ALKONOST - Dar Salamandry
Self Release
So how does an old Metal Head from NC know about some long time Russian Pagan / Folk Metal band? Well let me take you back to the late 2000s. It was at that time when Pagan, Folk and Viking metal was a big thing. I mean hello Pagan Fest! Yeah there was a bandwagon of acts, some older and a bunch of newbies, all wanting to be known. I got into all of that music and looking back some bands were great plus I'm still a fan.
Now the 2000s was when I was doing the early version of this blog. At that time I was getting some official stuff to review from a guy in Poland and another guy from the Ukraine. Now along with the official stuff, each of these guys would ask me if I was interested in other metal stuff. Of course I always said sure which led to me getting download links to a variety of stuff from their collections. Once the guy from Ukaine found out I liked Pagan / Folk metal then he started sending me stuff like that. That's how I learned about the Russian Folk Metal act ARKONA. I've got three of their releases. And another Russian band I got turned onto was ALKONOST.
I was sent a download link for Songs of the Eternal Oak which was ALKONOST's debut full length from 2000. Now that release was totally ahead of it's time as far as the sub genre goes. It was also a lot different for what was to come. So fast forward a few years and there was this website / blog dedicated to more obscure Pagan Folk Metal in the world. The site also had a distro and they had a review for ALKONOST's seventh full length On the Wings of the Call from 2010. Now this one was way different then what I'd heard before. In a way it sounded like a Pagan Folk version of Tarja Turunen era NIGHTWISH. And yeah that was a good thing.
But now we fast forward to 2024 and as far as this latest one goes well there's been some changes to say the least. Gone is vocalist Alyona Pelevina and has been replaced by Ksenia Pobuzhanskaya in 2012. Guitarist Andrey Losev is the last remaining original 1990's member. You also have a newer rhythm section featuring Vadim Grozov on bass and Dmitry Bortsov on drums. So I'm listening to this one and I'm liking it a lot. I mean it's cool as well as accessible to anyone with sense.
Ksenia has a wider range in vocal style then her predecessor. Sure she can hit those operatic tones. But she nails the melodic touches which makes this album rock and yeah it fuckin hits symphonic metal style. I wonder if this album was played on the front lines over there between the Ukraine and Russia that the firing would stop. Well we can wish right? Either way I think this new ALKONOST is cool.
LISTEN TO & BUY IT HERE:
https://alkonostrussia.bandcamp.com/album/--17
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