Iceland - Old Temples Of Pagan Gods
Black folk metal is probably the nearest I can come up with to class this band, they are from Poland and that’s all I know about them!! There is very little out there on them, the myspace page is very low on information as well, so it’s with this little knowledge that I put on this album from Frenteuropa Records not really knowing what to expect. With such scant information I at least had no set preconceptions!
First track up was “Slawa” and it opens up very nicely indeed, with the sound of a waterfall falling in the background before the track bursts to life, normally keyboards don’t do a lot for me but on this release they are pretty decent and add a lot of atmosphere to it. There is some decent riffing here too on this opening track, good start. The next track “Northern Wind” is more of the same with a very similar feel and sound, but this time with added vocals. Very doomy they are too! The keyboards add to the atmosphere too, any more of liking these keyboards and I am in danger of becoming a prog rock fan! The vocals are low and doomy but you can actually make out the lyrics, which I think add to this release. The playing throughout is of a good quality with some really neat guitar work and some solid drumming as well. The keyboards add a sense of mystery and menace to the album giving it a great atmosphere.
All seven tracks are good and it rattles along at a nice pace, each song dove-tailing nicely with the last track, My favourite tracks would be “1000 Years Of Captivity” and the title track “Old Temples of Pagan Gods” but to be perfectly honest it’s a really good release with no duds on it at all.
Well this was a nice diversion for me, not my usual listening, I tend to avoid folk metal but this had a good dose of Black Metal which made it an enjoyable experience. I recommend you try and track this release down as it’s one mighty fine listen!
First track up was “Slawa” and it opens up very nicely indeed, with the sound of a waterfall falling in the background before the track bursts to life, normally keyboards don’t do a lot for me but on this release they are pretty decent and add a lot of atmosphere to it. There is some decent riffing here too on this opening track, good start. The next track “Northern Wind” is more of the same with a very similar feel and sound, but this time with added vocals. Very doomy they are too! The keyboards add to the atmosphere too, any more of liking these keyboards and I am in danger of becoming a prog rock fan! The vocals are low and doomy but you can actually make out the lyrics, which I think add to this release. The playing throughout is of a good quality with some really neat guitar work and some solid drumming as well. The keyboards add a sense of mystery and menace to the album giving it a great atmosphere.
All seven tracks are good and it rattles along at a nice pace, each song dove-tailing nicely with the last track, My favourite tracks would be “1000 Years Of Captivity” and the title track “Old Temples of Pagan Gods” but to be perfectly honest it’s a really good release with no duds on it at all.
Well this was a nice diversion for me, not my usual listening, I tend to avoid folk metal but this had a good dose of Black Metal which made it an enjoyable experience. I recommend you try and track this release down as it’s one mighty fine listen!
Label: http://frenteuropa.org
Reviewer: donnieaural
Jan 11, 2012
Jan 11, 2012
Next review:
Aboriorth - The Austere Perpetuity Of Nothingness
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