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Home→Categories By: Jano 1 2 3 4 >>  
 

Category Archives: By: Jano

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Minotaurus – ‘Victims of the Underworld’ (2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 28th November 2019 by Michel28th November 2019
Minotaurus victims of the underwold

Rating: 8.1/10
Release: 9 November 2019
Label: Limb Music

Being a fan of the darker shift in tone of Minotaurus’s previous effort Insolubilis I was excited to see how their new album would turn out. All in all, despite a few weak spots and a change in the focus of the songwriting to emphasize the lyrics on most songs, Victims of the Underworld keeps the melancholy of its predecessor while venturing into new musical territory as a natural progression in the band’s lyrical delivery.
Minotaurus has always had a storyteller feel to their songs since their inception. Unlike Blind Guardian whose bardic associations are mostly meta-commentary on eclectic subject-matter and image, Minotaurus straight-up takes stories and adapts them as faithfully as is possible in a way reminiscent of the stereotypical wandering minstrel. On this album, Minotaurus has fully embraced their lyrics as the greater focus, and have decided to write the music to supplement their vocal deliveries. It isn’t unheard of for bands to take this approach. But when the guitars are all but muted, and when they show up ape the exact notation of the vocals without adding anything the approach begins to weigh down the music. While the vocals redeem the quality of the music and even do well establishing an atmosphere, on most songs the instruments are barely audible other than the odd chord (if that much) such as seen on “Born from Roots”, “Never Surrender”, and “Raven’s Flight”. While the songwriting is the focus here it must be said the vocals themselves are brilliant, making the songs atmospheres sound miserable, melancholic and forlorn all by themselves in lieu of any other instruments. As for the lyrics they are simple and catchy, but on tracks like “Barker’s Revenge”, and “Raven’s Flight” sound a bit too much like old AOR songwriting. Before getting to the starchy substance that makes this album a worthwhile successor to Minotaurus’s previous output, let me explain why the classic rock approach is a bit off-putting. Take the Heidevolk song “There’s a Wolf in My Heart”, arguably a more rock oriented song. Imagine the entire song being that first few lines of the song where there’s nothing but the drums, monotonous backing riff, and Lars Vogel singing – imagine that for 3 minutes and one may be able to see why the “lyrics über alles” mentality might be problematic.
However, even though on certain heavier tracks the guitars fade out when the lyrics kick in,the general attack of the chords on tracks like “Thor I’m Calling You”, the melodic leads on “Immorality”, and the chugging the eponymous track leaves for more than enough traditional sounding Minotaurus. The two high points of this album are “Demon of the Forest” which is an excellent return to the dark tone of the previous album, and “Victims of the Underworld”, which features a highpoint in the instrumental aspect of the songwriting where near the end, the Violins and Guitars hammer out frenzied notes in unison that feels dissonant in an eerie way and adds to the song. There would be a lot of praise for even some of the songs that muted the instruments for the vocals to dominate, mostly because of the excellently written leads the other instruments got when they had the chance. However those moments of brilliance were like firecrackers to the fireworks mentioned here, and mentioning them all would take too long.
With Victims of the Underworld there are a lot of musical subtleties to take in, and may take more than one listen to fully appreciate. Minotaurus’s new emphasis on the vocals is an acquired taste, much like some of the lyrics themselves. But the excellence of the vocal techniques employed will no doubt please anybody who enjoys good singing, but by no means does that entail a poppy approach. The entire album was written with the same melancholy that brought fans Insolubilis and Victims of the Underworld is a worthy spiritual successor marking an interesting evolution in the band’s musical direction.

Tracklist

Continue reading →
Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Minotaurus

Suidakra – ‘Echoes Of Yore’ (2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 30th October 2019 by Michel30th October 2019
Suidakra Echoes of Yore

By: Jano Rating: 8.6/10 Label: AFM Records The past six years have been a productive time for Suidakra with the release of no less than an EP and four albums including their upcoming effort Echoes of Yore. After going in a direction that leans considerably towards the Folk end of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Suidakra

Eluveitie – ‘Live At Masters Of Rock’ (2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 23rd October 2019 by Michel23rd October 2019
Eluveitie Live at Masters of Rock

Rating: 8.6/10 Release: 1 November 2019 Label: Nuclear Blast Eluveitie had undergone a musical transition following the departure of a wave of members from their previous lineup (including guitarist Ivo Hanzel, drummer Merlin Slutter, and the iconic Anna Murphy). Bringing new faces Eluveitie went on to release Evocation II: Pantheon … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Eluveitie

Leah – ‘Ancient Winter’ (2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 10th October 2019 by Michel10th October 2019
Leah Ancient Winter

Rating: 9.6/10Release: 15 November 2019Label: Ex Cathedra Records Winter is coming, and by the looks of things it will be of the ancient variety. Leah’s Ancient Winter issupposedly a departure from her usual celtic-infused Symphonic Metal into the realm of World Music. Firstly, it is important to establish that Ancient … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Leah

Wind Rose – ‘Wintersaga’ (2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 26th September 2019 by Michel12th November 2019
Wind Rose Wintersaga

Rating: 7.2/10 Release: 27 September 2019 Label: Napalm Records As a genre, Power Metal has had a long history of detractors and critics. Even among the most vocal of these individuals there is usually the understanding that Power Metal is tailored around being fun. The elaborate guitar work, the sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Wind Rose

Elvenking – ‘Reader of the Runes – Divination’ (2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 6th August 2019 by Michel6th August 2019
Elvenking Reader of the Runes - Divination

By: JanoRaring: 7.7/10Release: August 30 2019Label: AFM Records For objectivity’s sake I will only be summarizing the general tone of Elvenking’s new album, in addition to the good and the bad. Before I start a bit of background: my first exposure to Elvenking’s music was with one of their very … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Elvenking

Heather Wasteland – ‘The Sverd’ (maxi single 2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 14th July 2019 by Michel14th July 2019
heather wasteland tre sverd

By: JanoRating: 8/10Release: 26 May 2019Label: Independent / Bandcamp Heather Wasteland’s back catalogue had a tendency to curve towards what the band describes as “Heretical Folk Art”. The pre-Christian folk motifs are indeed reminiscent of the ethos of the early pioneers of Folk Metal like Moonsorrow. With regards to the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Heather Wasteland

Haeredium – ‘Ascension’ (2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 20th June 2019 by Michel20th June 2019
haeredium ascension

By: JanoRating: 7.4/10Release: 15 March 2019Label: Art Gates Records Creativity and ambition are almost universally a plus when it comes to writing an album. Wide ranges of musical influences are pretty much guaranteed to yield something that sounds completely new and original. If both the previous sentences are correct, it … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Haeredium

Midgard – ‘Book of Fate’ (2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 1st June 2019 by Michel1st June 2019
Midgard Book of Fate

By: JanoRating: 8.8/10Release: 15th April 2019Label: Independent Ukrainian Death Metallers Midgard have somehow made Power Metal absolutely brutal. While there are definitely some Metal fans who might frown on the comparison of a folk influenced Death Metal band with Power Metal, there are certain musical elements that, while not exclusive … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Midgard

Aegonia – ‘The Forgotten Song’ (2019)

Folk-metal.nl Posted on 14th May 2019 by Michel14th May 2019
Aegonia The Forgotten Song

By: JanoRating: 8.5/10Release: 9 April 2019Label: Independent One of the most common remarks I hear when speaking about relatively specific types of Metal is that there are too many different sub-genres. In many cases, not being specific enough with the name of a sub-genre would fail to do justice to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, By: Jano, CD Review | Tagged Aegonia

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Minotaurus Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfS_aya7cAg

Minotaurus Discography/Reviews

The First Labyrinth (Demo 1997)
Dragonbone Throne (Demo 1998)
Path Of Burning Torches (1999)
Carnyx (EP 2001)
The Silent Cave (EP 2003)
Myth or Reality (2004)
The Lonely Dwarf (2009)
The Call (2013)
Insolubilis (2016)
Victims of the Underworld (2019)

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