Live...For The Glory & Inevitability
Arkona & Nargathrond
•
April 21, 2009
If you managed to reach this point, the prologue of this review, you are a hell of a patient person! And that makes me a very patient editor that had to write all those titles. On the other hand, I'm glad that this re-release fell in my hands since ARKONA is a band that I came across in the Ot Serdtsa K Nebu album, and I really liked.
Here we are dealing with a double CD. The first one is a re-release of an ARKONA live album that was released in 2006 and the second one is the latest NARGATHROND album that was released in 2004. The readers of Metal Temple that are fans of the so called folk Metal scene, should already know about ARKONA since we came across them twice in the past. Formed in 2002 and having many lineup changes, they have released three full-length albums.
As far as NARGATHROND concerns, it is something like a second personality of ARKONA with the addition of Flint in the lead guitars. They formed around 1996 and as someone can read at their official site ...is only a project based on our spiritual creativity, our thoughts, dreams and visions. It's not a usual band.... So, the project right now is on hold.
As for the rate, I think that just by rating the two albums as whole won't be fair. So you will see three rates. One for each CD and an overall one.
At last, time to talk about music! As I mentioned earlier, Zhizn Vo Slavua is a re-release of their 2006 live album, plus three songs from their demo, with a slightly different cover. This performance took place in Relax Club in Moscow, Russia in 2005 and found the band in a very good shape. The crowd sounds sometimes ecstatic and Masha almost after every track thanks them (the only word I could understand). ARKONA's folk Metal sounds good live and I'm sure that every one in the club had a great time. From what I can listen, Masha is a good frontwoman and easily took the crowd by her side. Especially in Rus the crowd gave their best and sung along the chorus, something that is normal; the gig took place in Russia. Her performance as a signer is something that some other vocalist may envy, being able to sing with a clear voice and do all the growls too. As for the rest of the band, they too have a very good performance, so good that it puts me thinking how much editing they made in the studio. Nevertheless, the album is full of energy and it will be a good addition to your collection of CDs if you like this genre. As for the three songs from the Russia demo from 2002, they can give you an idea about the past of the band. They have a nice production for a demo and you can see that the band had things to give to the folk Metal genre.
7/10
Lest move on to the second CD, the latest album of NARGATHROND, Inevitability. Even though the band members are the same, the music has not lots of things in common with their main band. Here you won't listen to folk melodies. Well, you may say that they music is Dark, Gothic Metal, even though in their first two albums they approach was a more ambient black Metal one. Here Masha sings only with clean vocals. Their melodies are quite nice, but nothing that you haven't listened to before. The whole atmosphere is quite dark, but even though I like Masha's voice, I believe that the decision to sing in her native tongue was not the right choice. Russian is a strange language for most of us, as Greek is for anyone else, and even though it works just fine in ARKONA's folk Metal, here it has the opposite result. The production is quite good and only thing I didn't like is that the vocals are quite in front. Not a bad album and probably you will like songs like Neizbezhnost', Na Porose and Rasterebil Tvoj Den', but I believe that NARGATHROND are aiming to the Russian and the other republics of ex-USSR market.
5/10
Well, it's not easy making a summary about this double CD, since we are dealing with two different, as far as their sound concerns, bands. ARKONA are not new for me and I really like their music. And even though I hate live albums, I believe that this one is quite good for someone to start knowing the band. NARGATHROND are not bad as a side project, but I don't think that they have something to give to non-Russian spoken countries. As I pointed above, the album has some nice songs but it's nothing special. So, an overall rate would be (and especially if the price is for a single CD):
7 / 10
Good
"Live...For The Glory & Inevitability" Track-listing:
Disc 1
Intro
Skvoz Tuman Vekov
Po Siroy Zemle
Maslenitsa
Chernie Debri Voyni
Tuman Yarom
Gnev Vremen
Po Zverinim Tropam
Rus
Vosstanie Roda
Oy To Ne Vecher
Kolyada (Bonus, Demo Version)
Solntcevorot (Bonus, Demo Version)
Rus (Bonus, Demo Version)
Disc 2
Teni Nochti
Sily Vetra
Neizbezhnost'
Plenja Zabludshie Ogni
Volki
Na Porose
Oblaka
Kak Byt' Mne Zdes'?
Rasterebil Tvoj Den'
Ptica-dusha
Oblik Tvoj
Arkona & Nargathrond Lineup:
ARKONA:
Masha Scream - Vocals, Keyboards
Sergej Lazar - Guitar
Ruslan Kniaz - Bass
Vlad Artist - Drums
NARGATHROND:
Masha Scream - Vocals
Sergej Lazar - Guitar
Sergej Flint - Lead Guitars
Ruslan Kniaz - Bass
Vlad Artist - Drums
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