ARKONA
Ot Serdca K Nebu
(Napalm)
By Kat Renz
The tumultuous first 60 seconds of “Pokrovy Nebesnogo Startsa," the second track off Arkona’s fourth studio full-length, Ot Serdca K Nebu, make me proud to be Russian. Is it the war-like chants, the growling Masha “Scream” or the traditional Slavic “Volynka” bagpipes? Maybe it’s the violently pitch-shifted guitars and rapid-fire drums, followed by the sweet cacophony of Eastern European folk instruments lilting through the fusillade?
Then I remember I’m totally not Russian and feel a tad weirdly nationalistic. But for ethnomusicologists with an open mind toward the heavy or headbangers into Viking metal like Tyr, Arkona’s epic tribute to Russian ecology and pre-Christian battle gods tempers the uber-patriotic ideology of the Slavic world’s most well-known “Rodnovery” (“native faith”) metal band.
In their last album, Vo Slavu Velikim (Sound Age Productions, 2005), Arkona ditched the synth for authentic folk instruments. Once again, this one’s packed with them. Some recordings exceed 100 tracks - and a few are definitely overproduced. Together the brutal accordion, punishing pennywhistle, and most pummeling flute since Jethro Tull’s one-legged elf serenades create an absurdly catchy sound. Lady Masha pulls off both crystal-clear vocals and visceral screams.
The power metal theatrics lend a cheesiness for sure, and the album is too long. But if you’re a sucker for Iron Maiden, the galloping mood-momentum of melodic death metal, or Braveheart, you won't be able to resist downloading Ot Serdca K Nebu and running, sword and iPod in hand, to the nearest Renaissance Faire.
Pelt-down: Arkona live.
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