Lands of the Ancient Cult

Well, I really think this unrealeased album should be considered a very fucking original masterpiece. First time I heard Cyhiriaeth, I thought "well, it's good, but they have to improve a hundred things more". Well, they did, and this is the result of that effort: Lands of Ancient Cult is one of the best albums from a Spanish band I've ever heard. The mixing between pagan black metal music and folk instruments is just perfect.

The guitars are epic and well worked, the drums (usually rythmic, but they get faster when it's needed) are maybe one of the most important parts 'cause the drummer is one of the main composers on the music and at last, Nehalennia do a very good work with the folk instruments as they are good mixed with the music without making that typical structure of "metal part/folk interlude/metal part" in each song. The music itself is epic and dark as the lyrical concept is based in the dark side of celtiberian paganism and a dark cult to Mother Earth. Folk instruments aren't the most important part, they reach an equilibrium with metal instruments, a thing that's unusual: it's not so "happy" like other bands make. The only handicap may be the singer. He's not bad, but his voice is simple and rude, being to sing his only work on the band apart of writting lyrics. A little handicap that makes this album "imperfect". I just can't understand how they don't get to release this album but I sincerely recommend it if you love both originality and epic/folk metal music.