arkona goi, rode, goi!

Released: 02 November 2009 Label: Napalm Records

Studio album number five for Russian folk metallers Arkona sees them continue to build on their already successful and well-respected formula. Russia may not be too well renowned for producing great heavy metal of any sort, but Arkona are certainly doing their bit to rectify that.

On the surface Arkona do little that is drastically different to any number of folk metal acts; there are elements of black, death and old school metal, coupled with folk instrumentation and vocal melodies throughout. Where they excel though, is in the authenticity of the delivery.

This is not straight forward metal with a touch of folk thrown in as an afterthought. For Arkona, the traditional folk elements are as crucial – and as real – as the heavy riffing and double kick drums that dominate many of the 14 tracks on offer here.

Comparisons to Týr and Eluveitie spring to mind regularly, although Arkona probably stray into extreme metal territory more often than either of those acts. Some of the slower passages hint at Moonsorrow as well, but Arkona clearly display enough flair and originality to stand on their own merits.

The centre piece of the album is the epic Na Moey Zemle, a compelling fifteen minute journey through extreme metal to acoustic folk and back again, executed with passion and quite outstanding precision.

There are other highlights too, but at over seventy minutes in length, the one reservation is that Goi, Rode, Goi! might just be a little bit too much to take in one sitting. That said, there’s much worse ways to spend an hour and a bit.

by Marcus Jervis