TUMULUS

I've been catching up to 2005's releases and I found this rather accidentaly. Tumulus, a Russian prog-influenced folk group, aren't all that hard to understand and desrcibe.

Although not too deep, their music is a lot of fun. Melodic clean electric guitar solo's, basslines sticking out throughout the record on a regular basis, folky interludes with Russian national folk instruments, drumming that quite possibly is the most "metal" part of this record, which I can not really put into the Progressive Metal category, and vocals close to the style of the most famous Russian vocalist Kipelov - all that adds to the joyful, pleasant mood of the record. What distances this record from, for example, groups like Equilibrium and Finntroll who aren't progressive in any way is the songwriting. The songwriting for this record is one of the finest in its category - although most of the songs follow a specific mood and melodies sound quite similar to each other, you can see that the musicians are not merely technically skilled but also inspired by many things, quite possibly nature of their native land being one of them, and can actually write music(Dream Theater, take notes!)without highlighting their technical prowess. Keyboards are being played often enough to help to set the atmosphere and add to the progressiveness of the sound in general. The vocals are done mostly in Russian, more specifically Old Slavonic, and also English, with a funny accent to it, which makes one come to the conclusion that it is, in 90% of cases, more sincere to sing in your native tongue rather than try to accomplish something by struggling. One of my least favourite points is the female vocals on this album. They aren't just annoying - they are simply mortifying! Perhaps, this is some acquired taste I just don't understand but I can't help cringing to myself everytime she opens her mouth, which, fortuitously, doesn't happen too often on this record. Even the attempt at "extreme singing", very Finntroll-styled, sounds more appealing than Marina Sokolova's singing. To me, as a person from a Slavonic background, it is, however, refreshing to hear vocals in Russian, which I don't hear too often due to my music preferences.

What there is left to conclude is that by avoiding this album a usual progger isn't missing a masterpiece. However, fans of groups alongside Mago De Oz should discover this group, which could be of some interest to fans of Art Folk fans. Good, but non-essential.

Music of this Russian band combines in itself elements metal, prog rock and folk music. Some songs have 100 % metal sound, others have the expressed "progressive" structure, some compositions have ambient influences. Thus slavic folk sounds practically in all songs that does the general picture of sounding of an album conceptual, and the vocalist combines typical power metal style with Russian folk manner of singing that sounds very unusually. Lyrics of band it is difficult to understand even knowing Russian as it is sated Old Slavic words and the whole expressions ( indoubtedly, adds an atmosphere of pagan mysticism). Well and the brilliant of the album - Russian folk vocalist Marina Sokolova from acoustic post folk group SEDMAYA VODA, whose vocal sounds super! It is very a pity, that its participation was limited on "Winter Wood" only to two songs - "Yavir" and "Resnoti Sonty. " As well as many bands from territories of the ex-USSR at TUMULUS have some lacks as producing, but in it hardly there is a fault of musicians (is a reproach to address of sound engineer of studio where " Winter Wood " has been recorded). But it does not spoil impression at acquaintance with this very interesting and original album