Title: Oi Magoi
Artiste: Hail Spirit Noir
Genre: Progressive/Black Metal (interesting crossover!)
Familiarity: Zero
1. Blood guru: Interesting guitar opening. Hate the vocals of course; those type you can't hope to even make out a word of. The guitar work is very impressive though. Sounds like some keys in there, making a kind of water dripping effect. Certain native rhythms in the melody. When the vocals fall back it's really quite nice and I can see the progressive tag being very deserved. Really melodic instrumental part here around the fifth minute, then our friend on the vocals is back to ruin it, snarling and slavering over it. On balance though, I'm impressed.
2. Demon for a day: Odd kind of almost bouncy rhythm to this, the vocals are more prominent, but strangely also a little more coherent. Sounds like pipes or fiddle or something there? Probably on the keys I guess. Again there are extended instrumental sections which are really good; the less I have to hear of our growling pal the better. And that music is very progressive. I guess the Black Metal comes from (apart from the titles of the songs) the vocals, while the music is very much what I'd call prog metal. Nice mix. Oh, there he is again.
3. Satan is time:A ballad? A ****ing ballad? But yeah, there is is, and I can UNDERSTAND THE VOCALS! Best track yet, if only for the novelty factor. Sweet. Oh, that chant is just hilarious!
Picking up speed a little now. I really love this.
4. Satyriko orgio (Satyr's orgy): I guess a song about orgies is gonna be fast, frenetic and chaotic. And it is. Satyrian orgies, even more so. Guitars are racing at a fine pace here. So much for foreplay; don't think satyrs care for that. Or even know what it is! I think they think it's slamming your woman to the ground before you rip her clothes off. This is quite fun I must say. The track, not slamming women to the ground and ripping their clothes off. Though, now you come to mention it...
Wow, there's a mad long held organ chord there! Now a sort of Sabbathy riff and a moaning chorus, all very appropriate.
5. The mermaid: This is over eleven minutes, but somehow I'm not dreading it. I've quite enjoyed what I've heard on this album so far. Very different, a real meshing of two completely opposite styles of metal. Very progressive rock opening with the keyboard arpeggios, aggressive then much more low-key guitar, and there's about four minutes before any vocals come in. It's a joy to listen to, and even when the vocals do start they're completely intelligible and actually quite soothing. Going into a kind of swaying slow boogie now, guitars taking charge and holy helll this is like listening to the greatest prog rock jam ever! Absolutely love this! Aw man! It's over!
6. Hunters: So far I have nothing but praise for this album. Can that trend continue? Um, bubbling sea sounds would have been better used on the previous track, no? Anyway, another big keyboard salvo before the guitars begin to take care of business. Big screechy vocal but I doubt anything can ruin this for me now.
7. Oi Magoi: Sort of a chant to start off then a hard, pounding guitar riff as the chanting continues. This album could have twenty tracks and I reckon I'd still love it.
End result: Big surprise. I'd definitely call it more on the side of progressive than Black Metal, although the vocals do mostly fall into the latter category. But the melding of two styles that really should not work and do is very impressive, and makes for both a enthralling and interesting album and also a real appreciation of both subgenres. Top marks!
So, Love or Hate? This is going down as a
True Love, no question.