5/30/2013

Interview - Radogost - "We play music first of all for our own, from natural need of realisation"



Radogost is a Polish folk metal act, founded in Brenna in 2006 by Łukasz "Mussi" Muschiol (guitarist and formerly vocalist) and a drummer Łukasz Goszyk. Since then, they released 2 longplays, a demo, and played around a Poland and also abroad. I asked Łukasz a handful of questions about band's history, music and some non musical things. See below for answers, and then search their music. Radogost's work is really worth to check!


1. Hello Łukasz! Let's start this interview from the very beggining. How has it happened that you had founded this band? I remember that in one interview you said that you were really inspired by the scandinavian scene. And what about slavic inlfuences? Did you have interest in our ancestors' believes before You founded Radogost?
Hello, I was never planning to listen or play folk metal, but after solicitations of my friend drummer, Łukasz Goszyk, I tried to do it and that's how were put foundations of Radogost. Of course I was interrested in Scandinavia, mostly in black metal scene. Everything bounded with folk was a total embarrasment and commercial crap for kinders for me.
Slavic believes and influences were never strange for me, but foundation of the band automatically caused a bigger interrest in native culture.
2. On your demo "Dwa Hektary Żywego Lasu" there is no doubt that the more influencial band for You was Korpiklaani. You even made a cover of their song. Did You appreciated their music so much? And what's your opinion about their latest works?
Yes, that's true, the music of Finns was very appreciated by us. I remember well when I've seen the video for "Wooden Pints" for a first time, I was aghast that I will play something like this. It was hard to me to tolerate jolly singing of drunk Korpiklaans, but desire of having a band and playing was strong enough to put together our different musical tastes.
I don't follow Korpiklaans, and don't know about their current works, but I suppose that they play their own music. They succeded in what they're doing, they dreams became true, and that's the most important.

  

 3. The demo I've mentioned was realesed by the band, like every later album. The reason is that nobody wanted to release your music, or maybe ther is something else?
We always tried to interrest labels, but maybe we weren't lucky enough, or we appeard a bit to late. It's hard to say. We will keep trying, and maybe we'll reach the goal.
4. One more question about your demo - it is available for free download on your official website. Many "true" metalheads try to fight against everythink connected with the words "mp3" and "internet". I see that your attitude is completely different. I am also curious what do you think about the fact, that your latest album was put on the youtube in very short time.
We play music first of all for our own, from natural need of realisation. Fact that there are people who appreciate our work make us happy, we don't want to limit them access. We don't fight internet, there is no way to win with it, and if anyone want he can buy our CD  to put it proudly on the shelf .
5. On your first longplay, "W Cieniu Wielkiego Dębu", you created your own style. How do you rate this album in retrospect? Is there anything you would change on it?
When I was writing "WCWD" I was already a fan of folk metal, I felt and I knew how I want to play. This is the album without any influences, from heart and bones true from the beggining to end. I like this CD, it's good, slavic, concrete and with clear message. If I could change enything, it would be sound.
I will risk to say, that "WCWD" is the most slavic album of Radogost. I don't assume that I will create something as concrete and unequivocal in the future.
6. I like very much lyrics, which appeared on your first LP. How important to you is this part of your creativeness? You know, many folk metal bands totally don't care about lyrics, writing only things about drinking beer and chasing enemy with the sword in the hand.
Excatly, many bands have dramatically low level of lyrics, though metal bands always could boast about their texts. I wouldn't make it if we had shallow lyrics, we tried to talk something more in each track. We have songs about drinking and fighting with a sword, but everything is written with some deeper approach.
7. OK, now we will talk about your latest CD "Dark Side of the Forest". First change that could be noted is usage of english lyrics. Usually bands decide to do this to collect more fans abroad. How it looks with you? And how CD was rated by polish fans?
It was an experiment, I wanted to do something different. The opinions about CD are different but I think that a new album will be done in Polish.




8. New album, inspite of some more intensive moments with usage of blast-beats, is way more classical, heavy metal. Your growls also appears rarely, and most of vocals are done by Marcin "Velesar" of Goddes of Sin. So how had this material been created? Did Marcin influnced you to do everything in more traditional heavy metal way?
Marcin's vocal caused that this album sounds in more heavy metal way, it is the issue of voice's tone. Tracks were mostly written before Marcin came to the band. Entirety can surprise every fan of previous Radogost's CDs. It looks like I do not like to write similar albums.
9. There was created a video to song "Watra". It is a second video in band's history. Was it worth it to make it? I know that You weren't happy with your previous clip ("Pieśń o Rycerzach z Czantorii")...
If we look at money and time that we had while making this "Watra" video, I can certainly say that I am proud. We had only 2 days with only couple of ours for shooting it, yet the final result is good. We owe it mainly to our friends from Białogród, Rafał Soliński and a group Inferis. The old clip was a competition that we accidentaly take part in, without our permission. Funny story. 
10. In this moment you are in the tour. Tell me, how do you feel about it? The audience is good?
I like very much to play concerts, we are the concert band, we revel and have fun with an audience. There is OK with frequence, as the polish condtions, we often play with Percivals (Percival Schuttenbach - an unknown and unpopular supporters, who play before band Radogost, often called "a gay support" :)), we're getting well and we like each other.


11. OK, to sum everything up - how do you rate bands past and it's current condition?
In the past we lack of exprerience in playing live. Currently a band is in good condition, everything works well. It's mainly because of musician's skills and experience. It would be best to check it out for your own on some concert.  
12. What are your plans in the future? You prepare material for a new CD? And will new tracks have english lyrics?
A new CD is completed in 90%, it will be in Polish. The plan is to divide album into two completely different parts when it comes to music, as well as lyrics.
13. And now a handful of non-musical questions. Many musicians playing pagan/folk metal belongs to neopagan movements -  slavic, asatru etc. What do you think about this? Or maybe you take a part in such movement?
I am not a part of any neopagan movement. I have many friends who are reconstructors or active slavic pagans, but I prefer to spend my energy on the band, and by that remind people about old times. 
14. And last, less seriuos question. What was the last good book you have read, last good album you have heard and last good movie you have watched?
This is the hardest question. Lastly I was reading self-developing books e.g. Johnson Spencers' "Who moved my cheese?". Films that stucked in my mind are "Yuma", "Pokłosie" and "Bobule". In albums case it will be a great embarassment, it is "Spadochron" by Mela Kotulek :) and new Finntroll's album with brass section.
15. OK, that's everything from my side. Thanks very much for this interview and good luck in the future! Last word is traditionaly yours.
Thank you very much, greetings and see you on the concerts! Lets swear on the sun! [orgin. "Klnijmy się na słońce!", Vlad.].

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Photos: band's archive.
Interview by Vladyka 2013. Please do not copy this interview without HA'Z permission. Respect the copyrights! 

5/28/2013

Žrec - "Pameti" (2012)

Žrec

 "Pameti"

Murderous Prod.

2012



After a debut album "Zertva" czech folk metalheads strikes back with their second full lenght album "Pameti". And I must say that this second strike is not very powerfull.
First track "1066" is similar to what they have done on their first LP - a mix of fast, oldschool black with some slower parts, happy folkish tunes and many clean vocals and quasi-choirs. This first composition is a great example of musical schizophrenia - I am not sure if Czechs wanted to record something serious, or just another jolly polka crap. That worked on their previous opus, but here it's very... Mediocre. The effect is that nothing remains in the head, even after a couple of listenings. This problem touches almost every part of this album - you can't hear any true emotions. This album simply doesn't have cojones, so to speak. Later album goes into more classical hard/heavy areas, but it's still nothing special - sorry to write, but these riffs had been played something like 1000 times or even more.
But there are moments that can be more than listenable, when classical production of sound, which in no ways suits for more aggressive stuff, is a big advantage - I mean a slow, psychodelic parts like in "Smrt a Mraz" or "Vitr na Polich". If a whole album was constructed in such way, I'd be bought...
Last thing I'd like to write are vocals. This harsh are really good, and their suits well for more aggresive parts. Clean ones are much more... Unpredictable. Let's face it - a singer is not another Dickinson. I think that he had done everything he could to make this material more dramatic, but he has no bigger talent, and is only another element named "averageness".
The real problem with this album is that it is not a total crap - it really has it moments (a part of "Bida" in around 5:00 is really majestic and beautiful). But everything good is unfortunately burried by very poor, average elements. This could be a good album, really. I hope another Zrec opus will be something much more emotional.

Rate: 5+/10 
Vladyka

Tracklist

1. 1066    
2. Smrt a mráz    
3. Vítr na polích    
4. Čarovná vrba    
5. Bída    
6. Paměti


5/08/2013

Caladan Brood - "Echeos of Battle" (2013)

Caladan Brood
"Echeos of Battle"

Northern Silence Prod.

2013



Caladan Brood was formed in 2008 in Salt Lake City, and "Echeos..." is their debut album.
This album can be described in a few words - "epic", "atmosperic" and "majestic". You can also simply call the main object of musicians' inspiration  - Summoning. Inspiration, not a rip-off. Music of Americans is in my opinion calmer, and it has much more folkish and ambient elements. Also as Summoning Caladan Brood guys are fascinated by fantasy novels (in this case Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson). This specific, "fantasy" atmosphere fills every track - from the most majestic "Wild Autumn Wind" to more dramatic "A Voice Born of Stone and Dust", or nostalgic "To Walk the Ashes of Dead Empires ". It's not easy though to describe this music. Every track is very long (at least 9 minutes), and is filled with many relishes, like beautiful men's clean vocals or typically heavy-metal guitar solos. All these things easily paint dreams of vast landscapes full of mountains, lakes and castles. Maybe it's overwritten, but this album is something like Lord of the Rings' soundtrack, just in metal version.
To sum this up: this is an awesome album. For everyone who likes epicness in music I have a message: get this album immediately. It's defenitely worth your time.

Rate: 9/10
Vladyka

Tracklist:
1.  City of Azure Fire
2. Echoes of Battle
3. Wild Autumn Wind
4. To Walk the Ashes of Dead Empires
5. A Voice Born of Stone and Dust
6. Book of the Fallen

5/06/2013

Introduction to paganism - part II - slavic tradition



Introduction
This text contains only basic information about slavic native traditions. If you want to learn more - read some books, or go to links that I recommend you (look at the end of this article).

Historical Background
First of all, it must be written that slavic religion is not so well known as e.g. german (id est scandinavian) or celtic. It's because of poor sources. There is no written texts like scandinavians sagas or celtic legends and poems - slavic christian elites had no interest in survival of their native traditions. They were going to erase it from history's charts instead. I suppose it is bounded with resistance, which gave lower classes. In many slavonic countries (e.g. Poland in 1034, Czech Kingdom in the beggining of Xth century) there occured something called "the pagan reaction". It was a revolt of lower, still pagan classes, against the oppresion of Church and nobleman. During this events, the paganism was again main religion for a short period of time. It must be obvious than victorious christian people wanted to erase momories about paganism - because it was a root of resistance against tyranny and feudalism (which was half-slavery system in reality).
Our sources than are: archeology, folklore, some fragments from foreigner's texts, linguistics and of course comparitive mythology. By it, we can rebuilt slavic's ancient traditions.

Main Gods
Perun - He was also called with other names, dependly of region, and was widely worshipped in whole slavonic land. For many, he is the most important god of the pantheon.
He is describing as a bearded, strong men with an axe or hammer in his hand.
His name means "he, who strikes". As the god of sky and storm he represents an element of order. He is an active deity, in legends fighting with chaotic forces (e.g. he fights with a Dragon (Żmij), who represent a chaos in the universe). He is also responsible for the creation of the universe, along with Veles.
He is an incarnation of courage, honor and striving for perfection. He was worshipped especially by warriors.
He is similar with other thunder gods, like Thor and Taranis.
He's holy tree is oak.
He's holyday is 20 of July. 
Veles - a chtonic, god of underworld (Navia), wealth, magic, poetry and knowledge.  A deity that represents a chaotic side of the universe. He's the secend most important god in slavic pantheon, right behind Perun. He is his antagonist, (e.g. myth about creation of the universe). Together with Perun, he created a man.
Animals bounded with Veles are viper, bull and black horse.
He is similar to Hades and Pluto.
Svarog - a solar god, patron of celestial fire and of blacksmithing. He represents a more distant forces of light (deus otiosus), and by many he is called a demiurg. He is suppossed to be the main god of the pantheon, a king of all gods, not so interested in Earth's affairs though.
Similar to Hephaestus.
Dažbog - a son of Svarog, god of fire and a cultural hero. He represents a home's fireplace, and he gives people wealth and luck in life.
Similar to: Sol, Vesta and Hercules.
Mokosh - Mother Earth, goddes of fertility, abundance and love. Patron of women. One of the most important deities in slavic pantheon.
Similar to: Demeter, Aphrodite.
Rod -  He is a patron of all human gatherings e.g. families, kins, nations etc. He also assigns everyone's fate with help of his three servants, Rožanicas. He is a distant god, but Rožanicas were often an object of worship, due to their power of changing people's destiny.
Yarilo/Yarovit - a young, active god of spring, light and youth. He is incarnation of goodness, fertility and hapiness, especially worshipped at the first days of spring. He dies in the time of winter, and reborn on spring.
Described as a young, blond men dressing white drob. He rides a horse, and holds an ear of grain in his hand.
He's main holyday is 20th of april.
Similar to: Baldur, Apollo.
Marena/Marzanna - a goddes of death and winter, connected with underworld (Navia). Her effigy is burned on the first day of spring.
Hors - a god of moon.

Other beings
Dola - personification of fate, similar to disir in scandinavian mythology or christian guardian angel. They protect people form all the evil.
Dziady (Forefathers)  - a spirit of forebears, which can help in everyday life.


Regular festivals
21st of March - Jare Gody* - a festival of spring's equinox. 
20th of April - Yarilo's Holyday.
21st of June - Kupala's Night - a festival of summer's solstice.
20th of July - Perun's Holyday.
23rd of September - Festival of yields - a festival of autamn's equinox.
1st of November - Dziady - festival of forefathers.
21st of December - Szczodre Gody - festival of winter's solstice.
*I'm using Polish names if there is no English one.

Learn more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavic_mythology
http://www.paganspace.net/group/AncientSlavicMythology
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/548484/Slavic-religion
http://www.academia.edu/1264171/Slavic_Religion
http://piereligion.org/slavic.html

Books:
Marija Gimbutas The Slavs
P.M. Barford - The Early Slavs: Culture & Society in Early Medieval Eastern Europe
J. Mahal - Slavic Mythology
A. Szyjewski - Slavic Religion
B. Ribakov - Ancient Slavic Paganism


Books for polish-speaking people:
A. Gieysztor - Mitologia Słowian
A. Szyjewski - Religia Słowian
S. Urbańczyk - Dawni Słowianie – wiara i kult
H. Łowmiański - Religia Słowian i Jej Upadek (very critical work, but you can find here some useful infos)

Vladyka, May 2013

5/05/2013

Introduction to paganism - part I

Hello!
I'm planning to put on this site things bounded with paganism. Yet, I believe that not every person who will be visiting Heathen Altar might have knowledge about our ancestor's culture. That's why "Introduction to paganism" starts to appear - to show those persons our european legacy, our prechristian believes, values, mythology and rituals. You will get basic information about that kind of stuff. I am going to present germanic, celtic, slavic and baltic traditions as the good beggining. There will also appear traditions of Greece and Rome (even they are quite well known), and also of people who have dissapeared in the darkness of the past. 
As the first, you can expect slavic tradition. It will appear tommorow on this site, together with the first album's review.

Vladyka