WELICORUSS — WinterMoon Symphony (review)

WELICORUSS — WinterMoon Symphony album cover Album · 2008 · Symphonic Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Time Signature
Slavonic power...

Genre: symphonic metal

I am very cautious when it comes to symphonic metal, because it can very easily end up being very, very cheesy. Specifically bands who blend symphonic metal with extreme metal have a tendency to come up with music that just does not appeal to me. However, despite the fact that I am not a big fan of symphonic metal, I know good symphonic metal when I hear it.

And Russian symph metallers Welicoruss' 2008-album WinterMoon Symphony is definitely an instance of quality symhonic metal.

One of the main attractions to this album is the combination of symphonic metal with extreme metal, Slavic folk metal, and power metal. I know, this sounds like a potential cheese-fest, but it isn't. Instead, Welicoruss deliver powerful metal tunes with lush keyboard arrangements as well as layers of symphonic effects combined with strong guitar riffs – some of which are aggressive and potent while others are melodic and appealing. There are also plenty of guitar leads and twin guitar harmonies, and this is not one of those albums where the guitars take the backseat which the keyboards and symphonic effects steal the limelight. Everything is quite well balanced on WinterMoon Symphony (my only beef here is that, in the blastbeat sections, the snare drum is virtually inaudible), and, weaving in and out of different passages, tempi and metal aesthetics the album even has a quite progressive character to it. Also, while featuring both harsh male vocals and clean female vocals, Welicoruss do not fall into the beauty-and-thebeast trap, as the female vocals tat are featured on the album are more of a traditional Russian character than the pseudo-operatic female vocals often head in beauty-beast metal.

Fans of symphonic metal who are interested in hearing a Russian take on the genre – which infuses Slavic music elements into it – should definitely check out this massively melodic yet metallically dark and evil release.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

A Sonication Technical Death Metal
OBSCURA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed