Description
Arkona is a five-piece Russian folk/pagan metal band formed in Moscow back in 2002. After the exceptional debut full-length ‘Vozrozhdenie’ and the more metal-focused follow up ‘Lepta’, Arkona has struck a balance between traditional Russian music and modern black metal in ‘Vo Slavu Velikim’ (For Glory Of The Great), resulting in an album that conjures a ritualistic, upbeat atmosphere of ancient Slavic tradition and myth. The problem most people seem to have with folk metal is with the metal half of the equation. The guitar work is just boring. If you take away all the interesting vocals and folk instruments, they say, you just have a shitty melodic death metal album on your hands. The issue with this logic, of course, is that the vocals and folk instruments are there to stay, and they are what defines folk metal as a subgenre. However, this tired argument can’t even be made with ‘Vo Slavu Velikim’, as every component of the album is exceptional, metal motifs leading into folk motifs seamlessly. Literally every track on this album is listenable and addictive. Sweeping crescendos in the track ‘Rus Iznachalnaya’ lead into a beautiful vocal section where harmonies and folk instruments create a piece of music that you will want to repeat and play back over and over again. It would be a shame to split the album into its component parts, but Masha’s vocal work deserves special attention, as it is fantastic throughout. Her best moments are when she isn’t singing any lyrics at all, but just vocalizing in harmony, like the beginning of ‘Vosstanie Roda’. ‘Vo Slavu Velikim is an emotionally diverse album, evoking feelings of joy, festivity, sadness, victory, defeat, and more, sometimes all in one track. It is a landmark folk metal album, which all fans of the genre must listen to.
Track list:
1. Kolymiyka-intro
2. Through The Mist Of Ages
3. Ancient Rus
4. For The Glory Of The Great Ones
5. On The Damp Earth
7. Call Of Battle
8. Vedas Of The Past
9. Rage Of Times
10. On Svarogs Road
11. Come Out Come Out Ivanka
12. Rebellion Of Rod
13. Power Of The Mighty Ones