Album Review: Твердь - Вслед за Солнцеворотом

Artist: Твердь (Tverd) [Russia]
Album Title: Вслед за Солнцеворотом (Follow the Sun's Way)
Record Label: CD-Maximum (Russia)
Released: 2008 (October)

2008 saw many well-regarded pagan metal releases from bands on international metal labels, such as Arkona's Ot Serdtsa K Nebu (re-release), Equilibrium's Sagas, Týr's Land, and Eluveitie's Slania. An album that easily ranks among these, but is probably destined to be overlooked, is the excellent debut album by Russia's Tverd (or, more properly romanized, Tverd'). Unfortunately, like Alkonost or Butterfly Temple, Tverd doesn't have international distribution, but they deserve to.

Tverd is the band that Pagan Reign guitarist/traditional instrument-player Vetrodar began after that band broke up in mid-2007. Pagan Reign was a great band that seemed to be heading in an awesome direction with their final album, 2006's Tverd' (aka Ancient Fortress), with its inclusion of many traditional folk instruments, and many of us were grief-stricken when we found out they were no longer together. A planned acoustic album, apparently only featuring founding member Orey, never appeared. But then, suddenly, this new band Tverd appeared, and, due to the amount of Pagan Reign songwriting that had been done by Vetrodar, Tverd sounds rather similar to the final Pagan Reign album, except with different vocals. In fact, according to the insert notes (thankfully included in English), Tverd is meant to be a natural progression of Pagan Reign. Excellent!

Now, how about the actual album? Well, as I mentioned, the major departure from Pagan Reign is in the vocal department. Tverd has three vocalists. The harsh vocals are handled by Vetrodar, but they are not featured very prominently. Instead, many of the vocals are done in an operatic style (by Alexandr Ivanov) and folk style (by Svetlana Lebedeva). Some don't like the operatic vocals of Alexandr Ivanov, but I think they have a tendency to grow on a person. He has a great voice and range, and I think his vocal style fits the style of music. Svetlana Lebedeva is stated in the insert to do folk and academic opera style vocals, but I don't really hear the opera style. She does great folk-style vocals, though, and handles the lead vocals on Масленица Широкая ("Wide Maslenitsa") and the traditional На Чужую Сторонушку ("To the Foreign Land"). In other songs, she harmonizes beautifully with Alexandr.

Vetrodar plays guitar and a wide array of traditional instruments, including various flute and reed instruments, bagpipes, zhaleyka, balalaika, domra, and mandolin. There are several sections where you'll only hear the traditional instruments (along with acoustic guitar), including on the two instrumental pieces, but for the most part the traditional instruments are omnipresent, and they mix well with the metal elements. The songwriting on Follow the Sun's Way is top-notch all-around, and everything is well-played. The rest of the band is guitarist and gusli-player Ratibor, bassist Sigurd, and drummer Demosthen (another former Pagan Reign member). The lyrics are fairly typical of Russian pagan metal bands (battles, traditions, pro-Russian themes, nature, Slavic gods, etc.).

Follow the Sun's Way is a pretty heavy album, with crunchy guitar riffs, the occasional guitar solo, and some great and varied drumming, but it's made more accessible by the clean vocals and the presence of traditional instruments. Some people avoided Pagan Reign because of Orey's vocals (which I greatly enjoyed), but Tverd should give them no such excuses. Follow the Sun's Way is a pretty unique album and will probably not appeal to everyone, but in my opinion it's definitely one of the best you'll hear this year, if you can find it.

There are many highlights on this album, but the centerpiece is Богатырская Застава ("The Bogatyr’s Gates"), which is described as an "epic metal cantata." While I wouldn't go so far as to call it a cantata, this eight-and-a-half minute song is certainly epic. Alexandr Ivanov gives his best performance on this song, which tests the high end of his range (which, thankfully, never approaches Rob Halford territory; Ivanov is an operatic tenor). The songwriting on this piece is complex, and has a quality of Russian classical music. There's a beautiful acoustic part near the end, with some great vocal harmonizing, which continues as the song turns to metal again for a brief time until its abrupt ending.

The final song on the album, the instrumental (with the exception of Svetlana's wordless vocals) Печаль Земли Русской (Калинов Мост) ["Russian Land’s Sorrow (Kalinov’s Bridge)"], is the only one that breaks the pleasant folk metal mold that the rest of the album falls into. It does this rather harshly towards the end with the addition (or, in my opinion, intrusion) of heavy electronic elements. The first five minutes are beautiful, reminding me of the final, instrumental, song on Pagan Reign's Tverd', but then it unexpectedly turns into something akin to a track from Aphex Twin's Drukqs, and not one of the beautiful piano or ambient pieces. This jarring and annoying ending is the only negative I can find on Follow the Sun's Way, and I'm sure there was a reason for its inclusion, but I would have rather they not bothered with it.

Overall, this debut album from Tverd is an awesome release, and, at a little over an hour, it's a good length. It's ambitious to combine the operatic elements with folk and metal, but Tverd does a great job, and in the process have created one of the essential pagan metal albums of 2008. Highly recommended.

Album Review: Hellveto - Neoheresy

Artist: Hellveto (Poland)
Album Title: Neoheresy
Record Label: Pulverised Records (Singapore)
Released: 2008 (October)

One-man orchestral pagan metal project Hellveto is known for being prolific, having released several albums (and compilations, EP's, and demo reissues) since his proper debut album, Autumnal Night, in 2002. It's difficult to make any sense of the Hellveto discography, since there have been so many reissues and out-of-order album releases that one practically needs to become a Hellveto scholar in order to sort through them. Between 2005 and the end of 2007, there were ten full-length Hellveto releases, though most of the material had been recorded prior to 2005 and is made up of reissued demos, EP's, and albums that had not yet been given proper releases. Although this had the unfortunate effect of devaluing his music somewhat, these were years of feasting for Hellveto fans such as myself. Each song on each album is epic and dense, with (sampled or synthesized) orchestral and occasional choral elements weaving within the guitar, bass, drums, and harsh vocals. It's gorgeous and breathtaking music, though it often takes several listens for each piece of music to stand out from the others due to the often-singular sound that Hellveto employs.

There have been occasional wrinkles to the so-called "Hellveto formula," as well as a subtle progression over the years. Beginning with 2004's In Arms of Kurpian Phantom, L.O.N. (the moniker of the man behind Hellveto) began using live drums instead of the weak drum machine sounds used on earlier material. On 2005's Klatwa, the rather-flat sound of earlier releases was greatly improved, and material recorded beginning with that release use more panning and depth. On 2006's In the Glory of Heroes, Hellveto briefly experimented with distorted vocals similar to the ones Burzum employed on Filosofem.

On Neoheresy there is yet another large improvement to the production. The overall sound is "punchier" and more powerful than ever before. Though on most releases the guitars and drums are given generally the same levels as the synth and orchestral elements (resulting in a more classical sound than metal), on Neoheresy the metal elements are emphasized. The vocals are still somewhat buried, but the drums, bass, and guitar are clearly audible, while the orchestral and choral elements take a more supporting role than before. They're certainly there, and there's still an incredible amount of detail in the compositions, but you have to listen a little harder to be able to hear those details. Because of this, Neoheresy works on at least two different levels: it's immediately gratifying compared to most Hellveto works, but there's still that depth to be discovered upon repeat listens. Nice bits of choral vocal lines appear where you didn't notice them earlier, you begin to notice the classical-sounding guitar behind the bombastic drums and power chords, etc. There's a seemingly unlimited musical treasure to be unearthed within the dense framework of each of the six songs on Neoheresy, which has been the case with Hellveto for the last several years and over a dozen releases.

Neoheresy is also the only Hellveto release to appear in 2008, which practically feels like a drought when compared to the past few years. Upon listening to the final result, which is a wonderful (if brief) album, it's obvious that L.O.N. spent a great amount of time working on this album. A few tracks from these sessions appeared on last year's Crusade EP (packaged together with the reissue of Autumnal Night), but those songs, production-wise, sound nowhere near as good as the six that appear on Neoheresy do. L.O.N. is a master of his craft, an isolated genius of a composer and musician that continues to work on his own terms. I feel that, even if there weren't an audience to receive this music (which there is, and it has been growing), Hellveto would still be recording and releasing this stuff on CD-R or something, just as he was back in 2003. Which is not to say that L.O.N. doesn't care about his audience. The fact that he has generously reissued or unearthed so much older material via his own Ritual Execution label or others proves that he's aware of the demand for his music. And he released a video for "Taran," the track that begins this album, through the official Hellveto website.

It seems useless to do a track-by-track analysis of Neoheresy, but I will mention that the songs that begin and end the album, "Taran" and "Sredniowieczna Egzekucja," are brilliant bookends. "Taran" is a driving, addicting, and even catchy piece of music, beginning the album with the sound of guitar and the powerful sound of horses' hooves. Then it evolves and builds gradually throughout its almost-seven minute running time. "Sredniowieczna Egzekucja" includes some beautiful choral moments, piano, blastbeats, and some great melodies to bring the album to a satisfying conclusion. It's the best Hellveto album-ending song since "....Ktos Ty?" from Zmierzch.

Overall, the compositions are simpler and more straightforward than on past releases, but I think Hellveto fans will be happy with this one. Other than the production, it's certainly no great leap forward, but it's a very solid album that, in my opinion at least, stands proudly among the best Hellveto has released. It also creates an excellent starting point for people who want to give Hellveto a try but are intimidated by the size of the discography. It appears, at least by the evidence presented within Neoheresy, that L.O.N. is still full of creative energy and shows no sign of becoming weary of creating this rich and epic music. And now that releases have slowed down to a normal pace, fans like myself can finally give each new album the attention it deserves. Those who dislike the unique "orchestral pagan black metal" sound of Hellveto probably won't be won over by Neoheresy, but, then again, maybe they will. It's arguably the most accessible of his releases, and, given the distribution Pulverised has, it should gain this gem of a project some greatly-deserved recognition from the larger metal underground community.

Album Review: Kroda - Fimbulvinter

Artist: Крода (Kroda) [Ukraine]
Album Title: Похорон Сонця (Fimbulvinter)
Record Label: Hammermark Art (Germany)
Released: 2007

Kroda has become such a widely hailed pagan/folk metal band that it's kind of hard to believe they've only been a part of the scene since 2004's Cry To Me, River... While some bands build up a following before releasing their first album (through touring, festivals, etc.), Kroda never did a live show until 2007. Therefore, they quite literally appeared out of nowhere. It didn't take them too long to gain notice from pagan metal fans, because Cry To Me, River..., though a debut release (I don't think there was even a Kroda demo), was an incredibly mature album and one that holds up well even after repeated listens over the last few years. Not ones to stand still, the band followed it up with an awesome second album, Towards the Firmaments Verge of Life, in 2005. Then, amazingly, they produced their third, and most recent studio album, Fimbulvinter, at the beginning of 2007. While it's not amazing that a band would produce three albums in that amount of time, it's the quality and near-perfection of each album that is so difficult to believe. Oh, and they released two split CD's during the periods between album releases, and both split releases are great EP's in their own right.

I resisted "reviewing" this album for a long time, for one thing because I don't feel that I have anything valuable to say about it that hasn't already been said by several other, more talented, writers. But I managed to write about my other favorite albums of 2007 already, and Kroda just released a great live disc, Live In Lemberg, so it felt like the right time.

Fimbulvinter begins with the sound of cold wind, appropriately enough considering the concept of the album. The word Fimbulvinter, which means "the great winter," refers to the long winter that will take place before Ragnarök. Therefore Fimbulvinter, the album, is also long and cold. The sunny folk melodies of the previous two albums are replaced by darker folk melodies on Fimbulvinter, though there's certainly still a significant amount of flute and mouth harp to be heard. Some fans have complained about the somewhat-diminished folk presence on Fimbulvinter, but I find it appropriate to the subject matter. I don't even think it's diminished all that much; it just doesn't stand out from the rest of the music as much as on other Kroda albums.

So where was I? Oh, yes, the sound of cold wind beginning the album. After about 25 seconds, the music itself begins, with a theme played on guitar that will become the central theme for the opening track, "The Beginning of Winter Night of Oskorei," which clocks in at almost 12 minutes. Incidentally, there are only five tracks on this album, but the shortest is just under 9 minutes long, and the album itself is a healthy 55 minutes in length. The album opens on an epic note, and at first it may seem that there is no way that the album can sustain such momentum, but it does. Man oh man, does it ever. Each song on this album is excellent, like an epic in itself. The music is densely woven yet blistering, and Eisenslav's voice is in fine form. He growls, shrieks, and howls through his well-written lyrics (which are translated into English in the booklet), his voice full of fire and venom. Eisenslav has one of my favorite black metal voices, and Fimbulvinter may be his best performance.

But each song doesn't just blast along at full-speed at all times. There are breaks within each song where the listener can catch his or her breath while being treated to some lovely (though not so lovely that they ruin the desolate and cold atmosphere of the songs) flute parts, which are backed by atmospheric synths, strummed guitar, and sound effects. Sometimes you can hear sampled (or synthesized?) choirs and folk vocals during these parts. But Kroda doesn't let you get too comfortable for too long, and will launch back into a full-scale metal assault, sometimes with blastbeats and fast tremolo-picked riffs. But obviously their goal isn't to simply pummel the listener. Any metal band can do that. They are more methodical than that. Every part has its purpose, and its the contrasts that makes this album, like any Kroda album, something that transcends metal. If I were forced to make a case that extreme metal has just as much right to be considered fine musical art as any other style of music, I would play this album in its entirety before even bothering to make any arguments.

Kroda has also included, as usual, some lovely packaging to accompany the music. If you have any other Kroda albums, you'll sort of know what to expect, except this time everything is covered in snow. In fact, the landscape on the cover is the same location as the landscape on the cover of Cry To Me, River..., except in a different season.

Following my personal favorite Kroda track, "Funeral of the Sun," is a cover of Branikald's "A Stormride." I don't usually like the idea of bands including cover songs on their albums, much less closing the album with one, but Kroda has made this song their own. I'm not familiar with the original, but I am familiar with Branikald of the mid-90's (pre-dating Blazebirth Hall's more controversial era), and it doesn't sound at all like this. The lyrics and the overall sound fit well with the rest of the album, and if the insert didn't tell me it was a cover song, there's no way I would have guessed. It's just another great Kroda track.

I don't need to tell most pagan metal fans to buy this album. Most will already be familiar with Kroda, and out of that group, there are many who are already fans. But if, by some chance, you haven't heard these guys, they're definitely one of the essential bands in pagan metal, so check them out. Fimbulvinter is one of the great metal albums of 2007, and it shouldn't be missed.

Album Review: Внуки Святослава - Плести венками песни

Artist: Внуки Святослава (Vnuki Svyatoslava) [Russia]
Album Title: Плести венками песни
Record Label: Slav Sunrise (Russia)
Released: 2008

As I think I stated in a review of a Krynitza CD, I haven't had much exposure to pagan folk music, and most of it that I have heard has been due to the artists' connection to metal. In the case of Vnuki Svyatoslava (translated as "Grandchildren of Svyatoslav"), I discovered them when I came across a Youtube video of them performing the lovely song Укатилось Красно Солнышко with Rodoslav of Krynitza at a concert. Because their label, Slav Sunrise, has no distribution in the United States, it took me a while to track down any of their work. Eventually I happened across a copy of their 2007 release Искать себя from an Amazon related seller. I was fairly impressed with that album, with its blend of Slavic, Celtic, and other folk styles, but the album I really wanted to find was their 2008 release Плести венками песни, which I'd heard was a big improvement. Thanks to a favorite Russian Ebay seller, I finally obtained this album in October. It was well worth the effort it took to get it, too. This is one of the most beautiful albums I have heard in a very long time.

Vnuki Svyatoslava is an eight-piece band from the Yaroslavl oblast of Russia (I believe), currently consisting of four males and four females. Their official website details their tumultuous history since 2002, full of line-up changes and changes in direction. Quite frankly, I find it amazing that they persisted through that turmoil, and it's even more amazing that they have produced a piece of art as stunning as Плести венками песни.

The band is fronted by Oksana Knyazeva (I apologize in advance if I improperly romanize any names, as there is virtually no English-language information I can discover about this band at the moment), an academically-trained vocalist who also plays tambourine and frog rattle. She is joined by two violinists, Kseniya Lukyanenko and Alina Petrova, flautist Irina Nadeinskaya, guitarist Michael Gryzyhin, guitar- and balalaika- player Dmitry Konov, bass guitarist Sergei Bushuyev, and a percussionist Sergei Glebov. Most members play multiple instruments, so there's a nice variety in the sound. Hopefully this lineup is a stable one, because each member of the band is very talented and they create wonderful music together. Most of the music is written by Oksana and Dmitry.

The first album was fairly straightforward folk, but Плести венками песни has a strong classical feel to it. Part of this is due to Oksana's breathtaking vocals, but the prevalence of violins and flutes and the arrangements themselves also helps the band transcend easy categorization. I would say don't even bother trying to figure it out, but rather enjoy the sound. The songwriting is very strong, with each song featuring beautiful, rich, and often catchy melodies. There are many high points, but the very classical-sounding Ярославль and the folky День-день are my definite favorites. There is not a single weak song on this album. Everything is simply perfect and beautiful, down to the production itself. The production on the first album was pretty good, but it had its flaws. The production on this album is absolutely flawless; each instrument is given enough room to breathe, and the full range of sound is treated with the utmost care.

As a bonus for fans of Russian pagan metal like myself, the great Rodoslav (Krynitza, Oprich, Vo Skorbyah) appears on two tracks. First, he provides background vocals to enhance the already-excellent Ярославль, and then performs a duet with Oksana on a re-recorded version of Укатилось Красно Солнышко (the original of which appeared on the first Vnuki Svyatoslava album, minus Rodoslav). As another apparent nod to pagan metal, Sergei Bushuyev employs a sort of growling vocal on the third track, Заговор. This is a little strange to hear in music such as this, but I thought it was kind of cool.

This is a rather short album, as seems to be the norm for folk albums. The ten tracks that make up the album proper total about 28 minutes of music, though, because I never tire of listening to it, I don't feel the least bit short-changed. Also, they included two bonus tracks, which boosts the total length of the CD to 33 1/2 minutes. I'm not sure why the two tracks at the end are not considered to be part of the album, as they appear to have been taken from the same recording sessions and are just as good as the rest of the songs, but I'm sure the band had a reason for it.

I'm prone to "bubbling" about CD's I'm really excited about, but I think this is another case where it is warranted. In the five weeks or so that I've owned this CD, I've probably listened to it, on average, two or three times per day, and that's a conservative estimate. I don't normally listen to an album that often, no matter how much I enjoy it. I've listened to Плести венками песни a few times just in the length of time it has taken me to write this review, and when it's over I always want to listen to it again. Those looking for metal or even rock definitely won't find it on this album, but fans of folk, Russian classical music, or simply beautiful music in general would probably enjoy this album. If I were to construct a list of a handful of CD's I would take with me to a desert island, provided of course that I had some way of listening to them, Плести венками песни would be on it. If eventually I make a list of my favorite albums of 2008, I'm certain this one will be at the top.

The major problem facing anyone (on the American side of the ocean, at least) interested in tracking down this CD will be the fact that it's almost impossible to find, anywhere. I was fortunate enough to find it on Ebay, but it seems that, currently, the only other way to legally obtain it is to learn enough Russian to allow yourself to order it from one of the online stores that Slav Sunrise distributes to. You may be able to contact the label at slavsunrise *at* yandex *dot* ru and inquire about ordering a copy, but I haven't contacted them yet, myself. Your best bet, at least until Slav Sunrise can get some distributors over here, would be to google "Vnuki Svyatoslava," or, even better, "Внуки Святослава," and hope for the best. It's a shame that such a great album can be so difficult to obtain, but maybe if enough of us express an interest, the label will realize that they have a potential market outside of Russia and will get in contact with some distributors.

In conclusion, Плести венками песни is an incredible, absolutely breathtaking CD that is a headache to find but would be a worthy addition to any fan of Slavic pagan music.

Album Review: Hate Forest - "Scythia"

Artist: Hate Forest (Ukraine)
Album Title: Scythia
Record Label: Supernal Music (United Kingdom)
Released: 1999 (original) / 2004 (Supernal reissue)

Buying demos reissued on CD can be a risky proposition if you haven't heard the actual music before purchasing. This is why I initially steered clear of Hate Forest's first demo, Scythia. Would it contain little more than half-baked ideas, terrible production, and sloppy musicianship? In this case, the answer is certainly "no." This may be Hate Forest from 1998-1999, a few years before they arguably hit their creative peak (in this band) with Purity and Battlefields, but even at this relatively early state they put many well-established bands to shame with their aggressive and raw brand of Slavonic black metal.

Those who are familiar with their more popular works but haven't heard Scythia may barely recognize the band. In fact, the overall cold atmosphere and hyperactive drum machine are the only major similarities I can find between Scythia and an album like Purity. Roman Saenko and Thurios had not yet adopted the drone-y, hypnotic sound that would become the most recognizable element of their aesthetic. Instead, what we have here is fairly standard raw black metal --though that's not to say it's not well-done, just that they were still at an early stage of their evolution-- along with a couple of short dark ambient pieces. Roman Saenko appears to handle all the vocals on the Scythia demo, and his deep growls are electronically distorted to sound pretty demonic or beastly. This is the only Hate Forest release I'm aware of that uses this distortion, and it gives it a more menacing sound as a result. The higher-pitched growls of Thurios are nowhere to be heard, except on the bonus track.

Scythia is a well-produced and surprisingly focused and accomplished demo, but it's also kind of short, at 25 minutes long. Thankfully, they threw in a great bonus, the 11-minute "To Those Who Came Before Us." This song, recorded in 2002, is much more easily recognizable as a Hate Forest track, as it sounds as if it could have been taken right off of Purity. It is quite possibly my favorite Hate Forest song ever; a long, droning epic of a track with some great guitar lines and vocals from both Roman Saenko and Thurios. The last four minutes of the song are pure melancholic beauty.

I'm sure many Hate Forest fans have probably already heard this release, but any who haven't should hunt down this CD. Drudkh fans who want to hear how it all began may find this to be the best starting place. Just about any Hate Forest release is worth your time (the awful EP The Gates and the bland full-length Sorrow may be the only exceptions) and may help you better appreciate the creative progression that led to the creation of Drudkh.

Drudkh is great, but Hate Forest shouldn't be overlooked.

Album Review: Kamaedzitca - Пяруне

Artist: Kamaedzitca (Belarus)
Album Title: Пяруне (Pyarune)
Record Label: Strong Music (Belarus)
Released: 2008 (March)

Belarus is another one of those beautiful Eastern European countries that I will probably never get to see with my own eyes, yet I can appreciate some of its beauty through the influence it has on the pagan metal bands it inspires. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be a lot of metal bands in Belarus. While Ukraine, Poland, and especially Russia seem to be bursting at the seams with pagan/folk metal bands, their neighbor has only managed to produce a handful, at least that are known to me. The first of these with which I became familiar is Kamaedzitca, from the capital city of Minsk. Their 2004 debut CD, Дзецi лесу, was a very decent pagan metal album that mixes folk with a style of metal that is close to death metal, though it contains clean vocals in addition to the deep growls. Kamaedzitca seemed to disappear for the next few years, leaving many of us to wonder if they'd gone the way of so many pagan metal bands that release a promising, obscure debut and then fade away completely.

Then, almost out of nowhere, their sophmore full-length Пяруне appeared, though it has only managed to trickle into U.S. distros within the last few months. Fortunately, the band has not only managed to not disappear, they have returned stronger than before, with an album that might not reach the lofty heights of the latest Arkona or Moonsorrow releases but is worth looking into for fans of this genre.

Let's get the bad out of the way first. The intro and outro to this album are both very boring. There may be some purpose to beginning the album with the world's most minimalistic 3-minute flute solo and ending with an equally uninspired drum solo (mercifully only 1 1/2 minutes), but to these ears it just makes the first and last moments of the album crawl by. In all, 6 tracks out of the 14 are either instrumentals or atmospheric pieces rather than songs, so we're left with 8 actual songs, and they range from between 2:41 to just under 6 minutes each. Not a whole lot of music here, but certainly enough to chew on.

After the unfortunate opening flute solo, the first actual song on the CD, Колазварот (which I'm 99% sure is the Belarusian word for "sunwheel"), kicks off promisingly, sounding like classic Kamaedzitca but with a hefty dose of Estonian greats Metsatöll in the mix. Clean vocals and folk instruments abound on this album, making it sound much more varied and colorful than the debut album. But fans of the crunchy guitars and growls of Дзецi лесу should not fret, as they have not done away with that part of their sound. Variety is the name of the game here; from one song to the next, the atmosphere and dynamics change. There are very folky and celebratory-sounding tracks like Як на горцы ля ракі…, and then very aggressive songs like Волi герояў подых бязмежнасцi, which immediately follows it. The former track contains mostly clean vocals, while the latter track contains death metal growls. You've also got У вякi вякоў!, with its RAC-ish shouts of "Slava!" and its fast rhythm, and the acoustic track Блуканне ведагоны. The most beautiful song on the album is the mostly-instrumental Водар забыцця, which features a beautiful flute solo and an even more beautiful, mournful guitar solo, along with some nice clean vocals towards the end.

Production can be hit-or-miss with obscure pagan metal bands from former Soviet republics, but fortunately this is not the case with Пяруне. The sound is full and has plenty of punch, and the instruments are all well-recorded. This is as good a production job as I have heard on a pagan metal album, I think. The players are all great, especially considering the variety in playing and singing styles needed. I'm very impressed with the drumming of Viedyaslav Liha; it's a shame that he has since parted ways with the band. Folk musical instruments like flute and bagpipes are well-played and recorded.

I think that some listeners will feel that Пяруне is lacking in content and contains too much filler, but I think most of the interludes are appropriate and set a deliberate pace for the album. I do wish that there were more songs, or that some of the songs were longer, but what is here is very, very good. Because the album is so eclectic, you don't ever really have time to get tired of a certain style before they've moved onto another one.

Fans of folky but serious pagan metal bands such as the great Arkona or Temnozor will probably enjoy Пяруне. Kamaedzitca has a unique enough sound that it would be difficult to confuse them with any other band in the scene. Those who are familiar with the band's debut but didn't enjoy it enough to check out Пяруне should give this new album a chance, as the band has definitely matured and improved since their already promising first album. I remember thinking after I bought Дзецi лесу that the band had potential to become one of the better bands in the scene, given a little more experience, and, indeed, Пяруне confirms my suspicion. It's definitely worth checking out for fans of Slavic pagan metal, and it stands comfortably among the better pagan metal releases of 2008.

Album Review: Panychida - "Paganized"

Artist: Panychida (Czech Republic)
Album Title: Paganized
Record Label: Folter Records (Germany)
Released: 2007

The problem with putting together a "Best Albums of the Year" list is that I'm always finding great releases from previous years that make me want to modify my list on a constant basis. After publishing my 2007 list on the Myspace for my solo music project, I kept discovering great albums that I had not even known existed at the time. One of those is the debut album by Czech band Panychida, signed to Folter Records. Folter is the label that releases Skyforger's music (except when licensed by other labels), so I mainly bought this album because of that fact. I wasn't sure what to think based on the few samples I heard, but fortunately this would turn out to be a very good purchase.

This West Bohemian band calls their music "paganized" metal. I don't know exactly what "paganized" metal is, whether it's black metal with pagan elements, or what, but, lyrically, Panychida seems to be influenced by both fantasy and Slavonic Paganism. Most of the lyrics, except for the final track, are in English, and they're very creative, though I have no idea what most of them are talking about. Musically, Panychida sounds like a mix of black metal, thrash, and maybe a little traditional heavy metal mixed in. A guest musician plays bagpipes, which sounds great, but I wouldn't say that the addition of bagpipes moves the band quite into "folk metal" territory. The cold, croaking vocals remind me quite a bit of Abbath from Immortal, which means they sound vaguely like Popeye the Sailor. I dig vocalist GHM's accent, though, and he seems to have a good grasp of the English language, which is never a guarantee when you're dealing with music from non-English-speaking countries [Edit: ...or even English-speaking countries, as our language has been butchered in modern times].

The rest of the band sounds good as well. You can even hear the bass sometimes! In their live shows, Panychida seems to rely on a drum machine, but on this album the drums were played by guest musician Honza Kapák, who also helped with the recording. I wish they could recruit this guy full-time, because he does a great job on the drums, and even plays a little hand percussion in "Final Donation to the Oath." Guest Helca Petrakova, who plays the bagpipes and flute, also does a great job. The bagpipes sound to me like Scottish Highland bagpipes without the drones, rather than the thinner-sounding bagpipes I normally hear in this kind of music. I suspect that the bagpipes played here are the traditional Bohemian bagpipes, the "Dudy," but the credits do not specify so I don't know for sure. It gives the music a bit of a Scottish-sounding flavor to these untrained ears, like the bagpipes used on Suidakra's Caledonia. The traditional instruments are not over-used on the album, and they don't detract from the thrashy black metal nature of the music.

I can't really think of any negatives about this album. I'm not sure how much depth Paganized has, but it has a fun atmosphere and makes for a very enjoyable listening experience. This is an album I like to play in the car, as it sounds great in my stereo system and is nice to drive to. I don't really know what that is supposed to mean, but I felt I should mention it anyway. Fans of pagan metal should certainly listen to some samples from the album, as Paganized is a really solid and enjoyable album from beginning to end, and perhaps is one of the great overlooked gems from 2007. Don't let the dull artwork deter you from checking it out.

Maxi-Single Review: Tumulus - "Кочевонов Пляс"

Artist: Tumulus (Russia)
Album Title: Кочевонов Пляс
Label: Wroth Emitter (Russia)
Released: 2008

Progressive folk metal band Tumulus was formed out of the ashes of Scald, the cult, Viking-themed epic doom metal band that sadly ended with the death of vocalist Agyl in 1997. Rather than continue the band without him, the band was re-formed as Tumulus and began a change in musical and lyrical direction. Since then, the band has released a few demos, two great full-length albums, and a live album that is actually worth listening to (I'm not generally a fan of live albums). After the release of the live album, the band was quiet for a while, working on the much-delayed maxi-single "Kochevonov Plyas," which was finally released earlier this year.

To be honest, this isn't much new material considering how long we've been waiting. The centerpiece of this EP is the new single "Kochevonov Plyas," which is preceded by an instrumental introduction. Then, following the single, they include a lovely traditional song --the title of which translates into "As There Was A Morning Early"--, a cover of black metal band Korozy (which appeared in live form on their Live Balkan Path release) called "Within the Soul of Autumn," and a new version of "Tam, gde zhili sviristeli" from their 2004 album Winter Wood. That's five tracks at about 23 minutes. It also includes a video of "Yavir," one of my favorite songs from Winter Wood. However, the new material here is of high quality and Tumulus fans should definitely check it out.

The first thing I noticed is that Yulia "Vigdis" Korolyova is no longer playing keyboards for the band. She has been replaced by keyboard- and balalaika player Al'virius. The rest of the band --vocalist and flute- and tambourine player Kuchma, guitarist Kurbat, bass player Velingor, and drummer Ottar-- remains the same as on the last few releases, and their experience playing together has resulted in a tight sound. The band sounds so good that I really wish this were a full-length album. The title track is absolutely brilliant, one of the very best Tumulus songs yet. The sound of balalaika, vargan (Jew's harp), and violin can be heard on this song, as well as multiple sets of vocals at one point in the track. Does Kuchma need any help with vocals? Of course not. He sounds awesome as usual on this release. However, the extra vocals sound great. I'm not sure who does them, as the credits are not clear.

The third track, "As There Was A Morning Early," is, as I said before, a lovely traditional song arranged by the band. I don't think Kuchma does the male vocals on this. It may be Eugeny Vorobyov from fellow Russian folk metal band Smuta. The female vocals are by former keyboard player Vigdis, who does a fine job, though her voice is much quieter. It would be nice if there were six or seven more new tracks like this, but in this case Tumulus chose quality over quantity, I suppose. Hopefully they won't make us wait too long for a new album.

The last two tracks, "Within the Soul of Autumn" and "Tam, gde zhili sviristeli" should be familiar to Tumulus fans as they have both been recorded by the band before. I believe Velingor does the harsh vocals on "Within the Soul of Autumn," and Kuchma does a fine performance with the clean vocals, as he did in the live recording. The violin sounds very nice as well. "Tam, gde zhili sviristeli" is a classic Tumulus song, and while I'm not sure this version really adds anything to the song, it's still welcome to my ears.

Tumulus continues to be a great band, though they will not appeal to all pagan metal fans. Their progressive sound and "happy"-sounding folk melodies may cause some listeners to dismiss them, but they are really a fine band that should be given more attention. This is a short but sweet EP, and it makes me excited about what is yet to come from this folk metal band from Yaroslavl.

[Note: As a thoughtful bonus, my copy of the CD came with three 2008-2009 mini-calendars (the size of credit cards) with a full-color band photo on one side of each. I can't guarantee that your copy will have arrived with those intact, due to the common practice of CD's being distributed without cases to underground metal stores in order to save money on shipping, but I thought it was nice and worth mentioning.]

Album Review: Equilibrium - "Sagas"

Artist: Equilibrium (Germany)
Album Title: Sagas
Label: Nuclear Blast (Germany, USA)
Released: 2008 (June)

Hailing from the German state of Bavaria, Equilibrium has been around since 2001, when the band formed with the original intention to play a single show. Fortunately for us, they were encouraged by the positive reception to continue on, and so far have graced us with two great albums. Their debut, Turis Fratyr, was released in early 2005 on the German label Black Attakk, and gained them a pretty large fanbase considering the album became very difficult to find. I myself had to obtain it from Germany earlier this year, as an addition to my Menhir Hildebrandslied order. Appearances at festivals and such also helped spread the word about Equilibrium, and eventually that word reached the ears of large metal label Nuclear Blast, who signed the band to a contract and have exposed them to a much larger audience with the release of their sophmore album, Sagas.

Sagas is a huge album. In pretty much every possible way. Not only does it hover around the 80-minute mark (without any filler or unusual stretches of silence), but almost every one of those 80 minutes is very high on the intensity scale (somewhere between "epic" and "ridiculously epic," to be exact). They fly through the material, barely giving the listener time to catch his or her breath, and causing the 80 minutes to pass by quickly. Sagas consists of 13 tracks, including a brief instrumental somewhere in the middle, and a long (16 minute) instrumental closing out the album. Equilibrium's music can be described as extremely epic folk metal with lots of synths, German lyrics about Bavarian tales and such, and vocals that range from "black metal style" to "sort of death metal style." Despite the heavy use of synthesizers, the band's talent should not be overlooked, as these guys are quite good at what they do. You sometimes have to pay special attention in order to hear it past the soaring keyboard melodies and choir sounds, but there's a strong metal backbone behind the bombast.

Despite the fact that they are an extreme metal band with shrieking and growling vocals, Equilibrium doesn't try to sound menacing. Indeed, they're about as frightening as Gargamel from The Smurfs. The atmosphere of the album, instead, is one of adventure and fun. It's kind of difficult to be frowning while listening to Sagas. Grimacing, on the other hand, may be possible at times, depending on how you react to the some of the stranger moments on the album. Take, for example, the track "Unbesiegt," which sounds like it could have been a collaboration with "The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You"-era Gloria Estefan. I'm not sure what Latin percussion and jungle animal sounds have to do with European folk metal, but the song is actually pretty good once you get past that. Then there's the song "Snüffel," an ode to snuff (of course), which features ZZ Top riffs and, even weirder, the sound of an automobile engine roaring at one point in the track. These moments are signs that Equilibrium does not care about being taken completely seriously, and the lyrics and the overall playful atmosphere of Sagas supports this. Sure, because of this Equilibrium can't really be appreciated on the same level as more "serious" pagan metal bands such as Menhir, Moonsorrow, or Falkenbach, but, when you're in the mood for it, it's refreshing and very enjoyable.

Even if you can't get into "Unbesiegt" or "Snüffel" (you're not alone), there's still another 65-70 minutes of music on Sagas, and most of the tracks here are winners. There's a lot of very strong material on the album, and it's spread throughout the entire length of the CD. This isn't one of those albums that drops off in quality after the first few tracks. Even the long instrumental that closes the album, "Mana," is great. There are choirs, a violin, and even a panpipe on this final track, so even if (like me) you don't generally care for instrumentals, don't write this one off until you give it a chance.

Although Sagas is generally getting very positive reviews so far, it has its detractors. Many of its critics cite the saccharine-sweetness of many of the album's melodies and overall "uplifting" sound of the album (as well as its inherent folk-metalness) as critical failings of Sagas. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Sagas to those who feel that metal should always be menacing and dark. I would also imagine some pagan metal purists might dismiss it as major-label dilution and exploitation of the genre. Maybe that's true; I don't know. But I really enjoy Sagas; maybe not on the same level as I enjoy the latest Arkona or Moonsorrow albums, but, at least on a musical level, this is one of the strongest (and most fun) releases I've heard all year. Definitely give it a try.

Split CD Review: Чур / Опричь

Artists: Чур (Chur) [Ukraine] / Опричь (Oprich) [Russia]
Album Title: ...From the Ghostly Fog... / The Fireflower (Split)
Label: Stellar Winter Records (Russia)
Released: 2008

Ordinarily, I don't pay much attention to split albums, and I'm not really sure why that is. You're basically getting a couple of EP's on a single disc, so why do I so often avoid them? Part of the problem is that rarely have I heard a split where the two (or more) bands actually complement each others' music or sound like they have much in common thematically. A lot of times I'll enjoy one band and dislike the other, so when I do buy a split, it's often because I just want to obtain material from a band that I can't get on any of their other releases.

In this case, I am a pretty big fan of both bands involved, so purchasing this split CD was an easy decision to make. Chur impressed me quite a bit with his debut album, Brother Wind, which I discovered in early 2007 and bought basically because I thought the cover looked "folkish." It turned out to be one of my more pleasant surprises that year, a rather mature and focused debut CD, with great vocals and folk instrumentation.

However, I found his half of this split to be very disappointing. The two elements I enjoyed most about Brother Wind, the vocals and folk instruments, are nowhere to be found on these four tracks. Instead, we are given instrumental songs. Not that instrumental is necessarily bad (see early October Falls, Drudkh's Songs of Grief & Solitude, and most of Ulver's Kveldssanger for examples of this), but these aren't atmospheric acoustic songs or anything. They're mostly constructed of electric guitar and drum machine, and the overall feeling I got was that this was some guitarist's demo that he hands out to bands he's trying to join. There are words (lyrics?) printed in the booklet, which almost gives me the impression that either Chur ran out of time before he could record vocals, or that someone at Stellar Winter accidentally included unfinished demo versions of the songs on the CD. In all likelihood, however, this was intentional. And I'm sure Chur knows what he's doing, but after repeated listens I'm still not really digging it. It just sounds like instrumental metal, which is something I'm not interested in.

In the case of Oprich, I didn't really know what to expect. Their only previous release is a split with Kroda. That split is mostly notable because of Kroda's side, featuring the awesome two-part "Poppyfields Are Blossoming," but I feel that Oprich's contribution, the five-track mini-album Wolfen Loyalty, is an underrated and interesting bit of folk metal. It's certainly strange, especially the first two tracks, which is probably where many listeners gave up on it. The production is rough and inelegant, and certainly the overall sound is an acquired taste, but it grew on me after a while.

Oprich is perhaps better known (and respected, if by proxy) because of the band Vo Skorbyah, a project that mostly consists of Oprich members. Vo Skorbyah garnered strong reviews and a fair bit of attention from fans of underground metal after its self-titled debut CD was released last year, and it seems its success convinced the folks involved to keep the project going, despite their original intention for it to be a one-off.

I'm happy to report that Oprich's side of this split fares quite well. The band is still "quirky," and some listeners will probably still dislike them, but their four tracks are a definite improvement over Wolfen Loyalty, in my opinion. The production is much cleaner and the band sounds much more confident and mature this time around. The harsh vocals from Wolfen Loyalty have disappeared, yet there are still multiple sets of vocals to be heard. Vocalist Zhdana and violinist Vasilisa seem to be nowhere to be found, and the former is replaced on this release by two (session?) female vocalists, Nina and Maria. Yaromir, Rodoslav, and the now-departed Bersen tackle the rest of the vocals. Having five different vocalists on a four-song mini-album lends their half a lot of variety, perhaps at the expense of cohesiveness. It would be difficult to tell that each track is by the same band, because they sound so much different than one another.

The first Oprich track, "As in the Distance," is the least interesting to me, but the remaining three are all great. I don't think Rodoslav (founder of pagan neofolk band Krynitza and a member of Vo Skorbyah) was on the previous Oprich release, but he handles lead vocals on the final track, "Don't You Murmer, Mother Green Oaken Grove," and I'm a big fan of his unique vocals so this is was a treat for me.

I feel that Oprich has redeemed themselves (if indeed they needed redemption in the first place) with The Fireflower, and I certainly hope their next project is to create a full-length album. They've been around since 1998, so I think it's due. As for Chur, he's been signed to Hammermark Art Records (home of Kroda) and is currently working on his next full-length, and judging from the few samples on his website, it sounds like it's coming along quite well. It would seem that ...From the Ghostly Fog... is just an unfortunate misstep.

It's difficult for me to recommend this CD because of how disappointed I was in Chur's contribution to the split, but Oprich's half makes me glad I made the purchase. I'm not sure if that's a recommendation or not, but take it or leave it.

Album Review: Dalriada - "Szelek"

Artist: Dalriada (Hungary)
Album Title: Szelek
Label: Nail Records (Hungary)
Released: 2008 (April)

Dalriada is a band I just can't get enough of, so it was a very pleasant surprise when I found out they had quietly released their fourth album (the first two being under their former name, Echo of Dalriada) on the day of their appearance at Paganfest when the tour arrived at Budapest. While I waited for the CD to arrive, I watched the heck out of the video for "A Nap és Szél háza" on Youtube. While that single isn't necessarily on the level of "Táltosének" from their previous album Kikelet, it's still a catchy and enjoyable piece of music, and it gave me hope that their new album, Szelek, would be another worthy release in their already-strong discography. And, boy, were those hopes met when I heard the final product.

As a bit of background for those unfamiliar with the band (or who didn't read my previous review of Kikelet), Dalriada is a six-piece folk metal band from Sopron, Hungary, built mostly around the stunning and unique vocals of Laura Binder (or Binder Laura, following the Hungarian practice of putting one's family name first) and Hungarian folk melodies. If there is another band out there that sounds anything like Dalriada, I haven't heard them. They're quite a unique entity within the realm of metal.

Despite the fact that Szelek arrives only thirteen months after Kikelet (which, incidentally, arrived only thirteen months after their third album, Jégbontó), it doesn't sound half-baked or rushed at all. The band sounds very focused and tight on this release, and the songwriting is as strong as it as ever been. The vocals of Laura Binder and Andras Ficzek sound perhaps better than ever. While Szelek doesn't depart from the overall Dalriada sound, it does sound different than its predecessor in some pretty significant ways. First of all, they got rid of the violin that was featured on Kikelet. Second, the songs are less complex and are, overall, much more catchy and accessible than on Kikelet. They sound a lot closer, to my ears at least, to the Jégbontó sound, which is welcome. The songs are also not as heavy as they were on Kikelet, and seem to be more folk-based. Indeed, there are many "folk breakdowns" on the album, for lack of a better term.

As I said before, the songwriting is very strong on this album, and there are many memorable and enjoyable moments. There are rare occasions where a song may start to fall a little flat, melodically, but even in these infrequent incidents the song will redeem itself with a great instrumental section or chorus (see "Égnek Ostora" for an example of this). There's never a time when I think, "haven't I heard this melody from another band before?"

Fortunately, Dalriada seems to have fans in their own country, because Szelek was #2 on the Hungarian album sales charts on the week of its release; quite an accomplishment for a folk metal band, I'm sure. Now if Nail Records can only get their albums out of Hungary and into the hands of metal fans worldwide, they could really be onto something. All the ingredients are there, but unfortunately the distribution is lacking. A band this good deserves to get their music out there, so please, somebody, make it happen.

In the end, even though I had to import the CD from Hungary, it was well worth it and I would do it again if I had to. Do whatever you can to (legally) obtain the works of this great metal band.

Album Review: Moonsorrow - "Viides luku - Hävitetty"

Artist: Moonsorrow (Finland)
Album Title: Viides luku - Hävitetty
Label: Spikefarm Records (Finland) / Unruly Sounds (U.S.)
Released: 2007

This "review" is one that I have been putting off for a long time. As much as I want to talk about this album to anyone who cares enough to listen (which is very few people in my social circles), words fail me when it comes to writing a review of it. But because this is my favorite metal CD, I feel that I really should at least attempt to discuss it here.

For those who need an introduction, Moonsorrow is one of the more prominent and acclaimed pagan metal bands in the world. They have gained a relatively large fanbase due to the unflagging high quality of their output. With five albums, a re-issued full-length demo, and a very long EP released since 2001, Moonsorrow has given us plenty to listen to, and all of it, especially from their sophomore album Voimasta Ja Kunniasta forward, is well worth checking out. That album and its three subsequent follow-ups are all worthy of finding their way on lists of "best metal albums," yet, in my opinion, it is their fifth album, Viides Luku - Hävitetty (aka V: Hävitetty or Chapter Five: Ravaged), that manages to top not only their previous offerings but possibly every pagan metal album ever recorded. It is certainly my easy number one album pick of 2007.

Despite their (nonsensical) English band name, Moonsorrow has written all of their songs in their native Finnish since at least their 1999 demo Tämä Ikuinen Talvi. This is no exception on V: Hävitetty, but, fortunately for non-Finnish speakers like myself, the booklet includes excellent English translations of the lyrics. In this case, Moonsorrow has departed from the usual warrior themes and instead spins a tale of isolation and apocalyptic ruin at the end of things, an appropriate theme for these dark days. Also appropriate is the fact that the band has shed much of its folk metal sound, which I think would have been distracting on an album with this kind of concept. Instead, V: Hävitetty is crushingly epic black metal, though they have not lost their sense of melody, and there are still a few folk moments, with accordion, mouth harp, and mandolin. It is not very technical or progressive, despite the very long track lengths, but instead flows very organically and tastefully throughout its 56 minute length.

The album takes a few minutes to gather steam, as the sound of a storm and a crumbling glacier, accompanied by acoustic guitar and some dark synth tones, eases the listener into the proper mood. The bass and drums enter after a couple minutes, followed by some clean choir singing, which makes up the initial piece, "Jäästä Syntynyt (Born of Ice)." There are only two tracks on the album, the first one being 30 minutes long and the second being about 26 minutes long. However, the first track actually consists of two pieces of music, the first five minutes or so being "Jäästä Syntynyt" and the rest being "Varjojen Virta (Stream of Shadows)." The intensity really builds over the first few minutes of "Varjojen Virta," but once Ville Sorvali begins with his trademark snarling vocals, any worries about Moonsorrow losing their edge are put to rest. If anything, the band is sharper and tighter than ever before. And while the previous album, Verisäkeet, allowed itself to lose momentum by having extended lulls between songs (really, was having a few minutes of nature sounds between every song really necessary?), V: Hävitetty manages to stay interesting throughout. There are softer moments on the album, such as at about 16 minutes into the first track and at the beginning of the second track, but most of the time V: Hävitetty is just huge in sound and in atmosphere. I know I overuse the word "epic," but that is the most appropriate word I can think of for the album.

By the time the first track ends, and one is able to catch his or her breath after the incredible and bombastic final several minutes of "Varjojen Virta,"one might feel that there is no way the second track, "Tuleen Ajettu Maa (A Land Driven Into the Fire)," can possibly top it. However, "Tuleen Ajettu Maa" is, in my opinion, one of the greatest epic metal songs ever. It begins, innocuously enough, with the sound of a crackling fire, followed by what sounds like a shaman drum and some chanting. After a few minutes, the song itself begins, and from then on there's really nothing stopping the momentum until the final few minutes, when the song fades into the sound of snowfall and a distant rumble of thunder. "Tuleen Ajettu Maa" has a really great hook that is used quite often, holding the song together and causing it to sound much shorter than its 26-minute length. Like the first track, "Tuleen Ajettu Maa" unfolds quite organically and satisfyingly.

Despite the length of the tracks, V: Hävitetty is an easy album for me to recommend to any fan of extreme metal. The songwriting is top-notch, and the musicianship, while not being technical or flashy, is tight and tastefully executed. Those who dislike black metal because of the blastbeats should find drummer Marko Tarvonen's work refreshing, as he only occasionally employs them. The keyboards add a lot of atmosphere to the album (you'll hear those female choir sounds throughout), yet they are not overbearing, unless you're one of those people who doesn't like any use of keyboards whatsoever. If you don't like harsh vocals, well, then you might have a serious problem with the album, because most of the vocals are in that fashion, though there are many clean choir-style vocals and a brief moment of clean lead vocals provided by guitarist Henri Sorvali.

V: Hävitetty is an album that has managed to divide Moonsorrow fans, though it seems most have warmed up to it after repeated listens. It didn't make a big impact on me the first time I listened to it, but it was definitely one that grew on me. Though some have lamented the increase in black metal elements and the disappearance of most of the folk sound, I really think that the heavier musical style is perfect for the theme Moonsorrow was tackling with this album, and it doesn't necessarily mean that they have abandoned their earlier sound (though, based on their EP, Tulimyrsky, released a few months ago, those fears may not be altogether unfounded). However, it seems to me that Moonsorrow is carving their own unique path and are distancing themselves musically from the many bands that have taken inspiration from their earlier works. If V: Hävitetty represents the progression of Moonsorrow, then I welcome progress. They haven't disappointed me yet.

Album Review: Svartby - "Kom I Min Kittel"

Artist: Svartby (Russia)
Album Title: Kom I Min Kittel
Label: Phono (Russia) / Trollzorn (Germany)
Released: 2007 (Phono) / 2008 (Trollzorn)

I am encountering some difficulty with the opening of this review, because no matter which angle I attempt to use, it all comes back to the same phrase: Svartby sounds a lot like Finntroll. Yes, they've got the Swedish lyrics, just like Finntroll. This is all the more remarkable because Svartby is a Russian band from Saint Petersburg, and I strongly doubt that Swedish is the native language of any member of the band. Svartby also uses a lot of polka rhythms, also like Finntroll. Both bands write songs about creatures from folklore. Both bands' musical aesthetic pits extreme metal (complete with growling vocals) against a backdrop of "evil fairy tale" melodies. It's very obvious where Svartby's primary influences lie.

A post made by a representative of their label, Trollzorn, at the Viking Blood forum, describes Svartby's lyrical themes like this: "The band sings about wild magical creatures living in Svartby (the Black Village) - witches, dwarfs, tree spirits - definitely unkind to human folk, but at the same time merry, nature-loving and nice living beings with a good sense of humor." The music certainly lives up to this description, as I frequently got the feeling that I was listening to what the soundtrack to a fairy tale, albeit a twisted one. Yes, this is not far removed from the aesthetic that Finntroll already established, especially with their first three albums, but Svartby, to my ears at least, has an overall "lighter" and more playful atmosphere than their Finnish inspiration. This is particulary true now that Finntroll has decided to travel in a darker and more serious direction (though we're speaking in relative terms here) with their latest album, 2007's Ur Jordens Djup. I think that those who are looking for something more like Jaktens Tid or Nattfödd might find Svartby's sound quite agreeable to them.

Kom I Min Kittel begins with some sound effects (including a kettle boiling) and a brief (but pretty) instrumental before launching into the title track, which establishes the fact that, yes, you are listening to some polka-infused folk metal here. The fairy tale-like melodies are handled by a very capable keyboard player, whose work is undoubtedly the focal point of the overall sound. There is a variety of sound effects throughout the CD as well, including wolves growing and howling, goats bleating (is that the correct word?), a witch cackling, and a frog croaking. These add to the overall light and fun feeling that this album has, and help give the impression (to this listener at least) that Svartby is a band that is enjoying themselves. The only moment on the album that may cause some concern for sensitive listeners (at least those who, like me, don't understand Swedish... I have no idea what the lyrics are saying) is the beginning of "Julen Av Vedergällning," a song that begins with a rendition of "Silent Night," which transitions into the sound of flames and people screaming, and then explodes into probably the fastest and most aggressive song on the album. This (somewhat playful) anti-Christian moment is reflected in an illustration in the booklet of what looks like a bear standing in the snow in front of a burning church. It's nothing that Finntroll hasn't done before (Jaktens Tid has a similar track), but a few may be bothered by it.

Svartby's full-length debut is a pretty short album (only 33 minutes), but it's so enjoyable that I often listen to it all the way through more than once. Really, the only knock I can make against Svartby is that, no matter how good they are (and they are quite good), they are doomed to sit in the shadow of the well-known band that inspired them if they do not establish their own identity. There are certainly moments of originality, such as the wonderful "Moder Av Alla Häxor," but generally they do not stray very far from an established sound. A band that shows this much spirit and talent deserves to be viewed as more than just "that Russian band that sounds like Finntroll," so I'm hoping that their sound will evolve into something a little more original. Maybe they'll be like Morrigan, a band that, at one point, seemed content to re-create Bathory's "Blood Fire Death" but then became something great on their own terms without losing the qualities that made their earlier albums so enjoyable despite their derivativeness. I love the overall aesthetic and the atmosphere Svartby creates, so I really hope to hear more from them.

I'm reluctant to give the album my full recommendation because I know that a lot of metal fans who are more jaded than I am will dismiss Svartby because of the similarities between them and their main influence. However, if you're not one of those fans and can still enjoy a band despite those similarities, Kom I Min Kittel is a very enjoyable (and addicting) album full of great songs. It has put a smile on my face many times, even when I'm at work (a feat which is not always easy these days). I'm certainly glad I took a chance on it.

Album Review: Astaarth - "Gloria Burgundia"

Artist: Astaarth (France)
Album Title: Gloria Burgundia
Label: Bloodfiredeath (Germany)
Released: 2007

Astaarth is a band (now a duo) that has been in existence since 1996, yet Gloria Burgundia is their first album (not including two demos released in 1998 and 2002, respectively). According to the insert, Astaarth plays "Burgundian Pagan/folk Metal exclusively," this statement being followed by about twenty exclamation points. Listening to this album has had the benefit of forcing me to learn some things about the history of Burgundy, a region of France and Switzerland that was once the site of the kingdom of the Burgundians, an East Germanic tribe that probably originated from Scandinavia. As a lyric from the album's opening track, "Our Beloved Country," states: "We are not French, nor another nationality. We are Burgundians above all." Okay, then. These guys mean business.

The music can be described as somewhat raw and epic black metal with a strong folk sound. One half of the duo plays, in addition to the expected heavy metal instruments, the épinette (a form of zither found in France), banjo, double-bass, and Irish pipes. There are also several guest musicians on the recording, so, in addition to those instruments, we are treated to the sound of the hurdy gurdy, mouth harp, flute, violin, accordion, and spoons (!). To top it off, there are backing vocalists who sing choir parts as well as pieces of traditional Burgundian songs that appear within the construct of the long (between 7 and 12 minute) tracks. Two shorter instrumental tracks round out the package, leaving us with a very odd but compelling 57-minute folk metal album. The lyrics are almost all in English, and primarily deal with Burgundian history and nationalism.

My first listen to this album was a strange experience due to the contrast of the black metal and the frequent folk sections. One moment I was listening to a fairly normal black metal with the expected shrieking vocals, and then in the next moment I'm hearing weird yipping sounds, handclaps, acoustic guitar, mouth harp, double-bass, and another stringed instrument that I'm assuming is the épinette. I'm no neophyte to to folk metal, but even I had to become accustomed to the music Astaarth creates on Gloria Burgundia. I can't even imagine the reaction that a person who is not at all familiar to folk metal would have if I were to play the album for them, especially the track "Vae Victis," which is the one with the spoons.

Although I enjoy Gloria Burgundia immensely, I found that, in contrast to the vibrant (and often smile-inducing) folk sections, some of the longer black metal-oriented sections can be dry. Astaarth is miles more interesting when they bring in the folk instruments and traditional melodies. Fortunately, the black metal sections are made better when the violin, bagpipes, and other instruments play along, though I didn't always notice them at first listen.

Astaarth is likely to have limited appeal with Gloria Burgundia, because, even by folk metal standards, this is a bit of a niche product. I think that some listeners will be entertained but will view it as no more than a novelty due to the uniqueness of the sound. However, I have found it both entertaining and enlightening, and I enjoy it even more with each listen. It persuaded me to look into the history of Burgundy, a subject with which I was unfamiliar previously, so that says something about its impact on me. It's definitely an album to check out if you're looking for something different and perhaps challenging. It's a great album, but, like most folk metal, it's going to sound perplexing and strange to those who aren't prepared for it.

So, prepare yourself with a visit to Astaarth's Myspace profile and give them a listen. I can almost guarantee that you've never heard anything else like it. I would definitely recommend Gloria Burgundia to open-minded fans of folk metal, and I hope we won't have to wait 11 years to hear a second album from this Burgundian duo.

Nokturnal Mortum live footage on Youtube

The notorious Ukrainian pagan metal band, opening for Satyricon in Kiev, performs a new song here

Counting the days until The Voice of Steel is released...

Album Review: Altorių Šešėliai - "Margi Sakalai"

Artist: Altorių Šešėliai [Altar Shadows] (Lithuania)
Album Title: Margi Sakalai (Speckledy Falcons)
Label: Todestrieb Records (U.K.)
Released: 2007

I blame my unfortunate lack of knowledge about Lithuania on the fact that, when I was being taught European history and geography in school, the country was a part of the Soviet Union. Whoever wrote the textbooks my school used seemed to believe that countries that had been annexed by the U.S.S.R. were assimilated forever and therefore had lost their identity, even though countries like Lithuania had existed for hundreds of years before the Soviet Union. In fact, Lithuania will celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of its name in 2009.

With such a long and rich history as this nation has (for instance, it was the last pagan nation in Europe, and put up quite a resistance during the Northern Crusades), it's inevitable that musical acts will arise who revere and celebrate its past and present. One of them is Altorių Šešėliai, more popularly known as Altar Shadows, which brings us "poetic pagan black metal from the feral gardens and misty soilfields of lowland Lithuania." Simply to call it black metal would be inaccurate, though, as there is quite a bit of folk on this one-man project's first "major" release, Margi Sakalai, which I will call Speckledy Falcons from this point on (since it's the title as it appears on the cover of the Todestrieb Records release, and I find it endearing).

As you can probably tell by the description, the title, and the cover of the album, the theme of nature is very much present in Altar Shadows' music. Many of the lyrics are taken from Lithuanian poetry, and some of the melodies used are folk tunes. The music itself, on most of the tracks at least, is pretty raw black metal. Some of it reminds me of the first few Wyrd albums and the Hungarian black metal project Marblebog. I am at times also reminded of Agalloch. While much of Speckledy Falcons is in this atmospheric black metal style (though he often includes acoustic guitar, possibly a mandolin, and once in a while a flute), there are some beautiful softer moments as well. My favorite track on the album is the acoustic version of "Að Taip Laukiu" ("I'm Waiting"), the original of which appeared on a previous release. This track features a female guest vocalist and adds depth to what was already a great song. Another favorite track is the instrumental "Gelsvas Mënuo III" ("The Yellow Moon III"). I don't usually care for instrumentals in the middle of an album, but sometimes I put this one on repeat.

Speckledy Falcons is a wonderful album, a work of melancholy beauty. The only song that doesn't seem to fit is a cover song called "Eternal Wars," which is a song by fellow Lithuanian project Blackthru. Musically, it's a pretty solid track, but the lyrics (typical black metal stuff about the war between God and Lucifer), which are in English on this one song, don't fit with the rest of the album. That's all right, though, because it doesn't detract from the album when I'm listening to it.

Thanks to Todestrieb, Speckledy Falcons is not a difficult album to obtain as of this writing. I'm not sure that every fan of folk, pagan, or atmospheric black metal would enjoy this album, but I think that fans of these genres should definitely check out Altar Shadows. A few tracks from Speckledy Falcons can be streamed from his Myspace page here if you are interested.

Album Review: Eluveitie - "Slania"

Artist: Eluveitie (Switzerland)
Album Title: Slania
Label: Nuclear Blast (Germany, USA)
Released: 2008

Though it seems unlikely that melodic death metal and traditional Celtic music can mix into something listenable, Eluveitie has been doing precisely that since their 2003 debut EP, Vên, arrived on the folk metal scene. Vên was received well enough that this former studio project became a full-fledged band, releasing their first album, Spirit, in 2006. Due to their accessible and enjoyable sound, they've gained a strong and loyal fanbase over the last few years. With their signing late last year to the large metal label Nuclear Blast, Eluveitie was given an opportunity to expose a much wider audience to their unique brand of folk metal. Fortunately, they did not squander that opportunity, as their second album, Slania, is an amazing piece of work, in many ways a refinement of the elements that made Spirit such a popular album in the scene.

Eluveitie's sound is an intriguing blend of Gothenburg-style death metal (think In Flames or Dark Tranquillity) and Celtic music. The eight-piece band (formerly they had as many as ten members) not only features two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer, but four members who play traditional instruments. The vocalist, Chrigel Glanzmann, also plays flute, bagpipes, mandola, bodhrán, and acoustic guitar. One member plays bagpipes and various flutes, another plays violin, and yet another plays the hurdy gurdy. Unlike many folk metal bands who only have occasional folk elements, for Eluveitie it is an integral part of their sound and not simply a gimmick or "tacked-on" element.

Thematically, Eluveitie deals primarily with Celtic (Gaulish, to be specific) history. Oppression and conquest by the Roman Empire is a frequent lyrical theme, which means that many of Eluveitie's songs seem angry, a feeling that is enhanced by the nature of the melodic death metal that makes up the base of their sound. This isn't light-hearted, Korpiklaani-style folk metal, though you may at times find yourself torn between the desire to bang your head and the desire to get up and dance a jig. Part of the album's theme, the idea of the Great Wheel, the seasonal cycle, is represented by periodic instrumental folk pieces, including the beautiful "Anagantios," and the songs that begin and end the album ("Samon" and "Elembivos," respectively). As a bonus, a short but sweet acoustic version of "Samon" appears at the end of the CD.

As with any follow-up, Slania will be frequently compared to its predecessor, Spirit. The fact that there has been so much debate over which CD is superior is an indication to me that there is no clear consensus among Eluveitie fans. Spirit has some really stunning moments, and is overall a very strong album, but it also has a few tracks that I don't enjoy very much. Slania, on the other hand, is consistently great all the way through. Perhaps it doesn't ever reach such highs as the last few minutes of "Tegernakô" from Spirit, but, when listening through the entire album, I enjoy it more overall than I do Spirit. The albums are quite similar, though, both featuring great production, songwriting, and performances. Both use melodies drawn from Celtic traditional songs (a fact that has annoyed some fans, which makes me snicker a little... apparently these people want "folk metal" but are offended if you actually use traditional folk tunes instead of simply making up tunes that sound like traditional tunes) and contain a somewhat equal ratio of metal to folk. With Slania, it appears to me that the folk elements are better blended with the metal elements, so much so that it may appear upon first listen that Eluveitie has diminished the folk on this album. They haven't, though. It's there. It's just integrated more with the metal elements.

This is a metal album that should not be overlooked this year. Those who would be tempted to avoid the album due to the term "melodic death metal" or even "Celtic music" should at least listen to some samples online. I am not much of a fan of any sort of death metal, melodic or otherwise, but yet I have been a big fan of Eluveitie since shortly after Spirit's release in 2006. Slania proves that the band has staying power, and I am looking forward to seeing what great works they will deliver in the future.

Album Review: Turisas - "The Varangian Way"

Artist: Turisas (Finland)
Album Title: The Varangian Way
Label: Century Media (U.S.)
Released: 2007

The Varangian Way refers to a trade route used by Norsemen, mainly in the 9th and 10th centuries, by which they reached the Byzantine Empire. The Varangians, as they came to be known, settled in Eastern Europe and are believed to be part of the ancestry of the Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians (the Rus'). The trade route they used, by way of a series of rivers and the Caspian sea, is the setting for the fictional story that unfolds in Turisas' second album.

The first Turisas album, Battle Metal, was beloved by many, but I mostly hated it. It sounded to me, even at the time when I was still new to the pagan metal genre, like a generic version of Moonsorrow. Take Viking metal, strip out all specific references to Vikings or paganism, and you end up with a widely-accessible, relatively inoffensive, but diluted product. It had a few songs that I enjoyed, such as "Among Ancestors," but I thought that the lyrics and the overall atmosphere of Battle Metal was cheesy and bland.

It was with reluctance that I bought the second Turisas album, The Varangian Way. It was hailed by many of the same people who loved Battle Metal, which didn't tell me anything about the album's alleged quality. Some even felt it less good than the debut. I wasn't really expecting much when the disc arrived in the mail, but, in this case, the album turned out far better than I had hoped, almost reaching my top five metal CD's of 2007.

Musically, Turisas treads much of the same water as they did on Battle Metal. This is very accessible, symphonic, and epic Viking metal. This is not a band you listen to for great guitar riffs, because the guitars are just kind of there. The high-quality symphonic arrangements (synthesized, but convincing) take the spotlight from the guitars and drive the music. This tends to give off the atmosphere of listening to a heavy metal musical about Vikings, which is something that I hope someone eventually attempts. There is no lead guitar on this album; every time you think you're hearing a guitar solo, you're actually hearing an electric violin. There's also an accordion, though I don't hear it that often. The vocals of Warlord Nygård range from extremely good clean singing to harsh vocals. He is frequently backed by a choir of singers, and by this I don't mean just the typical "Viking choir" that you find on many albums in this genre. I mean that, quite literally, there is a choir on the album, though they are mostly utilized towards the end of the disc, perhaps to build the epic quality of the album until it culminates in the incredible closer, "Miklagard Overture."

The Varangian Way surprised me by how much the band has matured since Battle Metal. The album is wonderfully paced, with no unnecessary or bland tracks to be found throughout its 43 minutes of playing time. Lyrically, most of the album is concerned with the dangers of the voyage over raging rivers and through storms. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, nobody picks up a sword to behead an enemy throughout the entire album. It's mostly about the journey and the discovery of new lands and cultures, and by the end of the album, as Nygård sings the lines, "Adventures lie ahead, many knots unraveled on my thread," I hope that this is not the last we will hear of Hakon the Bastard.

For those who are looking for an introduction to Viking metal, The Varangian Way is a great start. Even non-metal fans should not be put off by it, because many of the things that non-metal fans hate about heavy metal (wanky guitar solos, high-pitched vocals, etc.) are not to be found on this release. For this reason, however, perhaps it will be avoided or criticized by a number of metal fans. But who cares? They've got plenty of generic power metal bands with Halford-wannabe vocalists to listen to if they so wish. The overall impression I'm left with after listening to Turisas is: this is surprisingly tasteful for a metal album. I'm a metal fan, and am well-aware and accepting of its excesses, but The Varangian Way is an album I can recommend to almost anyone.

And, because it's on a relatively large- and well-distributed label like Century Media, there's a chance you'll actually be able to find it. That's always a plus.

A stunning album... Very highly recommended.

Album Review: Alkonost - "Песни Вечного Древа"

Artist: Alkonost (Russia)
Album Title: Песни Вечного Древа (Songs of the Eternal Oak)
Label: Metalism Records (Russia)
Released: 2007

The earliest Alkonost release (not including demos) was the cassette-only "album" Songs of the Eternal Oak in 2000. These songs were released on CD, along with the Spirit Tending To Revolt demo, as the eponymous Alkonost in 2002. The Russian folk metal band was a different beast back in the Songs of the Eternal Oak days, with their relatively raw production and black metal-ish male vocals, as opposed to the heavily-female-voiced, cleanly-produced folk metal that they began making with the release of Between the Worlds in 2004. The vocals of Alex "Nightbird" Solovyov didn't fully disappear (except on Between the Worlds' Russian-language re-recording, Межмирье... what was up with that?), instead alternating with the beautiful operatic vocals of Alena Pelevina, but I would imagine that, for fans of Alkonost's early releases, the transition between the Songs of the Eternal Oak material and Between the Worlds must have been jarring.

I'm not sure how many old-school Alkonost fans continued to follow the band during this transition period, but, for those who sometimes yearn for the old days while still enjoying the progressions and changes that Alkonost has made over the past several years, Песни Вечного Древа may be of interest to you. Though, now that I think about it, if you're one of these fans I just described, then you've probably owned this album for over a year, in which case this "review" is pretty much useless to you. So let me start again: for fans of Alkonost's newer albums who may not be familiar with the beginnings of this band, Песни Вечного Древа may be of interest to you.

For the most part, Песни Вечного Древа is a Russian language re-recording of the classic Songs of the Eternal Oak. They also include "День последний мой" (a new Russian language version of "My Last Day" from Spirit Tending To Revolt), which is a really nice version of one of my favorite Alkonost songs, and a song called "К родимой стороне," which may be a new recording of an old song, but, if it is, I'm not familiar with the original. This song is also unique in that it features guest vocals by Ilya from Svarga (Russia... not the Ukrainian NS pagan metal band) and Alexandr from Rarog (also from Russia, not the Polish band). Alexandr seems to get around, because he also did guest vocals on the album by Rodogor, which I should also get around to reviewing one of these days. [May 14th edit: He's also in Kalevala, who just released their debut. Must get my hands on that CD.]

How Песни Вечного Древа differs from every Alknost album released since 2004 is that the excellent harsh vocals of Alex "Nightbird" dominate the album. Alena only appears on a few songs, and even then her presence is minimal. I greatly enjoy her voice, but since these songs were originally done with only a male vocalist, it makes sense to put Alexey back in the spotlight for this recording. Because there's very little singing to balance out the growling, this gives the album a bit of a harder edge than other newer Alkonost albums, though the music and production is pretty much the same as what they've been doing recently. This may cause it to have more appeal for those who prefer the growled vocals, or those who feel that Alkonost (or at least newer Alkonost) is a bit too "wimpy." I have no idea, though. I enjoy both newer and older Alkonost, though I prefer the newer material because of Alena's voice and the modern production.

Though many if not all of these songs are more than 10 years old, and were written during the formative years of the band, they hold up rather well when compared to the songs that appear on The Path We've Never Made or Stone Heart Blood. The album has plenty of great moments, though it holds few surprises for those who own the original Songs of the Eternal Oak or Alkonost. And those who don't feel that one set of vocals can hold up the entire album (or who can't imagine Alkonost without Alena's vocals featured prominently) may be disappointed in the album. However, I think many fans will find this to their liking, as I have. I'm not exactly sure why Alkonost has chosen to re-record so many of their old songs with Russian lyrics, but in this case they've given us a newly-polished version of a great album, which I would imagine is good news to those who haven't warmed up to the more raw production and harsher sound of the original.

Perhaps it's not a "must" for every Alkonost fan, but Песни Вечного Древа is still a great listen and a worthwhile purchase for those of us who can't get enough of them. It's almost worth it just for the new version of "My Last Day."

New Dalriada video on Youtube

I found this while browsing Youtube tonight. I didn't even know Dalriada had a new album out, but apparently it came out in April. Judging from the new song, it sounds like another good release by my favorite Hungarian band. I guess it's off to Ebay to make a new purchase.