Solemn March Into the Ragnarok by Volh, a band (side project?) fronted by Grigori Kirjuhin of Volkolak (and possibly featuring other Volkolak members, though I'm not sure). More or less, it picks up where Dark Shine left off. This is hateful-sounding pagan metal through and through. The only folk sound to be found is a lonely jaw harp on a few tracks. Everything else is guitar, bass, drums (machine?), and Grigori's (here called Volkh) angry, distorted vocals. At a few points in the album, he also employs his Volkolak-sounding clean vocals, which is probably the only way anyone not familiar with Dark Shine of Scales may link the two bands, sound-wise.

Musically, Volh plays a relentless form of black metal, with lots of tremolo picking and blastbeats. This is not a style of music that I listen to very often, so I must admit that sometimes the drums give me a headache. However, the riffs are very melodic and I enjoyed the distorted vocals.

The songs don't do much to differentiate themselves from each other the first few listens. However, I particularly enjoyed the opener, "Don't Believe," and the seventh track, "Let Shine in the Spears of Valkyries Names of My Sons." There are also no instrumentals or pointless intros, which is refreshing. When you hear several dozen pagan metal albums begin with the sounds of battle or waves or nature sounds, followed by a 3 minute synth intro (believe me, I've been guilty of this in my own project, so I'm not trying to put anyone down), it's nice to hear a band get right to business and keep it moving until the album ends. However, it can also be exhausting. Fortunately, with 8 tracks at 45 minutes, Solemn March Into the Ragnarok is a good length.

This isn't an album that is likely to make much of an impact in the pagan metal scene, especially since it is limited to 1,000 copies. However, those looking for bands in the fast black metal style but with pagan lyrical themes may want to check it out. Volkolak fans may not be interested unless, like me, they enjoyed Dark Shine of Scales to some extent. I've found it to be an enjoyable release. It's not for everybody, but it's a solid debut for Volh and for Ukraine's Vacula Productions. Hopefully we will see more from each.

On Youtube: Belzagor of Slavland?

Here

Is the guy in the red Belzagor from Slavland (Poland)? The tag on the video seems to indicate that it is, but I'm not sure. It certainly could be him, as he plays bagpipes (among many other instruments) on the albums.

The author of the video has posted several other clips from the same event with "Slavland" among the tags. The music in many of the clips sound as if it could have been taken right from the folk moments of his albums.

Hmm... it looks like fun, regardless.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Album Review: Alcest - "Souvenirs d'un autre monde"

Alcest - Souvenirs d'un autre monde

Band: Alcest (France)
Album Title: Souvenirs d'un autre monde
Label: Profound Lore Records (U.S.) - Licensed from Prophecy Productions, Germany
Released: 2007 (August)

Well, this album was certainly surrounded with hype. It seems like ever since samples of two tracks from Souvenirs d'un autre monde showed up on Myspace, it landed on many metalheads' Most Anticipated 2007 lists. Ahem, my own included.

Now that it's been released, the response varies from those who are calling it a classic to people who feel it was over-hyped and not at all worth the fuss. I won't go as far as to say I fall into the former category, but I certainly don't fall in the latter, either. Although I feel it's a bit thin and shallow, I've found Souvenirs to be an extremely enjoyable listen.

Alcest is the one-man project of Neige, though early in its life it was a black metal band. Neige surprised everyone with Le Secret EP in early 2005. Le Secret consisted of two long songs, one of which featured the soft vocals heard on this album, while the other song had black metal-style vocals. It was a sign of good things to come, though we had to wait a while before a follow-up.

It's not likely to set the music world on fire, but Souvenirs is quite a lovely album. There's only really one mood throughout its 41 minutes, but Neige does a good job keeping things interesting. Upon my first listen, I felt as if I had found something impossibly beautiful (though that initial impression dulled a bit upon repeated listens). It's difficult to describe the album. I guess I would label it "metal," as it has most of the qualities of metal, yet it is lacking in any sort of sinister or even melancholic atmosphere. It's a sort of escapist art, I guess. Many reviewers have called it "shoegazer," but I'm not sure I would agree, because there are few guitar effects employed. For some reason, at times it reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream, due to the guitars and the somewhat dreamy atmosphere. Lyrics are in French, and the vocals are soft and melodic. Indeed, the vocals may be my favorite element of this album. They're perfect.

I can't think of much else to say about the album, except that it's extremely beautiful, in a sort of shallow way. I don't think Neige was aiming to create anything terribly deep here, which is fine, because albums like this can be very refreshing when you're in the mood for them. It won't top my Best of 2007 list, but I'm certain it's an album I will listen to and play for friends often. Also, it has very lovely packaging. You can get a good idea of the atmosphere of Souvenirs by looking at the cover.

Quite nice.

Svarogovo Kolo festival

Ukrainian pagan metal band Kroda (КРОДА) made their first live appearance at the Svarogovo Kolo (СВАРОЖЕ КОЛО) festival in August 2007. A report about the concert is here (Russian text with pictures).

There's a short video of their show on Youtube here.

If my hasty and incomplete translation (via Google's translation tools) is correct, Kroda managed to play for about 15 minutes before technical difficulties ended their show. I would have loved to have seen it anyway.

Also interesting to me was that one-man band Chur (ЧУР) played as well. I would assume that he'd have hired additional musicians to help out, but apparently it was just Chur and his guitar (with a backing track, I'm sure), though Eisenslav (Kroda's vocalist) helped out with harsh vocals.

I'm not sure it's my type of crowd (black metal skinheads?), but it sounds like it was interesting.

Introduction

I decided to start this as a place for me to talk about pagan metal and other interests. I'm involved in a few online communities dedicated to this style of music, but the discussions are not enough for me. I wanted a place where I can rave about great new albums I've found (or gripe about ones that disappointed me) and share news.

I'm not a professional reviewer (or professional anything, for that matter), and I'll try my best not to talk like one. I'm just a guy who enjoys this kind of music and am always willing to share my interest with other people. I don't buy albums that I expect will be bad, and I tend to be more forgiving of bands in this style because I love the genre so much, so I'll probably be biased towards the positive. I felt it was right to warn you ahead of time.

There are other things I could say as an introduction, but I'd rather post some news and such.