Alkonost - 'Дар саламандры' (official album stream)

Alkonost: Pagan / Folk Metal εκ Ρωσίας. Δημιουργήθηκαν στα μέσα της δεκαετίας του ενενήντα και μας συστήνονται κάπως έτσι: «The band's history began in the second half of 1995, when Andrey Losev decided to start his own project.

His attention was drawn to medieval music and Russian folk melodies. One year later, in August 1996, Alkonost was born. In over 25 years, the band has gone through many changes, but its unique sound and special atmosphere remained, being the band's distinctive features for all that time.»

Έχουν κυκλοφορήσει 14 "ολοκληρωμένους" δίσκους, με πλέον πρόσφατο το album "Дар саламандры" που "βγήκε" την προτελευταία ημέρα του καλοκαιριού (30 Αυγούστου 2024). Το δελτίο τύπου της μπάντας αναφέρει σχετικά:

«It is dedicated to the element of Fire. We invite the listener to the bonfire, around which festive dances and rituals are performed. We will tell legends about how people gained power and knowledge by calling fire to help them, and we will look into the world of fire spirits.

The music draws the trembling birth of a spark, the dark cold of loneliness and the all-consuming triumph of the thunderstorm of primordial days, while the vocals are as diverse as the fire itself, taking forms from the fury of the flame itself - the divine Salamander - to the fragile ringing of a weightless, delicate ray of light from a distant lighthouse amidst the hopelessness of the icy night, conveyed by the epic weight of the guitars.

The songs of the album are about the different faces of fire, about the versatility and ambiguity of its manifestations.

The lyrics offer to reflect on how fire energy manifests itself in life, in people's characters and actions, in relationships, and what you can achieve if you make this indomitable force serve you. Fire is the element of change and creation. Wild and unbridled, it serves the person who knows how to use it wisely, helping to change circumstances and achieve his goals.»