Site Update

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

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

Album Review: Всполох - Печаль о прошлом

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Album Review: Dalriada - Ígéret

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Album Review: Alkonost - On the Wings of the Call

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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