Tverd - Follow the Sun's Way

September 27, 2009

Reviewer: Peter

Those who have been following the Eastern European metal scene will no doubt remember a band called Pagan Reign.  For those that don’t, Pagan Reign was a folk metal band from Russia that was actually one of the best bands that few knew about.  However, before more people could find out about them, the band split up in 2006.  Recently, one of the band’s members Vetrodar has resurfaced with his own band called Tverd.

Tverd began a few months after Pagan Reign split and features among its ranks Sigurd, who is Vetrodar’s father.  Last year, the band made available their debut album Follow the Sun’s Way to a limited audience.  The album has since been re-released to a wider audience and showcases something different from Pagan Reign.

Those who are expecting Pagan Reign part two will be disappointed in Follow the Sun’s Way.  While Tverd does have its moments where it is like Pagan Reign, the bulk of its musical compositions are of an operatic nature with a stronger folk influence.  The opening track “Wolf and Gyrfalcon” shows a lot in the way of clean, operatic male and female vocals with more emphasis on the folk part of the folk metal equation, as there is much more in the way of folk instruments being employed.  There are also war-like screams on the album, which compliment the clean vocals perfectly.  Like Pagan Reign though, the songs are well thought out and the musicianship is excellent.  There is even a sense of mood, as “When the Steel is being broken…” and the instrumental “…Under the Sun’s Magic Arrows” display a somber side of the band.  Due to its style that it employs, Tverd will never be confused with Pagan Reign, since Pagan Reign played at a faster rate much of the time, whereas Tverd does things at a more deliberate pace.  However, the results for both bands are about the same, as Tverd has proven to be just as enjoyable.  There is a touch of weird on Follow the Sun’s Way, as the last track “Russian Land’s Sorrow (Kalinov’s Bridge)” features a sudden remix toward the end of the song.  While it is weird, the band does indeed acknowledge this in the liner notes.  It doesn’t take away from the album as a whole, nor does it do much for the song (which is an instrumental) other than cause a double take from the listener.  For visual purposes, the artwork within the booklet is superior, as there is some art that accompanies each of the song’s lyrics to give the listener an idea of what each song is about.

Those who expect Tverd to be a Pagan Reign clone will find themselves disappointed with Follow the Sun’s Way.  Tverd is a more traditional folk metal band that has a lot to offer.  The operatic style mixed with traditional Russian folk are almost enough to add a new definition to the word “epic.”  The little “glitch” at the end of “Russian Land’s Sorrow (Kalinov’s Bridge) aside, Follow the Sun’s Way is a strong album from start to finish.

TRACK LISTING

1.  Wolf and Gyrfalcon
2.  The Spring
3.  Wide Maslenitsa
4.  The Motherland’s Heart
5.  …Under the Sun’s Magic
     Arrows
6.  When the Steel is being
     broken…
7.  A Falcon is Over Rus
8.  To the Foreign Land…
9.  Epic Metal Cantata
     “The Bogatyr’s Gates”
10.  Russian Land’s Sorrow
       (Kalinov’s Bridge)

Total playing time: 63:36

Release Date: May, 2009
Label: Wicked Music

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