Adorned in cartoonish imagery and with a photo that makes the band look like they wish to eke out their existence in the heart of a medieval forest, Pereplut are a Pagan metal band hailing from Russia. An eight-piece band, the core metal instruments are augmented with hurdy-gurdy, harp, block flute, tin whistle, violin and cello, which makes for a compellingly organic listen free from the synth backdrop that can plague such releases. With lyrics and even song titles in the band’s native tongue, the release can appear impenetrable to Western eyes at first glance, but move beyond that and allow the music to wash over you and you’ll find a dark, detailed folk metal album that easily competes (and often outdistances) its Western equivalents.
Opening with the short, instrumental introduction ‘Внимая Дыханию Старого Леса’, the band cast their magic from the off, demonstrating the production skills of Sergey Lazar who deftly weaves the band’s many elements into a coherent whole. The album soon brings the metal with buzzing guitars announcing the arrival of ‘Русалья’, a ferocious folk-metal anthem which gains a greater sense of mysticism as a result of the band evoking the elements in their native language. Next up, ‘Тропою Волколака’ (which was released as a stand-alone single via the band’s Bandcamp page), keeps the pace fast and fun with a driving rhythm kept light of touch by the folky trappings with which the band surround it. Steadfastly keeping the riffing heavy, the band do as good a job of balancing the disparate elements of folk and metal as possible, and it’s easy to see how the track, with its over-lapping vocals and melodic flourishes, would make a perfect single release for the band. ‘Флейта Троллей’ is a more typical folk-metal track, with the wind instruments sitting uncomfortably high in the mix, although Old Zwonar’s gruff vocal helps to ground the track once more. The first half of the album concludes with the band at their brutal best, the surging ‘Ведьмачья Вечеря’ sounding like a folk-metal train running headlong down a hill, the brakes misaligned and a gap in the track looming on the horizon. It sends the blood pounding through the veins and it’s easy to imagine the song setting the live arena alight.
Kicking off the album’s second half with fire and fury, ‘Как На Нашей Пивоварне’ is a storming number that puts all before it to the sword, before the swirling, melodic might of ‘Дары Лесного Дяди’ arrives amidst a perfect storm of Ivan The Terrible’s ferocious drumming. Arguably a more typical folk-metal-by-numbers track, ‘10 Кубков’ nonetheless boasts some heroic riffs underneath the relentless percussive blasts. The final track (before the short outro), ‘Змиевы Валы’ returns to the lightness of touch found in the earlier stages of the album, the riffs sweetened by the rich tapestry of violin and cello. It’s an album highlight with numerous elements interwoven to create a mesmerising piece of music that highlights the band’s innate grasp of folk’s elemental power. The band then cap the album off with the instrumental coda, ‘По Мхам Крадущийся Незримо’, a gorgeous piece of evocative folk that speaks of far-flung lands and distant times. It brings the album to a dream-like close and leaves the listener wanting to return to the world Pereplut have carved out for the listener once again.
Folk metal is a genre that attracts ardent followers. However, it is also a genre that can attract laziness, and it seems that for every good folk metal album there are two more that pay lip service to the folk elements before getting back to the business of delivering on the metal. It’s a matter of balance, and Pereplut have got it spot on, weaving strong folk melodies around their iron-clad riffs and rarely allowing one element to dominate. Equally as impressive, the band have a considerable grasp of quality control and the album is kept short and to the point, concluding before it outstays its welcome. A strong example of how folk metal should be done, ‘at the ancient times…’ is a powerful piece of work and one in which it is well worth investing a little time. 8
