Falkenbach - Tiurida

It has been a long six years since the last offering from Falkenbach.  2005 saw the band release Heralding - The Fireblade which was a re-recodring of demo songs and other earlier material.  So, in essence, the last true full length album of new material from Falenbach came to us way back in 2003, when they released the mighty Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty. It is no secret that I find Ok Nefna..one of my favorite albums, not only of the genre of folk/viking metal, but of any metal genre out there.  Falkenbach, similar to other bands like Summoning are able to create intense atmosphere using simple yet beutiful melodies which are then repeated for the majority of the song, but somehow never lose your interest.  Few bands are capable of being repetative but still enchanting, Falkenbach is one of those bands and after such a long absence, I was concerend that the new decade would see a drop in quality from the band.  I am happy to say that the absence from the scene hasn't hurt the quality of material in the least.

Tiurida starts off in a similar vein as previous albums, with a blasting warhorn.  As soon as it hits, you know Falkenbach is playing and you are about to hear a powerful album.  Our first full song on the album is “...Where His Ravens Fly...”  Again, the main melody is introduced right away with a nice acoustic and clean vocal approach.  As the song continues over its seven minute length you will hear some variations using mandolins and flutes.  Songs like this is where Falkenbach really shine;  mid tempo metal, layered vocal choirs and tasteful lead guitars.   Even though the song is made up of only two parts, you never really notice as the music enchants you and the seven minutes pass by in the blink of an eye.

With “Time Between Dog and Wolf” we find the first use of harsh vocals and the album, which is fitting as it is a much more aggressive song, similar to the songs off of Heralding-The Fireblade.  While definitely more blackened, there is still a peaceful thread tying the song together.  From here on out the songs are a mix of the sound we find in the first two tracks, so if you are unfamilar with the band ing to these songs would be good barometer as what the album has to offer. 

My only complaint about the album is that it feels a bit short.  With a bonus track we are looking at forty five minutes of material.  Taking six years to release an album, I would have liked to have heard a good fifty to fifty five minutes.  On the bright side of this issue though is a solid forty five minutes.  There is no filler here.  It is a conceise album that doesnt drag on and become tired like many folk/viking releases in the past few years.

Any fan of earlier Falkenbach material will not be disappointed with Tiurida.  While in Minneapolis for the first Heathen Crusade I was able to chat with AA Nemtheanga , the singer of Primordial for about five hours.  When we discussed Falkenbach he said, “Falkenbach are the Journey of black metal,”  meaning most of the songs are in the same key, use the same type of open harmonies, etc..  I would not disagree with this analogy, but this is one reason I find the band so endearing.  While they never really push themselves to do anything new, you know exactly what you are getting with the band, and that is exactly how I want it.

Release Date: January 28th, 2011
Label: Napalm Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Intro
2.  ...Where His Ravens Fly...
3.  Time Between Dog and Wolf
4.  Tanfana
5.  Runes Shall You Know
6.  In Flames
7.  Sunnavend
8.  Asaland (Bonus Track)

Total playing time:  44:25

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Deathstalker

January 7, 2011