Among the Russian folk metal scene, a band has started to draw the attention of us Western countries and it’s no one other than GjeldRune. With one album and one EP in their resume, these fine people from Dubna released their last full-length album Pravdu za Porog last month with the help of Sergeï Lazar (Arkona) from CDM Records.
So far, what could be wrong?
There are interesting elements here and there and the most noticeable one is the singing style, mainly in clean voice, shared by Evgeny and Fedor (guitar). The alchemy works especially well on “Prokliatie”, one of my favorite songs. Also, what intrigued me when I looked at the tracklist for the first time was the song “Ragnaroek”. I wondered how they would deal with a Scandinavian myth and I think they did quite well.
I especially enjoyed “Iz mojej pamiati” and the storytelling structure. It was short but well managed. I truly appreciated the risk they took because I think this kind of composition has its place in folk metal. I hope there will be more of this in the future! The same goes for “Molotom bitv” and its pogo-friendly parts. According to what I’ve already watched on YouTube, GjeldRune is an excellent live band and songs like these make me even more impatient to see them at the Ragnard Rock Festival in France this summer.
Although Pravdu za Porog is a nice album, it kind of left me dissatisfied. I hate to say it, but the problem with the Russian folk metal scene is that there are dozens of soulless and unoriginal bands which make it hard to stand out from the crowd. So, I must admit I have mixed feelings about the album because I expected more, but appreciate this was not an easy task. It’s really worth a listen though.
All I wish to GjeldRune is good luck and see you soon!
Pravdu zo porog is out now.
