Arkona (RUS) - Лепта (2004)^{Release ID: 7877}

Russia remains a largely unexplored territory for me in terms of metal music.  Determining to dip my toe in the waters of the Motherland based entirely on the vibrant colours of an album's artwork is perhaps not the most evidence based methodology to utilise (especially with a - largely - pagan black metal album which is not really a familiar sub-genre to my ears).  Thankfully it paid off as a gamble.

There's a constant feel of agitation and restlessness on the band's part that gets transferred perfectly across the nine tracks on offer here.  Despite it being very saturated with folk elements and multi-instrumental musings the energy of the music is near constant throughout.  The vocals especially standout on the release with Masha's urgent and aggressive style driving the imperative attention the music demands.

The internet tells me Masha did the majority of the work on this album, utilising guest/session musicians to aid in the completion of the output.  That in itself is an achievement to be championed.  Hitting keys, flute, guitars, production, songwriting and lyrics as well as vocals, all so aptly, is testimony to the enthusiasm and passion for her art form Masha displays throughout this record.  Thankfully the artists she used also are gifted with the same skill and passion as the whole musical spectacle comes across really strong and feels deft in delivery.  Moving forwards some of these musicians became full band members so I am enthused to explore further output from the band.

Everything feels really well balanced in terms of instrumentation like the keys, flute, guitar, drums, bass and vocals all are component parts of a story that is captivating and interesting.  The vocals themselves are a mix of cleaner passages and the more familiar aggressive vitriol.  The album will have you drawn into the harmonic folk elements and charging metal passages in equal parts as the blend of the styles is so well applied.  Personally, as a listener who is very unfamiliar with this sub-genre I have found myself revisiting this record several times in the short number of months that I have been aware of it.