CoC : Various - Triarchy of Vasconia : Review

Various - _Triarchy of Vasconia_
(War Is Imminent Productions, 2001)
by: Vincent Eldefors (7 out of 10)

Most of you are probably already familiar with the Basque country of Spain because of the activities of ETA, but fortunately there is more than just terrorism going on in this area of southern Europe. _Triarchy of Vasconia_ is a triple split disc from a small Spanish label that seems to specialize in black metal, and it features three bands: Adhur, Aiumeen Basoa and Ilbeltz. Without a doubt this is one of the most interesting black metal albums I have heard in a very long time. To tell you the truth this is not purely black metal, but rather a mix of pagan metal and folk music. Almost everything can be found here -- nice clean vocals (both male and female, even operatic), evil screams, haunting keyboards, ocean waves, violins, flutes, accordions... All of these bands are very similar in style, but the one that stands out is Ilbeltz, with several beautiful melodies that even beat Storm and Vintersorg. The acoustic parts are by far the best, while the electric instruments leave a lot more to be desired. The music is enshrouded in a very nice Basque atmosphere in order to revive ancient traditions. If these Basque bands continue to develop further we could see some major label acts coming out of there, because this kind of music has never been done before. Storm did it the Norwegian way, Otyg and Vintersorg the Swedish way, but this is different. I also like the fact that the CD comes with information about the bands and the Basque country.

Contact: War Is Imminent Productions, P.O. Box 5069, 35080, Spain

(article published 12/8/2001)

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