ALBUM REVIEW: Kob’ – Arkona
If those who consider themselves fans of Russian pagan metal outfit ARKONA think that it’s been a while since they’ve released an album…well, that’s because it has. Half a decade has gone by since the group released Khram – marking the longest gap between studio albums in their career – and much has happened in that time, a fair amount to the detriment of both the world and the coverage of the quartet’s home country. However, the brainchild of vocalist Maria ‘Masha Scream’ Arkhipova remain undeterred in their ethos, once again giving the world an album on Masha‘s philosophy and views on the future of the human race’s existence, wrapped up and delivered in the light of pagan traditions. Titled Kob’ (which translates as Sorcery), the band’s ninth effort is out now via Napalm Records.
ARKONA don’t deal in half measures – they will produce exactly what they want and to the absolute maximum that they can. If you’ve never come across them before, the notion of being introduced by an album eight tracks long and over an hour in length is quite formidable, yet as the famous Ralph Waldo Emerson expression goes, “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey“. Opening with Izrechenie. Nachalo (translation: The Speech. The Beginning), ARKONA bring you into their world once more in a sedate, if foreboding fashion; rumbling synths, the occasional guitar note and, most notably, Masha‘s distorted voice walking the line between robotic, AI-generated monotone and unsettling, spirit-like whisper.
The first true sounds of metal come at the beginning of the title track as overdriven guitars combine with drums displaying the rawness that black metal so often succeeds at. Masha goes from extreme growls to ethereal melodies and back…and then, the song shifts suddenly into synths and more electronic beats, yet never feels jarring. Before long, the guitars and drums are back, slotting seamlessly into a repetitive rhythm verging on the progressive black genre, designed to take the listener along at the pace of the album, not their own.
As mentioned before, this record is about immersion and experience – you’re not going to be racing through pummelling mosh anthems or fist-pumping, arena-sized choruses, instead savouring the world that ARKONA are creating around you. The near 12-minute Ydi sees the pagan influences really come into their own for the first time, the ritualistic chanting vocals and galloping tempo swirling around before descending into more growls. Mor leans into the more extreme side of the band’s range, the blast beats giving a chilly blast that black metal is so well known for and Na Zakate Bagrovogo Solntsa (Crimson Sunset) follows suit.
There’s another twist with Razryvaya Plot’ Ot Bezyskhodnosti Bytiya (Tearing The Flesh Owing To The Despair of Being), opening with a gorgeous keyboard solo from Masha and interspersing acoustic guitars among the electronics and the growls. All the while, whispered words segue the songs expertly, allowing for that most vital of elements to a record wanting to take the listener on an adventure; the unknown of when one track finishes and the next begins. Closing the album is Izrechenie. Iskhod (The Speech. The Conclusion), discussing the world’s ultimate apocalypse and a wonderful coda on all that has preceded it.
This isn’t just a record, it’s a full-blown experience; ARKONA were already very adept at executing such within their music, but they have utterly surpassed themselves with Kob’. A sheer delight from beginning to end, this is an album for those who want to lie back and disappear from reality for a short while; given everything that’s going on in the world, that’s going to be quite a few people.
Rating: 9/10
Kob’ is out now via Napalm Records.
Like ARKONA on Facebook.