2008
When was the last time you heard of a CD compilation that came packaged in a DVD case? There can't be all that many out there right? I mean I rummaged through my memory banks and couldn't think of one. Not one. True, it might not be entirely practical as far as shipping them and displaying them. And yet I can't help but wish more compilations came housed in a nice DVD case like this! But anyway, on compilation number "V" from our friends at Metal Message, which is a limited edition affair (mine being 1,496 out of 2000!), the name of the game is pagan metal. Truthfully speaking and all I'm not the least bit knowledgeable when it comes down to said subject. But, I'm always open to new and exciting things (hey, I even tried marriage once friends!) so I dove into this one head first and took a long swim in the deep, dark and cold waters that is pagan metal. And what did I discover? Well, first off let's take a look at the overall packaging of this compilation from it's case to it's 30 pages booklett. Yes, you read that right friends. The booklet that comes with this compilation is 30 pages long with band pictures and line-up/contact information for said bands. Along with beautiful shots of nature (as pagan metal has a powerful connection with nature) this is one great booklet and let me just say that this is how you do serious heavy metal justice to a various artists compilation! What we have on hand here is a deluxe package for a compilation that, while described overall as a pagan metal compilation, actual has bands that also play folk metal and viking metal. With this 2008 compilation, which also comes with a neat little postcard, you get it all (pagan/viking/folk) with most tracks running about five minutes or so on average with a total run-time being in the neighborhood of one hour and seventeen minutes.As I would have no prior reference points for any of these bands I do realize that going track by track would probably not make much sense. Instead I'll list it for you all to read over and then give you my overall impression of it below.
1. Fimbulvet - Helias Bann
2.. Hromovlad - Slavia
3. Tumulus - Kochevonov Plyas
4. Dark Forest - Journey To Ever-Eternal Skies
5. Tiwaz - The Battlelore
6. Dyrathor - Im Auge des Sturms
7. Xerion - No Pazo Derruido Da Existencia
8. Adorned Brood - Sons Of The Damned
9. Waylander - As Deities Clash
10. Natan - Volkskracht
11. Andras - Miasma Track
12. Obscurity - Nach Asgard wir reiten
13. Vinternatt - De Zwarte Mis
These bands come from all over the world. We open with Fimbulvet, who hail from Germany and have a stripped-down and raw viking metal vibe going for them, and we close with Belgium's Vinternatt who, in spite of coming across as harsh more often then not thanks to the black metal vocals of Bert Baeyens, add an interesting element to their sound with the use of the violin! Along the way we have bands popping up from Slovakia (Hromovlad), Canada (Dark Forest), Brazil (Tiwaz), Spain (Xerion) and Ireland (Waylander). So, a lot of ground (distance-wise across this great globe of ours!) is covered here on "V" and for fans of pagan metal (as well as both viking and folk metal) that can't be a bad thing I figure. Admittedly I'm not sure what else to add to this review as my understanding of said genres is vastly inferior to the bulk of heavy metal blog writers. Still, I will say that I found this compilation interesting if nothing else. A few of the tracks were a tad long for my short attention span (the Dark Forest track is over 8 minutes long!), but I'm still glad I gave it a chance as it's always best to try out new bands and new styles of music when ever you can! So, in a nutshell I found the packaging to be killer (the booklet is stunningly put together folks!) while the actual music ran from decent to good. If you're a fan of pagan metal then this release isn't a bad way to go (especially as it makes for a cool addition to any collection thanks to the packaging alone!).
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