LIVE REVIEW: Arkona @ Classic Grand, Glasgow

ARKONA, the pagan/black metal Russian troupe, have returned to the British Isles again. This date was originally scheduled for the Ivory Blacks but changed to the seemingly larger Classic Grand, where they last played Glasgow when supporting ELUVEITIE. This is an impressive outcome for the folk metallers, yet it turns out that the show has been downgraded to the basement location, rather than the sizeable main room unfortunately. Despite the more compact site, the room is sparsely populated, underscoring the downgrade in venue size and presumed lack of ticket sales.

Ipswich’s GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS occupies the support slot tonight. Adorned in matching post-apocalyptic shredded attire, the quintet weld metalcore, symphonic metal and melodic death metal together. They initiated the band in 2019 and secured a place on Hammerheart Records‘ roster; unusual as the label doesn’t usually involve itself with metalcore. They quickly released two full-length albums and are touring with the highly accomplished ARKONA, so they’ve amassed considerable attention in their brief lifespan.

Twin guitar riffs lurch between melancholic melodies and tough-guy bravado, while vocalist Phil Primmer deploys metalcore shouts to accompany guitarist and backing vocalist Colin Park‘s mid-tone singing. There’s notably an abundance of taped keyboard moments, a core component of their compositions. It’s surprising that they didn’t choose a keyboard player to flesh out their ranks. The taped keys really detract from their sound and make it feel less immersive and alive. The members are energetic enough, given the limitations of the stage’s size, and the basement’s sound is fair to their work. Despite the music straddling very different genres to the headliners, the attendees are welcoming with their reactions, and succeed in making GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS feel welcome.

Rating: 6/10

Headliners ARKONA stride on stage, one at a time, minus vocalist Masha Scream Arkhipova. The rest of the band begins to play the intro to the titled track of last year’s album, Kob’. Arkhipova takes the stage as the vocals kick in, skilfully delivering raspy growls and folky singing welling with passion for Slavic paganism and mythology. This seven-minute mournful song is representative of the shift the band has executed in its recent history. The more upbeat Russian folk instrumentation is gone, replaced with a more slimmed-down and focused pagan progressive black metal. Even their stage outfits are a far cry from their younger years. They all wear matching grey, distressed cloaks, evoking an esoteric ritual, rather than the prior traditional embroidered Russian garb with Arkhipova weighed down by a real wolf hide. As a result, the usual energetic dashes and dances of the frontwoman are substituted with a more sombre stage presence. ARKONA have evolved into a very different beast in every way.

Considering the mysterious decline in folk metal over this decade, these Russians are multiplying their dimensions. The indigenous elements are reserved for classically-inspired melodies and Arkhipova‘s haunting and gorgeous dirge-like singing. The black metal is punchy, heavy and light, sometimes gilded with blastbeats from drummer Alexander Smirnov. Sergey Lazar‘s proggy leads are perma-frost icy and intriguing, and the atmospheric moments are as expansive as Russian forests. Weaved throughout the notes is a sense of authentic mystery and genuine reverence.

Given the tone of the show, there’s no material older than the breakthrough Goi, Rode, Goi! album. Most of the set is drawn from Kob’ with Yidi, Ugasayta and Razryvaya plot’ ot bezyskhodnosti bytiya being highlights of the night. The older songs Goi, Rode, Goi! and Zakliatie have everyone slapping themselves on the back for coming out tonight. ARKONA’s most popular song and usual set staple Yarilo is conspicuously absent, but given the danceable, merry and hyper-folk nature of that song, it would sit jarringly in this new iteration of the group’s live repertoire.

With a heartfelt cover of the Siberian folk song Zimushka (without the folk instruments that are its recorded counterpart), ARKONA tastefully wrap up their flawless performance. The punters howl with appreciation. It may have been a shallow turn out, but surely no one who bought a ticket regrets their decision. Folk metal is vanishingly rare to catch in Glasgow, so fans need to take what they can get and support the scene. This is a more mature and focused version of Russia’s most popular pagan metal collective.

Rating: 10/10

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