Rating: 8/10
Release: 25 March 2013
Label: Sound Age Productions

After an acoustic live album last year, Kalevala released another studio album this time.
Immediately from the start it’s obvious what this is all about. True Russian folk in a rock and metal style. The vocals of singer Kseniya give it all an delicious Slavonian folk sound. After the first solid folk-track Korochun it’s time for the fast title-track Luna I Grosh. Followed by Luchshuyu Spoyu Vam Pesnyu a nice Slavonic folksong. In which you can sing along with this male choir. Problems with you Russian? Get a couple of drinks and try again….
In Maslenitsa and Nagryanuli we hear nice authentic instruments besides the rock/metal equipment. And I can say I like this. I hope they’ll add these to their music permanently, because it’s a very nice add and they sound perfect with Kseniya voice.
No metal-screams in Kalevala’s songs, but the music is very solid like in Gde Tvoya Nochevala Pechal?, where drums are pounding and guitars put down nice metal-lines.
And they embracing folk with all it’s charms like in Odeval v lnyanoe platye, Wearing linen attire…
What can you say more
In songs like ‘Govori so mnoi’ we get fast drums and it’s obvious they’re coming from the same background as Arkona. But Kalevala stays closer to the original folk and vocals and guitars are a lot cleaner then they are in Arkona.
‘Snezhny Dom’ is a nice ballad and this suits them just as well. The powerful guitar-solo reminds you of the fact we’re dealing with a metalband here.
The last track of this album is Batka-Ataman which is a Kalevala version of a traditional Russian folksong. And this is a nice one. It’s clear this song is kept safe by Russian tradition to be performed by Kalevala in it’s final version. This song written by their ancestors is really in their blood and it comes alive again in 2013.
Then there are only two bonus-tracks left. Son Reka and Oi, Pri Luzhke, the last one is again a nice Russian folksong in Kalevala-coating.

Very nice album by these Russians. Where I was a bit disappointed with their previous album, which was more a collector’s item to me, Kalevala is back with Luna I grosh. Very nice metal and solid rocksongs with a nice thick folksauce. Kalevala has again proven their one Russia’s very nice bands which blend folk and metal in a very nice way.

Tracklist

1. Korochun
2. Luna I Grosh (The Moon and the Sixpence)
3. Luchshuyu Spoyu Vam Pesnyu (I’ll sing you the best song!)
4. Maslenitsa
5. Nagryanuli (Out of the blue)
6. Gde Tvoya Nochevala Pechal? (Where’s Your Sorrow Slept?)
7. Odeval v lnyanoe platye (Wearing linen attire…)
8. Govori so mnoi (Talk to me)
9. Snezhny Dom (Snow house)
10. Batka-Ataman (Russian folksong, the title is s.th. like “My master ataman”)
11. Son-Reka (Dream-River) (Bonus)
12. Oi, Pri Luzhke (Oh, On the Meadow) (Bonus)