[schema type=”review” name=”Suidakra – Realms of Odoric” description=”Label: AFM Records” author=”Juho Karila” pubdate=”2016-05-20″ ]
Suidakra is a German melodic death metal band with a quite long history of 11 studio albums, one EP since of being founded in 1994. Their music balances in somewhere between traditional melodeath and folk metal, with celtic influences. 12th full-length album carries the name of “Realms of Odoric” and at first glance it leans more towards the former than latter genre.
After the intro leads us deep into a thick and dark forest, the mid-tempo opening track “The Serpent Within” greets us with a very melodic guitar lead, which leaves an impression that the band is all about melodies and isn’t afraid to let them be our uplifting guide through the darkest of nights. Harsh growling vocals reminds that dangers may lurk behind every step. The song plays heavily with soundscapes to immerse the listener and in chorus we hear clean singing as well. Somewhere in distance, synths play a small role in adding background to enhance the feeling.
“THe Huner’s Horde” is like a seamless continuum in terms of immersion as we venture deeper into the dark. After a whispered intro, the upbeat song kicks in like a lightning out of clear blue. Borrowing slightly from black metal, this is one of the heaviest tracks in the album. Double bass hammering and heavy chords leads us to a short pre-verse before the chorus and black-ish high-speed guitar lead which serves as the first full verse. In the middle of the song, we get a more moderate breakdown to catch a breather with; adding a little more dynamic to the music.
At this point, the band has proven that they don’t lack in skills or prowess nor the tricks to keep the listener hooked an begging for more; which isn’t a wonder with a career that long.
The next track is a short interlude called “Creeping Blood” which feels a little like a watershed as “Undaunted” is the most straightforward song in the album, giving room for Tina Stabel‘s powerful, slightly raspy voice and occasional bagpipes in the chorus. However it’s one of the weakest songs in the album as it lacks the beautiful melodic leads that are the cornerstone and strongpoint of Suidakra.
“Lion of Darcania” leads us back to what the band does best and closes the circle by sounding quite like “The Serpent Within.” Sadly, the contrast makes the previous song sound like a filler and while female voice gives a nice flavor in dynamics, T. Stabel’s voice can’t support the band for the duration of a full track. In the end, she’s given smalls part to shine as she’s backed with clean vocals.
While it’s nice to notice that you can’t really compare the band to others and the catchy melodies reminds of early 00’s, Realms of Odoric loses the best of its shine towards the end as the rest of the album doesn’t really add anything and the dyanamics between the tracks are minimal. It sounds almost like they intentionally used their formula over and over again but it makes the majority of songs blending to eachother until “Braving the End.”
The 10th track is the first and only ballad in the album, yet it sounds really heavy and depressing like skies before the storm. It’s also completely sing-driven song, which is far from what the band does best.
Despite the amazing start of the album, the first impression fades rather quick and in the end I feel disappointed and betrayed. Suidakra knows their game and how to stand out from other bands, not to mention how well they do in that, but in full album, it turns out to be bit too safe. Yet, I can’t but to recommend this album for those who have liked the band in the past and to those who like immersing themselves in a dark and partially very depressive atmospheres, weaved with professional musicianship and very well done guitar leads.
Lineup:
Arkadius – Vocals, Guitars, Orchestral Arrangements
Lars – Drums
Jan- Bass
Jussi – Guitar
Tina – Female Vocals
 |
Tracklist:
1. Into The Realm |
More articles
Satanic North – Satanic North
Then Comes Silence – Trickery
Enrique Iglesias – Final (Vol 2)