Aegonia – The Forgotten Song

Label: Self-released
Releasedate: 09-04-2019

Aegonia is a Bulgarian atmospheric folklore metal band with influences from symphonic, gothic and doom metal. The great fascination for folklore and its authentic implementation determines the musical and lyric fortunes of these Bulgarian nature lovers since the band was founded in 2011. They have released “The Forgotten Song”, a full-length concept album, based on the fantasy novel of the same name by Nea Stand – book one of the series “Tales From The Lands Of Aegonia” a while ago.

It’s been a while since I listened to a concept folk metal album. Especially considering that most of the big names in the scene haven’t released some good material in a while or taking long breaks, “The Forgotten Song” was an interesting change and nice fresh air for me. With this album, the band takes us on a musical journey as they deliver a nice mix of styles ranging from atmospheric to gothic metal. One biggest highlight is also the nice harmony of male and female vocals; Elitsa’s soft vocals add a bit of melancholy to the atmosphere whereas the male vocals add the darkness, creating a nice contrast.

As much as I liked the contrasts and the highlights embedded within the album, there is also quite some aspects to improve. Considering this being a concept album, I expected a bit more of a flow, spark and consistency between songs; surely the band has some ‘connecting’ songs in-between but the album just doesn’t flow easily and so doesn’t keep the listener hooked. That being said, I found the songs too long for a concept album like this. Unlike atmospheric or doom-y records, where a certain mood has to be set, this much length in songs were not needed as the melodies and the vocals already create a dynamic environment, and well.. simplicity is sometimes just what the listener needs. So overall, the band has some aspects to improve when it comes to the songwriting process. I think that they have great potential though and I am sure that with a little more vision, they will establish a steady sound and deliver great tunes. Looking forward to hear and experience what kind-of ideas they have for the fans in the future.

Line up:

• Elitsa Stoyanova – vocal, violin
• Nikolay Nikolov – vocal, guitar, kaval
• Atanas Georgiev – bass
• Ivan Kolev – drums (since autumn 2018)

Tracklist

01. In The Lands of Aegonia
02. Rain of Tears
03. With The Mists She Came
04. Restless Mind
05. Dreams Come To Me
06. Battles Lost and Won
07. The Offer – Neli Gancheva
08. The Stolen Song
09. Gone
10. The Severe Mountain
11. A Bitter Fate
12. The Ruins of Aegonia

Links:

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Bandcamp