Alright, I'm back with more musical goodies. A little while back I mentioned some pagan/folk/black metal and now I've finally done a full write up. The new place is coming along and I no longer have to steal a spotty internet connection. I guess that means I don't have much excuse for not post more often. I've got a whole box of cds I've gotta go through, though, so have a bit of patience.
Skyforger - Kauja Pie Saules
Paragon Records
4 stars
Okay, I should have written about Skyforger months ago, but I just couldn't find a way to describe it that did any justice. I still can't really, but too much time has gone by without enough folks knowing about this band. A few questions, then:
1) Can you speak Latvian?
2) How extensive is your knowledge of pre-Christian Latvian history?
3) Do you like pagan folk metal?
You have no idea where I'm going with this, right? Okay. Kauja Pie Saules is the first full length from Latvian folk metal maestros Skyforger. This album is actually from 1998, but due to longstanding label issues, it has been unavailable for years. Thanks to Paragon Records, you can now find it again and make up for your inadequate knowledge of the oft-overlooked Baltic nation.
These guys don't fuck around. They possess extensive knowledge of their native folk traditions and incorporate them into their aesthetic. While the lyrics are all in Latvian, translations are provided and there is a short primer on the inspiration behind the album: namely, the battles waged by the early pagan Latvian tribes to resist the spread of Christianity in their lands. So while the folk influence is strong (there are two straight up folk tracks!), no doubt will be left that Skyforger know how to bring the black metal. The power displayed within is comparable to Destroyer 666 and would have made a fitting warmup for battle against Teutonic Knights. Search this album out to get some quality skull-crushing metal and a history lesson that you sorely need.
Showing posts with label folk/traditional. Show all posts
Showing posts with label folk/traditional. Show all posts
10 November 2006
10 March 2006
Roll One Up (or two or three or...)
Earth - Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method
Southern Lord Recordings
20 September 2005
4 Stars
I was recently privy to a discussion about "droney" bands. It was held under the sway of several pints, so I'll spare you the meanderings, but the general premise was based on the atmospheric elucidations of a good two handfuls of bands. While one side argued based on the merits of some recent indie bands that aren't really my thing (and I can't even remember who to be honest) versus another friend and I who took a decidedly more doom/sludge position. After disagreeing for about 15 or twenty minutes, my side was left with little recourse but to bring out the big gun: Earth.
Earth isn't just some heavy band that incorporates atmospheric sounds to add dimension to their music. Earth IS atmosphere: it can crush you with one chord, turn you to dust and leave you to marvel at how small and insignificant you are in the face of the universe. It is incredibly difficult to utilize such plodding, sparse instrumentation and acheive such devastating results. To say Earth has been influential would be as much an understatement as saying the music is heavy.
Here, on their first studio album since 1996, Dylan Carlson (the sole original member) is joined by Adrienne Davies and Jonas Haskins to create an epic soundscape of the frontier. Unlike their earlier material, which exists predominantly in the land of doom and stoners, Hex:... opens with a call back to raw early country and the blues. This is desert crossing material laden with the echos of ghost towns, mirages of long-dead cowboys and indians; hints that America is truly cursed and blood-soaked land. Carlson has mentioned in interviews his idea of The Note: a continuum of music that has existed long before us and which will long outlive us. Earth has captured the essence of Americana in The Note and revealed how haunting our nature can be.
Southern Lord Recordings
20 September 2005
4 Stars
I was recently privy to a discussion about "droney" bands. It was held under the sway of several pints, so I'll spare you the meanderings, but the general premise was based on the atmospheric elucidations of a good two handfuls of bands. While one side argued based on the merits of some recent indie bands that aren't really my thing (and I can't even remember who to be honest) versus another friend and I who took a decidedly more doom/sludge position. After disagreeing for about 15 or twenty minutes, my side was left with little recourse but to bring out the big gun: Earth.
Earth isn't just some heavy band that incorporates atmospheric sounds to add dimension to their music. Earth IS atmosphere: it can crush you with one chord, turn you to dust and leave you to marvel at how small and insignificant you are in the face of the universe. It is incredibly difficult to utilize such plodding, sparse instrumentation and acheive such devastating results. To say Earth has been influential would be as much an understatement as saying the music is heavy.
Here, on their first studio album since 1996, Dylan Carlson (the sole original member) is joined by Adrienne Davies and Jonas Haskins to create an epic soundscape of the frontier. Unlike their earlier material, which exists predominantly in the land of doom and stoners, Hex:... opens with a call back to raw early country and the blues. This is desert crossing material laden with the echos of ghost towns, mirages of long-dead cowboys and indians; hints that America is truly cursed and blood-soaked land. Carlson has mentioned in interviews his idea of The Note: a continuum of music that has existed long before us and which will long outlive us. Earth has captured the essence of Americana in The Note and revealed how haunting our nature can be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
