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Xerion: Cantares Das Loitas Esquecidas

Xerion started out as a one-man project in 2001. It is the brainchild of Galician composer, Nocturno. A first album, Nocturnal Misanthropia, came out in 2007. Xerion is back in 2010 to offer the second output. The line-up on this recording includes four musicians. You have: Nocturno handling guitars, bass, vocals and programming; a second guitarist by the name of Iron; Daga on keyboards and O Rei Celta No Exilio taking care of whistle and pipes.

A word about the music now. Xerion is playing a melodic European folk metal combined with a nice epic feel. Nocturno's vocals are raspy, although he used a clean, almost Gregorian chant in a couple places. The keyboards are rather discreet and minimal; appearing occasionally here and there. Same goes for the pipes and whistles. I could decipher some string instrument like a fiddle, although not specified. Then again, maybe it is a programmed sound, in which case it was very well done. You will hear crunchy /juicy guitar work across the board on this disc, giving it a certain pagan vibe. There are no acoustic guitar parts alas, but some delicate arpeggios and clean leads are popping up every once and a while. Variation is also present in the paces as well as in the different moods created by Nocturno.

With numerous good compositions like : "O Espertar Do Xerion", "Onde A Victoria Agarda" and "Loitas Na Neboa", Xerion has delivered a pleasant evolution in the songwriting making this new opus very cool to listen.


Track listing:
1- Badaladas Funerais No Esmorecer Da Luia
2- O Espertar Do Xerion
3- A Alquimica Dexeneracion Da Ialma
4- Onde A Victoria Agarda
5- Nas Verdes Fragas De Amh-Ghad-Ari
6- Cantares Das Loitas Esquecidas
7- Morte Na Iauga
8- Loitas Na Neboa
9- Pvtrefacta Anima Nostra

Added: January 23rd 2011
Reviewer: Denis Brunelle
Score:
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Xerion: Cantares Das Loitas Esquecidas
Posted by Ryan Sparks, SoT Staff Writer on 2011-01-23 12:53:35
My Score:

Spanish outfit Xerion have been playing their unique brand of European folk metal since 2001. Virtually unheard of over here in North America their latest album and second overall entitled Cantares Das Loitas Esquecidas (Songs From Forgotten Battles) contains nine tracks of straight ahead, unwavering aggression, but with quite a bit of variety as well.

Chugging riffs supplied by someone named Iron, pile driving programmed drums and just a smattering of keyboards pretty much sums up what to expect musically as main man Nocturno snarls his way through these epic sounding tales in what I presume is either Spanish or the Galician language of Northern Spain. Overall there's a pleasant amount of diversity to be found within the arrangements, as their sonic pallet at times includes chanting vocals and pipes and whistles. Perhaps the odd inclusion of an acoustic interlude or a melancholic piano passage would have made this disc slightly more enjoyable for this reviewer, but that and the programmed drums are really the only gripe I have here, because other than that I'd have admit that Xerion have put together a very solid sophomoric effort.



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