NORD'N'COMMANDER
"Sacred Spear Aftersounds" (CD-R)
2001 Self-Released
Source: Official Site of NORD'N'COMMANDER (ex-VANTIT)
(+ in Russian)
NORD'N'COMMANDER (ex-VANTIT) is the Voronezh band, founded in 2001. Participants of the band name their style Blackened Metal/Archaic Folk.
Guitars, drums, flute, bells and some other instruments are used in this album. The vocals are gruff and severe. Many tracks sound hardly, nightly and dreadfully. There is something of Black, something of Ambient here, and all is very singular. Archaic Folk melodies are present, and from time to time they have exact associations with the theme of Asgard. In some places you can hear chthonian sounds and ecstatic howl. And this variety is done correctly, that's why one can noway name these creations "eclectic".
Texts are in English, but from time to time parts in German and Russian have place. The lyrics are dedicated to Nordic myths, Cosmogony and the call for Seventh Sun rising - Sonnenmensch.
Generally speaking, the atmosphere is rough, majestic and impressive.
I didn't listen to other NORD'N'COMMANDER albums yet, but I had an opportunity to acquaint myself with their two cover-versions: to "War" (BURZUM) and to "Crystal Mountain" (DEATH). The cover-version to BURZUM is quite far from the original. The NORD'N'COMMANDER version is done in slower tempo, has strange melodies between couplets, but it has been played adequately. And as for "Crystal Mountain", there is something in it, but I like this cover not so much.
("Sacred Spear Aftersounds" also has been released in 2002 as split-release of labels STELLAR WINTER RECORDS and ARMOUR GET DAWN PRODUCTIONS in MC-format).
Horned
On the debut album of Germans (that too marked as "Chapter II" ("Chapter I" - is the demo "The Pest Called Humanity", 1999) presents extremely apocalyptic and black atmosphere. The leader of the band is the woman with pseudonym Onielar (vocals, guitars), and Velnias (guitars) too. Session members Horrn (drums) and Grigorr (bass) had taked a part in the recording of album. We can compare this album with aggressiveness of MARDUK, BLACKDEATH, ENTHRONED and ANAAL NATHRAKH. All recorded correctly with respect to the sound and with respect to constructing and writing of tracks. Drums record is the best, and it has resembled me ENSLAVED's "Vikingligr Veldi" and MAYHEM's "De Mysteriis...". It's aloud that vocal is female - in so monumental musical part Onielar's vocal is rather bad. (But I like her vocal. - Horned). Lyrics are in English, but sometimes I met with sentences in German. The themes of lyrics are based on Satanism, Nihilism, and some Occult conceptions too. In the interviews DNS's members describe in detail album's lyrics, therefore texts perceived better with these explanations and comments of members. The result: this product concerned to qualitative and serious opuses.
(The number of CD copies is 1500. This album has been released in MC-format on PROPAGANDA (the number of MC copies is 666). LP version of "Follow The Ñalls For Battle" has been released on the CHRISTHUNT PRODUCTIONS label (the number of LP copies is 400). It includes two bonustracks: re-recorded "Ars Moriendi" and "A Sign For The North Hordes To Ride" (IMMORTAL's cover). - Horned).
Isaak Swastika
Translation: Horned
