Description

Lazer etched cd

Arkona is a five-piece Russian folk/pagan metal band formed in Moscow back in 2002. This album Vozrozhdenie (Revival in English) was their debut album and it was originally released back in 2004. This album is based primarily on vocal melodies and the lead harmonies of the keyboards. Opener “Kolyada” in its 7 minutes is as free-spirited in it’s structure as the themes of pagan and Slavic freedom. Then Mashas beautiful voice joins also (singing in Russian, and it sounds really good), there are also some harsh vocals in this song and in the whole album performed by Alexey Agafonov who have performed with other Russian folk metal bands. The album also goes into a darker and rougher black metal sound with the song “K Domu Svaroga”. Its pretty aggressive with Alexeys voice used as main vocals and it also has some fast riffs. The bass is also very audible, which is shown perfectly in this song. The synts are creating a thick atmosphere between the verses and in choruses, where the guitar and other instruments are put more back. The synths on the album are pretty cheerful at times, but can also be pretty dark, Mashas vocals can go from clean and beautiful down to dark and evil, she is not afraid of using her voice. They fit nicely on the album, and Alexeys vocals give some variation. This debut is pretty impressing. It has great melodies and great atmosphere and a top notch singer. Fans of folk metal should check this band out

Track list:
1. Kolyada
2. Maslenitsa
3. To The House Of Svarog
4. Black Ravens
5. Revival
6. Rus
7. Brothers Slavs
8. Solstice
9. Under The Swords
10. On The Animals Paths
11. Pledged
12. Call Of Ancestors