Valkyrian Music

Arkona
Decade of Glory
Released 22^nd February, 2013
Folk/Pagan Metal

Released via Napalm Record

Naturally, live albums sound much different than studio albums and give more of a sense of a band’s raw and natural talent. With the release of Decade of Glory live album, Russian folk/pagan metal band Arkona clearly shows a great deal of talent and musicianship. Each song off of this 3 disc live album is energetic and powerful in delivery. Arkona knows exactly how to captivate a crowd and keep them engaged with the show from start to finish.

Each performance was unique, and each song sounded very close to the studio album versions. Vocalist Masha does a phenomenal job with her beautiful clean vocals and killer growls as well keeping the audience bouncing and energetic. The use of flutes and bagpipes also kept the energy of the entire performance up as well. I felt that time flew by while I listened to this album due to how immersed I felt while I was listening to it. Having seen Arkona live before myself, I felt like I was standing there amongst the other people in the crowd banging my head to the music.

Generally, I’m not a fan of live albums only because I personally would rather be watching it live myself rather than listening to people who are there and actually enjoying the show. With Decade of Glory, however, it felt very realistic. The opening song Az’ gave me the chills you would typically feel while waiting for the main act of a concert to come out on stage. I give Arkona a ton of credit for being not only a great studio band but also a phenomenal live show, and if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend going and seeing this band play a show!

4.7/5

Lauren Gowdy

Related articles

• Arkona – Decade of Glory (valkyrianmusic.com)
• HIM announce details for new album; exclusive UK show to showcase the new album (valkyrianmusic.com)

This entry was posted on 3rd March 2013 at 12:58 am and is filed under Review with tags Arkona, Decade of Glory, Folk Metal, Pagan Metal, Sound Age Productions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.