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Hantaoma > Malombra > Reviews
Hantaoma - Malombra

The Pyrenean Bear Strikes Again - 77%

Sean16, September 27th, 2009

Well, of course there are no more bears remaining in the Pyrenees save perhaps from a couple of Slovakian ones reintroduced to piss off the local shepherds, but this won’t prevent the guys from Stille Volk from singing the eternal beauty of their beloved mountains. Because don’t be fooled by the different moniker or the few additional musicians (a bassist, a drummer and a harsh vocalist) complementing the Lafforgue/Roques duet – this is definitely a Stille Volk record, albeit of the metal kind.

Stille Volk isn’t a metal band, there’s no need to argue against that; indeed the only reason for this release having been recorded under a different name must have been, precisely, the musicians wanted their original moniker to remain associated with purely acoustic, non-metal music. However the mood of most Stille Volk songs almost makes them cry for a metal arrangement, and that’s basically what this album consists in. Of course the ten songs here may be original, but the riffs and melodies are typical of the dark medieval folk the mother band is well-known for, with strong reminiscences (almost plagiarism in some cases) of the immediately preceding Maudat and the immediately following Nueit de Sabbat albums especially. All the more as a track like the totally acoustic Negra Sason isn’t even metal and would have sounded far more in its proper place on either of the two aforementioned albums, further questioning the real need for a separate project.

The above isn’t bitching about a release which is otherwise pretty strong from the beginning to the end, just saying the listener unfamiliar with Stille Volk will probably look far more impressed than the Pyrenean bards fan who will most probably experience a strong feel of déjà-vu. That the usual plethora of string instruments is now abandoning the stage to electric guitars becomes de facto anecdotal given the wind instruments (diverse sorts of flutes and pipes), this essential component of the Stille Volk sound, remain well present in ensuring most of the soloing parts, overwhelming the timid guitar solos found here and there. Besides, is spite of the additional harsh singer “Arixon” featured on the most metal parts, meaning typically the verses, Patrick Lafforgue and his characteristic clean folk chant (helped by Patrice Roques?) certainly aren’t relegated to a mere backing role – to the point they’re even given the main role in Cançon dels Segaires or Negra Sason.

The songwriting itself is pretty varied, even if the additional metal edge might not allow as much subtlety as on a genuine Stille Volk recording. However fast-paced, blast-beating songs like Maluros or A la Montanha nonetheless alternate with festive moments a la Vent Follet or Para lo Lop – with its hilarious middle part where apparently the wolf (“lo lop”) the song seems to be about unexpectedly breaks in, scaring the villagers – or more complex tracks with a far darker atmosphere like La Ronda dels Morts or the closer Flama curiously ending on a bizarre adaptation of the well-known Christmas carol The March of the Kings. Well, had you ever thought before about the powerful doom riff this old, tired tune seemed to conceal? Though the best song may still be the eponymous track, as the one where the synergy between the wind instruments and their “metal” counterparts seems the most accomplished(1).

So, Stille Volk with balls? Stille Volk, is spite of its acoustic nature, is already a quite ballsy band, while on a pure metal perspective this album doesn’t sound revolutionary when it comes to riffing or technicality for instance; indeed if it’s undoubtedly good, original folk metal it’s primarily because it’s good, original folk with a perhaps solid, but nonetheless anecdotal metal background. Furthermore France had admittedly been starving for a good folk metal band, but those guys’ level of Frenchiness is highly debatable – aren’t all the lyrics here in Occitan?

Highlights: Hantaoma, La Ronda dels Morts, Para lo Lop


(1) Note there’s also a track called Hantaoma on the Stille Volk album of the same name, but it has nothing to do with this one