10.11.2010
Svartby - "Scum from Underwater" EP 2010
SVARTBY - "Scum from Underwater" (EP 2010)
Folk Metal - Russia
Available for Free Download
http://www.myspace.com/skogenssvartby
Svartby is a bunch of merry fellows from Sankt Petersburg, Russia, who got together in 2004 and since then they are making something they like to call "svartcore", a combination of Technical Melodic Black Death Metal (Bodom - like) with Folk and Fantasy elements. Their music is both funny / entertaining, and very skillful, a great display of instrumental knowledge. The keyboard / synth part is a big part in Svartby's music, it creates a Fantasy like world and that's what you can ask more in a band like that. Too bad that this 3 tracks EP is only 7 minutes long, you can't stop from asking more. The tracks differ one from another, if the first tracks is a fast and happy Melodic Black Death with accordion effects, the second is a keyboard intermezzo that reminded me of the Italian Evol's keyboard tracks, and the third track is also fast, merry Black Death with xylophone and horn effects plus some futurist synths sounds that create a perfect SciFi Fantasy atmosphere. Again I must say too bad it lasts for only 7 minutes, this band is great.
Kaan
Posted by Elders' Swords at 18:42 0 comments
Labels: 2010, Folk Metal, review, Svartby
10.08.2010
Celtachor - "In the Halls of our Ancient Fathers" Full-length CD 2010
Posted by Elders' Swords at 21:02 0 comments
Labels: 2010, Celtachor, Folk Metal, Folk Thrash Black, review
Sjuk - "Wolf is Coming" Demo 2009
Posted by Elders' Swords at 18:30 0 comments
Labels: 2009, Folk Metal, Folk Thrash Death, review, Sjuk
10.07.2010
Woodscream - "Pentadrama" EP 2010
Posted by Elders' Swords at 14:04 0 comments
Labels: 2010, Folk Metal, review, Woodscream
10.06.2010
Troll Bends Fir - "Oktoberfest" EP 2010
http://www.myspace.com/trollbendsfirofficial
Troll Bends Fir is a Russian band that I would somehow compare with Finntroll, and in fact they also call their style "Beer Folk" or "Folk-Rock-Humppa-Metal", "Humppa" being the main influence on Fintroll's music as well, but the similarities stop to a point where I can clearly say I like TBF much more than Finntroll, for some reason I cannot fully "digest" the Finnish' music.
TBF is not a new name on the Russian Folk / Pagan Metal scene, they actually have 4 full-lenght albums out so far. "Oktoberfest" (I would have named it "Okto-beer-fest") is a 5 tracks EP that keeps the same path as the previous one. I have only had thae chance to listen to their 2009 album, but I can only remember it was composed on the same range as this EP is: alert-rhythmed music with a good dose of irony and a funny / friendly atmosphere surrounding it, a perfect soundtrack for any beer fest. The violin (or fiddle as they name it) and Irish whistle are present everywhere and are as important in TBF's music as the other instruments are. And that's the best part in TBF, you cannot decide on a sole instrument and say that's the main element in their music, each instrument and voice has its own role and part inhere. I really like how the two vocalists, Troll (barbaric chants, clear vocals, hoarse vocals) and Jetra (female vocals - on the second track she reminds me an awful lot of Bellarussian band Znich from a decade ago), are completing each other and I can clearly say they both have talent and delicious vox.
Now the bad part in TBF's music: I don't know why, but for the most part of their music, although displaying good instrumental skills, I feel like something's missing from their music and all their music is just the prelude to the real thing, it's like I'm always expecting something to happen. Anyway, this would be the only point in TBF that doesn't convince me entirely, but the rest is like a paint of cold beer, absolutely delicious.
So far TBF have only used Russian language for their lyrics, I'm curious to see if they will use English too sometime in the near future.
Kaan
Posted by Elders' Swords at 23:00 0 comments
Labels: 2010, Folk Metal, review, Troll Bends Fir
Wunjo - "Eternal Brotherhood" Demo 2010
Posted by Elders' Swords at 20:06 0 comments
Labels: 2010, Pagan Black Metal, review, Wunjo
Wafeln - "Born to Fight" Demo 2010
WAFELN - "Born to Fight - Tales of War" (Demo 2010)
Pagan Black Metal - Chile
Available for Free Download
http://www.myspace.com/wafeln
http://wafeln.es.tl
Ok, this is the first review ever in Elders' Swords, I hope it will bring some good luck. :)
Wafeln is actually Sael, or better said is the personal one-man-band of this Chilean guy named Sael. He started the project only recently, but already managed to release his first Demo EP. I guess it is only available for Free Download and no physical copies were made, that's how I found it. I was just looking on those countless free download websites (don't think any of them are legal...) around to find some material for the first review in E.S.
"Born to Fight - Tales of War" is composed of 10 tracks and it seems Sael wanted to divide the material in two parts, like he planned this for being released on tape sometime. Actually, from the music point of view there are no differences between the two parts so this may only apply to the lyrical aspect of this release. The music is mostly fast paced Black Metal with some mid-tempo insertions, has a pretty resonable raw and dark sound, not the clearest one around, but at least Sael mentiones that on his website and warn us about it. The Pagan part of this release is given by the lyrical side, the intro, intermezzo and outro are trying to add the Pagan atmosphere in music as well, but it is not enough to really drive you into the atmosphere or better said to create one. Also Sael could add some more variations in his vocals, or at least that's my opinion.
To sum it up Wafeln is a project that doesn't disappoint after its debut, it actually present us a good musician with real skills on guitars (just check his melodic guitar solos) and composition (although they might sound similar the tracks are not boring at all, you can follow them till the end of this release), an underground project that has the bases to grow in the future.
Kaan
Posted by Elders' Swords at 14:28 0 comments
Labels: 2010, Pagan Black Metal, review, Wafeln