Hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia comes WOODSCREAM. The folk metal project, that is woman fronted, formed in 2006. The band has put out two full-length albums with their "Варево" being their most recent release put out this year. The metal band sings in the Russian language and their songs are focused on fairytales, legends and Russian culture. The album focuses on Valentina's melodious voice accompanied by flute-like instruments, Russian instruments, and synths. It is a cultured blend of an interesting sounding creation that is memorable and whimsical.

"Варево" begins the folky rhythm with the softness of a woman's voice. Drums are simple, and the synths are eerie. The bass and guitars are harmoniously tuned low. There is a breakdown of synths that sound as if it were a wind chime. The guitars stop and start, and the voice shakily sings. "Волчица" is extremely similar to ELUVEITE's track "Gray Sublime Action," except this track by WOODSCREAM does not feature a strict melody. The guitars follow the notes of the woman's voice, and do not have a mind of their own. Similarly, the folky melody is not much of a melody but seems as if arbitrary notes are strung together with a loose thread. In the breakdown, much of everything is tuned low. A wolf howls, and there are high pitched synths in the background.

The music moves circularly. "Василиса" is much different than the previous tracks. Loose, funky, bass notes start the track. It is a memorable piece, but it sounds as if a note or two is off key, or the beat is off rhythm. Again, the music flows underneath the woman, instead of acting like its own entity. It is apparent here that the guitars act like a drum to the voice as it catches the tune. Tremolo picking formulates. Folky, high-pitched, wind instrumentation is floating in the background. "Водяной" is out-of-breath, and sets the expectation too high. A woman's voice shouts to the guitars, and the guitars repeat the tone. It is fast paced. An accordion-like sound is introduced. A wind instrument exhibits a melodic folky tune resounding throughout the piece. This is not their strongest, and the harmonics do not add up smoothly. In "Русалка," a flutey instrument begins the track with a sound, intricate, melody.

This gets more defined and excellent as the song continues. Nevertheless, the guitars and bass do not fit the pattern of the delicate flute. The drums are silenced as the string instruments act as their replacement. Again, it seems as if the woman's voice does not travel far, but it is quite melodious in itself. "Круговерть" is similar to the last piece with the flute instrument. A flute begins a crazily swirly pattern with faster notes, with what sounds like birds chirping. It is bouncy and the guitars mimic this pattern. The woman's voice is quick paced. The track battles with high pitched notes from the flute, and the woman's voice, with the tone of the bass and guitars. "Заложный" also begins with a flute, but this time is much more euphonic. Guitars seem to be tuned lower, but do not change the melody. The pattern of the flute is echoed throughout the song. This changes key alongside the woman's voice. It is quite somber, arguing different sounds and instruments. It is one of the strongest pieces they have uncovered.

"Мавка" is one of the most expressive, and is diverged much from the other sounds. The track starts with nature sounds of frogs and crickets with a crunch through the grass. There is a beatific instrumental sound, but unsure if it is a synth or not. The song is ancestral, yet unsettling and creepy. It can be thought of as perhaps gothic rather than folk. Guitars have a little bit of life to them that is not guided by the voice. Static and laughter are heard throughout the sounds. "Калинов мост" begins with a shooting sound of drums with the guitar's blast beats. The song has a metal core style to it. Synths sound in the background. Different instruments are introduced to create a complex whirlwind with guitars almost silencing them out. "Прощание" is strange in that it has few resemblances to any part of the previous tracks. Spacey synths flow with a piano like instruments. Notes play over and over again, to create a strong ambience flowing through eternity. A violin like instrument sounds as well. The simplicity of this instrumental track is solemnly beautiful, and I wish other tracks like these would have been included earlier.

WOODSCREAM's "Варево" is a creation of interesting tales and stories in an eclectic makeup of Russian folk metal. The album mainly features Valentina's voice guiding the instruments, but at times I had wished for more free nature for the guitars. "Мавка" and "Прощание" were the most interesting tracks off the album, diverging from the previous sounds. It would be lovely to see the final track's ideas being implemented in future works for the band.