Finally! The Latvian pagan and folk black metal warriors of Skyforger are back! After about ten years the album Teikas sees the light of day. It has been a feat to collect again a whole bunch of stories, tales from their own region on this album that, loosely translated, effectively simply means “Folk stories”. This Latvian collective has been around since 1995 and has released several great albums already.
I can lively remember the mighty Kurbads (2010), but a record like Kauja Pie Saules (1998) or Latviešu Strēlnieki (2000) are particularly powerful releases as well. The guys keep on succeeding in telling local stories with local instruments, wrapped in a solid black metal crust. Senprūsija is the previous work and dates back to 2015. Just like this Teikas, that album was released independently.
The Thunderforge label, referring to previous musical work, is after all the gentlemen’s own label. Noting all this, I have come to the conclusion that my own collection contains all releases of these Latvians except the 2003 record, Zobena Dziesma. Boy, I really have to go looking for this one.
Dieva Suns immediately hits you. Take in the biting guitars and the bumping drums. It quickly becomes clear that the grimy harmonies that have a punky edge are present right from the start, wonderful! It all sounds quite simple but so incredibly efficient. The vocals are also wonderfully pinching, something these guys are good at. Spēlmanis houses thundering melody lines but also fantastic solo work.
The album is so fantastically well put together that you hardly notice you are being taken from one song to the next. The stories and musical stepping stones the band uses to achieve this are well thought out. Take the toms, the lead part and the throbbing bass in the ultra-brutal Mājas Kungs. If you prefer to be led by acoustic guitar playing and a folky theme, then Rex Semigalliae might be something for you. However, thrashy and rousing drum parts quickly send you in a different direction. You will probably want to sing along to Svētbirzs. It would really take me too far to enlighten you about all of the the robust and unpolished gems on this album…
Teikas, album number seven, if you only count the full-length albums, is another fingerlicking good one. If you ask me, Skyforger is and remains a unique band. On this album the band again succeeds in combining crusty black metal with local sounds. Good to know that there are still bands that remain true to their own after many years. Year- list material and mandatory purchase.
Score:
85/100
Label:
Thunderforge Records, 2025
Tracklisting:
- Mālpils Purvs (Mālpils Bog)
- Dieva Suns (Hound Of God)
- Spēlmanis (The Fiddler)
- Spīgana (Night Witch)
- Mājas Kungs (Master Of The House)
- Rex Semigalliae
- Svētbirzs (Sacred Grove)
- Zilaiskalns (The Blue Hill)
- Velnakmens (Devilstone)
- Lietuvēns (The Nightmare)
- Alšvangas dūdas (Bagpipes From Alsunga)
- Pelīte (Little Mouse)
- Vecie Latvieši (Old Time Latvians)
Line-up:
- Pēteris Kvetkovskis – Guitar, vocals
- Edgars Grabovskis – Bass guitar, vocals
- Alvis Bernans – Guitar, vocals
- Jānis Osis – Drums, percussion
- Edgars Zilberts – Kokle
- Geoffroy Dell’aria – Bagpipe, flute
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