[Reviewed by: stark]
This is the first album by the band, released in 2020, but according to the booklet, recorded between 2006 and 2011. Interesting story, I wonder what were the circumstances that it had to wait almost 10 years to finally see the light of day. While Archaic Silence is a Russian band, “Страна Где Прошлого Не Жаль / The Land Of No Regrets” is strongly rooted in Norse Mythology. This is all I can say about the lyrics, as they’re all in the Russian language.
You know, I can’t say I’m a huge fan of this kind of music. I mean I liked some bands in the 90s, but I’ve lost my interest over the years, finding such music rather dull and imitative when compared to the classics. This is symphonic doom/viking metal, slow tempos, heavy riffs, and an abundance of pompous keyboard melodies. Bathory in their Viking era were perfect at it and honestly I don’t think anyone has reached that level up until today. The label mentions Bathory in album’s description, as well as Therion, but luckily Archaic Silence succeeds at avoiding the pathetic grotesque of the later albums by this Swedish project. I mean there’s a lot of pathos, but it is a more down-to-earth pathos (if that makes any sense). Also, Archaic Silence has one huge asset in the form of some impressive male vocals by the band’s leader Evgeny Nikitin. Apparently, he’s a famous Russian opera singer characterized by deep bass-baritone and he efficiently injects his skills to a metal field. There are also female vocals and if you’d ask me, they give me a little headache.
Evgeny’s spectacular skills are the main advantage of the album, as the musical side is… well, fine I think, if you’re a fan. If not, it doesn’t bring anything new and may be a little exhausting especially that the album lasts almost 80 minutes.
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Archaic Silence – Страна Где Прошлого Не Жаль
Der Schwarze Tod, tod68; COD music, COD25
CD/Digital 2020
Santa Sangre 