The Rock Blogger

Dalriada. Kikelet . 2007. 4.5 stars.

Hungary’s Dalriada are an epic folk metal band that incorporate majestic melodies and beautiful female vocals into their sound. Symphonic keyboards, power metal riffs and steady drumming flow together seamlessly, producing one of the most memorable albums of its kind. Its an impassioned work that rivals the heroic intensity of like-minded bands Moonsorrow or Ensiferum. Laura Binder’s voice carries the same soaring lift as her male counterparts and holds its own against the melodic guitar work. Her performance is inspired and proud, carrying the torch for this unique album. Its refreshing to hear female vocals fronting a folk metal act with such vigor.

Kikelet is immediately satisfying and conveys a triumphant spirit. A hidden gem deserving of more attention, especially for Binder’s stirring vocals. Highly recommended.

“Kikelet”

Obscura. Cosmogenesis . 2009. 4.5 stars.

Obscura play mind-blowing technical death metal in the same progressive vein as Cynic and Death, complete with fret-less bass, warped vocal effects and sci-fi/astrological themes. Like those genre giants, Obscura are simply virtuosic as they burn through their spiraling song structures. While the death metal growls may not be entirely distinctive, their juxtaposition with spacey, digitized vocals makes their delivery all the more entertaining.

The staggering musicianship of this record appears in the dizzying bass and guitar solos. The percussion is also fantastic, with pummeling blast beats (like on “Centric Flow” for instance) paving the way for winding riffs. Much more than a mere display of technicality, Cosmogenesis is rich with detail and interesting breaks and passages to space the onslaught out. Acoustic flourishes peak through songs like “Orbital Elements”, adding a distinctive layer to the vast tapestries of sound. Almost all of the tracks here branch off into a variety of directions, with shifts in time signatures, tempos and the density of guitar riffs shaking up the compositions.

Obscura have produced one of the finest works in the progressive death metal genre. While its easy to confuse their sound with their forefathers’, they still make a considerable impact in their own right. The instrumental prowess of this album is certainly its main draw. One of the finer and technically brilliant albums of the year so far.

“Anticosmic Overload”

From YouTube: A new video by Jonathan Beamish for the earliest recorded version of the song produced as a John Peel Session for the BBC in 1979.
The original band footage is a mixture of a performance video shot by the band for the single release (minus the damaged shots) and live concert excerpts from Plank, Brussels and the Apollo, Manchester.