Godz ov War Productions, 2014
Genre: Black Metal
Akona:
1. Klucz do Istnienie
Illness:
2. Zaraza
Side Illness: ...coming eventually...
Side Arkona:
Now that Arkona has returned as an active band they've started participating in splits again. This one features a single new song on 7" vinyl. It has beautiful packaging and an inner sleeve. The release is limited to 300 hand-numbered copies and I own #294.
The song is definitely on par with "Chaos.Ice.Fire", and, in fact, I think it's a little better than some of the material featured on that album. This, to me, means the band is heading in an even better direction. We still hear the Dark Funeral influence shining through, but as before this feels cast in a far darker backdrop. This track is a bit more brooding at times than the more intense material of the full-length. There really isn't much more to say in light of the "Chaos.Ice.Fire" release, if you enjoyed that album then this is a must hear track!
Hellfire Records, 2013
Genre: Black Metal
1. Symfonia Lodu Ognia i Chaosu
2. Gdy Bogowie Przemówią Głosami Natury
3. Zrodziła Mnie Ziemia Skażona Kłamstwem
4. Istnienie Moje Przeniknie Ziemię
5. Tylko Truchło Pozostanie
6. Gwiazda Boga Chaosu
7. Zasypiając w Strachu
8. Dopóki Krew Nie Zastygnie W Żyłach
It's been quite a long time since we've heard from the mighty Arkona... even longer since we've heard a full length from this project. Perhaps Khorzon needed some time away from writing for this project. In the meantime he's resurrected Mussorgski and joined up with Pandemonium. Unfortunately the original line-up for this project is no more, instead Khorzon has reformed with an entirely new line-up and now this borders on the lines of super group. On guitars we find Triumphator from Infernal War and Armagog on vocals/bass from Taran. Needless to say Arkona returns with some serious strength.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the new Arkona, but given the line-up I had hopes that, at the bare minimum, it would be a solid Black Metal album. Well Arkona certainly delivered in that regard, and this might be the most straight-forward Black Metal release Arkona has put together. Usually, some atmospheric flair will show up with keyboards and that does happen a couple times, but it is very minimal. Keyboards appear most in "Zasypiając w Strachu," which actually manages to touch upon an Atmospheric Black Metal feel. "Chaos.Ice.Fire" is all about creating a vicious and intense performance. On thing I appreciate is that this isn't just a pummeling blast fest for forty minutes, instead the compositions are quite well thought out and blast beats are used where necessary. I get the feeling of Khorzon blending a lot of Swedish Black Metal with the required Polish influence. At times I feel like I hear some old Dark Funeral shine through, but applied in a very different fashion. Every riff is well written and at times they are intoxicating and haunting like the last minute of "Tylko Truchło Pozostanie". The only complaint I have is that the bass doesn't cut through like in the earlier albums, but the guitar work really does manage to make up for this. Not to mention when some the more whispering styled vocals show up, as in the beginning of "Gwiazda Boga Chaosu", it really creates an intense experience.
In the end Arkona hasn't lost any of their incredible strength when it comes to composing very solid Black Metal albums. It's tough to compare with their earlier more classic work, because this isn't as ground breaking, but this is a great album if you want to hear what Black Metal is supposed to sound like. The fact that in 2013 bands like this can still write this consistently is a really good thing in my opinion and I highly recommend people check this out. I hope the Arkona horde will produce more music in the future and we don't have to wait nearly as long for the next full-length!
Hell is Here Production, 2008
Genre: Black Metal
1. Świt Bogów Zmierzch Bogów I
2. Kajdany Zniewolenia
3. Świt Bogów Zmierzch Bogów II
4. A Dark Dream (Veles Cover)
5. Opętany Bluźnierca (Besatt Cover)
6. Gdzie Bogowie Sa Jak Bracia I Siostry - Remix 2005
7. Holokaust Zniewolonych Mas
8. Zrodzony z Ognia i Lodu
9. Matka Zima
10. Niech Połaczy Nas Kosmos
11. A Glare of the Burning Churches (Graveland Cover)
12. Tryumf Nowej Ery (Honor Cover)
If you've missed out on any of Arkona's non-album activity over the past few years this is the chance to get all of that on one album. It even includes a new cover song at the end originally written by Honor. Luckily this is off my favorite album by Honor, so it was pretty good. Naturally Khorzon doesn't have Mariusz signature vocal performance, but it was interesting to hear the song performed with more traditional Black Metal vocals. I also didn't have the tribute to Graveland compilation and this also includes that as well. I always think it's interesting to hear these ancient songs recast with modern recordings, I think it really shows off how forward thinking the band was at the time.
The first four songs are from the split with Moontower, then it moves onto the three tracks from the 3-way split with Besatt and Thirst and finally closes with the three songs from their split with Szron. I imagine the material from the Szron split is pretty desirable, since that release is currently not very easy to track down. The array of material over the years makes for an interesting compilation, because you can hear how consistent Arkona has been over the years. Even though this spans nearly five years of material, Arkona still produce some very well done Black Metal. I think once the band got into what was presented on "The Nocturnal Arkonian" hordes they decided that was their signature sound and stuck with that. While not everything they have done has been as stellar, you can tell Khorzon is still trying to compose within that basic theme of tempered intensity.
Long Ago Records, 2006
Genre: Black Metal
Arkona:
1. Świt Bogów Zmierzch Bogów I
2. Kajdany Zniewolenia
3. Świt Bogów Zmierzch Bogów II
4. A Dark Dream (Veles Cover)
Moontower:
5. War of Hell (Intro)
6. Pierwotny Instynkt Prawdy
7. Spiritual Pest
8. Triumf
Side Moontower: ...coming eventually...
Side Arkona:
Doing splits seems to be Arkona's new thing and this time they return with the legendary Moontower. The two bands started around the same time, and given how many splits Moontower makes, this one was long overdue.
Here we have three new tracks and a cover song. This is definitely more worthwhile than the prior split, and to be honest the writing is a lot better. I feel like the writing it almost on par with "Nocturnal Arkonian Hordes". The songs are more in line with what we heard on "Konstelacja Lodu", but I think they are better written overall. Still no bass is heard like in the days of "Nocturnal Arkonian Hordes", but they did up the atmosphere and balance it with their incredibly ferocious style much better this time around. These songs have really beautiful and majestic moments, but the sheer level of ferocity in Arkona's style makes it surprising that these two things were brought together pretty well. I think the only thing I wish about this recording is that the drums weren't so heavily triggered, it almost sounded like an electronic drum kit, but I don't think it is because the cymbals sound very natural. It's almost like what Inferno does when he records with Behemoth.
The album closes off with an excellent Veles cover and at this point I really do hope it means a new album is on the rise. The compositions on this split were great and some of the best they've done since "The Nocturnal Arkonian Hordes". This is definitely a part of the Arkona discography that is worth having!
Agonia Records, 2005
Genre: Black Metal
Arkona: Holokaust Zniewolonych Mas
1. Opętany Bluźnierca (Besatt Cover)
2. Gdzie Bogowie Są Jak Bracia I Siostry (Remix 2005)
3. Gdzie Bogowie Są Jak Bracia I Siostry - Remix 2005s
Besatt: Diabolus Perfectus
4. Revelation
5. Ave Master Lucifer
6. The Kingdom of Hatred
Thirst: Raise the Blasphemer:
7. Armageddon...
8. I'm Blasphemer
9. Raise the Dead (Bathory Cover)
Side Besatt: ...coming eventually...
Side Thirst: here
Side Arkona:
Arkona return with a few new things for us to listen to in addition to the compilation below. I feel like this has more to do with showing the band is still active, rather than to put out additional material. The main reason I think this is because there is really only one new song on this three way split.
Arkona open their side with a cover song originally by the mighty Besatt. The song is actually fairly rare and first appears on a demo tape that was later repressed as "Roots of Evil". Naturally Arkona do a spectacular job on the cover. It's strange to start the whole split off with a cover, but it was a strong beginning nonetheless. Just in case we're confused about the intent of the cover Arkona writes in the liner notes "This cover is neither ideological nor religious tribute for satanism, but the artistic interpretation only. Arkona is pagan black metal horde exclusively." So... they haven't converted to Satanism... not that I thought they would have based on covering a song. I guess some people are easily confused though.
Next up is another song that is not new and instead a remix of a song from the "Konstelacja Lodu" album. The mix sounds fine, but since that album didn't really stand out to me much, I'm not sure it sounds all that different. In some regards I think the guitars sound a little fuzzier, which isn't a good thing. Finally, we get to the last track and the only new song. It's extremely militant in nature and starts off with air sirens and military styled drumming. Unlike a lot of other Arkona songs, this song clicks in at just over three minutes, so I feel like they go through the song very fast! It's certainly a solid track and I would be hoping a new full length was on the rise!
Under the Sign of Garazel Productions, 2005
Genre: Black Metal
1. Kosmiczna Siła Fohat
2. Victims of Gore
3. The Unholy War
4. Follow Me... and Be Amazed
5. Sacred Ice and Bloody Tears
6. Ice in My Heart
7. W Cieniu Umierających Wierzb
8. Barbarzyński Ogień Wichrowych Wzgórz
9. Przyszły Zdrajca Chrześcijańskiej Masy
This is the first compilation Arkona have released and it is a collection of unreleased rarities. This is from the very early inception of the band so things are really primitive, but on here is quite a gem. Tracks two through six are an unreleased demo from 1993. The other songs are just extras and different compositions.
The album opens with a two minute instrumental from the "Zeta Reticuli" recordings. It starts off with a Holst piece and turns into Black Metal, but without the vocals it made me wonder if the track was originally meant to be an intro to the actual album. After this we get right into "The Unholy War" and this is some extremely primitive material. This is clearly before they had found a drummer, so Khorzon is probably programming the drums, but I do wonder if he's the only member at this stage. The music is pretty strange and interesting. It's actually very catchy to listen to and this is before keyboards were ever being added to the music. For it's time this is some really different stuff and it has some elements of catchiness that I would later consider far more part of the Czech metal world. The riffs in the song "The Unholy War" are actually pretty spectacular, but the demo closes with "Ice in My Heart" and this is a really strange song. I would expect to hear this on Umbrtka demo material almost the way it's constructed. However, here Arkona is doing this type of material first. There's clearly influence from the likes of Darkthrone, but I still feel like Arkona is doing something fairly different.
The rest of this finishes off with material found in 1994. Well tracks seven and eight are different versions of songs found on "An Eternal Curse of the Pagan Godz". The tracks are very good and I think they actually are a bit better than what we did hear on the demo originally and I kind of wish more of these existed. This compilation closes with a rehearsal from the "Bogowie Zapomienia" and this is pretty raw and harsh stuff, as you would expect.
There you have it, a good collection of rarities. The real gem being the 1993 demo to really get an idea of how forward thinking Khorzon really was. It's a shame his material didn't seem to get released in a decent time frame or else Arkona would be hailed as one of the more major bands.
Under the Sign of Garazel, 2004
Genre: Black Metal
Arkona: Zrodzony Z Ognia I Lodu
1. Zrodzony Z Ognia I Lodu
2. Matka Zima
3. Niech Połączy Nas Kosmos
Szron: Mankind's Funeral
4. The End of All Life
5. The Flame Shall Purify
6. Nocturnal Horde
7. Tumulus
Side Szron: here
Side Arkona:
Here begins a long line of Arkona releasing non-full-length albums. A lot of splits and compilations are coming after this. I think the line-up for Arkona was a bit precarious after this release and the band was never really stable for a long time. I'm not sure what happened with the other members other than Khorzon, but it could be as simple as their involvement with other projects and life in general. Anyway, here is the first split with fellow country-mates Szron. This is limited to 666 hand-numbered copies and I own #440.
Arkona kick their side of the split off with a ten minute epic. The vicious and hateful intensity of the last two albums has sort of worn off a bit. The music is still very fast and blast beat heavy, but I feel they are trying to evoke more elements than just intense hatred. They bring back the heavy use of keyboards and this material feels more closely related to "Bogowie Zapomania". It's actually more of a blend between their current incarnation and the early years on some levels. "Niech Połączy Nas Kosmos" closes on some weird levels. This is mostly keyboard Ambience, which ends up turning into guitar chords being hit slowly. It's certainly a strange track for Arkona, but it actually does a descent job of invoking a very haunting atmosphere. I don't know if I'd want an entire album of this material, but a seven minute song was not a terrible experience.
I actually don't have too much I can say about these songs. I think I liked the more vicious approach a little more, but the blend between the two styles seems to work fairly well. These are some very solid songs, but I think they've returned to trying things out. We'll see where Arkona goes from this point.
Eclipse Productions, 2003
Genre: Black Metal
1. Módl Się Do Wiatru O Powrót Mój...
2. Gdzie Bogowie Są Jak Bracia I Siostry...
3. Chłodne I Dostojne Są Nasze Oblicza...
4. Chłodne I Dostojne Są Nasze Oblicza...
5. Kiedy Psy W Zagrodach Ujadają...
6. W Mglistej Konstelacji Lodu...
After the incredible "Nocturnal Arkonian Hordes" I was quite excited to hear "Konstelacja Lodu". They definitely managed to keep up the level of intensity when they shifted the styles. However, I think they may have rushed into the studio with this one a little bit.
Unlike the prior album it doesn't give the date range for when the songs were composed, but given the way they're setup, I would say they're probably all new songs composed over the past year. The only problem with this is that the level of careful crafting that went into the last album doesn't feel as present on this release. The bass, unfortunately, is too far away in the mix to even remotely hear. So that really wonderful element that made "Nocturnal Arkonian Hordes" an even more incredible listen is not existent anymore. There are some stand out guitar riffs though, such as "W Mglistej Konstelacji Lodu..." which is very reminiscent of that disturbing discordant style Mutiilation perform.
While I did enjoy the vicious and intense songs quite a bit, I can't help but feel somewhat let down because the last album set such high standards. For the most part "Konstelacja Lodu" is a well crafted album. The songs aren't blasted through entirely and there are some slow sections to split the material up. This is also during the time frame when Black Metal bands were struggling with drum triggers and the triggers sound a little more electronic around this time. I prefer no triggering, but the whole trigger issue wouldn't sound nearly as bad in a few years from now.
If you enjoyed "Nocturnal Arkonian Hordes", then there is certainly no reason you wouldn't enjoy this album. This merely advances the style appearing on early Mayhem and some variation on that theme. Arkona, as usual, is an exemplary piece of pure Black Metal.
Eclipse Productions, 2002
Genre: Black Metal
1. Christianblood for Pagan Might
2. Awaiting Old Millenium Return
3. Yelling Beasts of the Wintermoon
4. No Blood in My Body
5. Abyss of the Frozen Ravenland
6. Looking for a Shadow of the Master
Here we finally see Arkona resurrected from their silence with all new material. This is very different material and their Black Metal has evolved quite a bit from the material they used to write. I think this has a lot to do with the way Black Metal evolved over the 90's. The intensity level for a lot projects was really increased a lot. Maybe they figure they had already accomplished worthwhile material with the more mid-paced 90's material and now are ready to unleash a far more vicious onslaught.
"Nocturnal Arkonian Hordes" is one of the most vicious and intense albums out there. This is basically the album Marduk tried to record with "Panzer Division." However, instead of winding up with a fairly boring experience, Arkona have written an incredibly compelling album. This is certainly not for the faint of heart, the sheer level of intensity just emanates from every composition. Despite the bands silence the liner notes state that Khorzon had been writing these songs during 1997 to 1999. If he had released on of this back then he would have made a huge statement in the scene, because Arkona would sit as one of the most intense Black Metal bands around. In 2002, a lot of bands are doing this, but even still, I will say that they are not achieving the same level of success as Arkona. One of the major stand out aspects of this album is when you hear the bass lines kick in. I haven't heard bass lines haunt me so much since Mahem's "De Mysteriis dom Sathanas." One of the only other bands that could evoke a similar statement from me was Ondskapt and their debut came out this year too! Khorzon has also brought back the use of some keyboards, although very sparingly. They only enter the music at very key points to accent particular passages. This is what I wanted them to do from the beginning, because you could tell the guitar work was so well composed it could just stand alone. The song "No Blood in My Body" is a prime example of this careful placement of piano.
This is an absolute must hear album. Their ability to translate hatred and violence into audio is simply uncanny, yet there is a level of beauty and terror infused into their sound. Few bands could ever achieve this and few people will probably hear this band for good or ill. For it says in the liner notes "Our kind of Black Metal is total underground and do not look for Arkona's albums in any commercial music stores. Only underground Black Metal is true! Arkona plays Nocturnal Arkonian Black Metal supported by neopagan consciousness." I do have to agree, and the underground is a better place to be, for the people listening appreciate it all the more.
Eclipse Productions, 2001
Genre: Black Metal
1. Kiedy Głaz Nadaje Kształt Boskiej Naturze/Krąg Ognia...
2. Demoniczne Spojrzenia Bogów Skierowane Na Arkonę W Dobie Rozkwitu Nowej Wiary...
3. Pozorna Wada Niedostępności Tajemnic Bogów Którymi Nie Gardzi Pogańska Duma...
4. Niezwykle Uciążliwa Droga Do Gwiazd Oraz Odwieczna Niemoc W Zrozumieniu Prawdy Ukrytej Na Biegunach Strachu...
5. Gorycz Łez Nektaru Wieczności...
6. Odejdę W Dniu Gdy Dźwięk Zamilknie...
7. Zeta Reticuli - Ostateczne Pojednanie Ze Stwórcami Bez Konieczności Dalszej Reinkarnacji...
It looks like half of this album was released in 1999 on cassette by the infamous Pussy God Records from the Czech republic, but it wouldn't be until 2001 when this material became fully released on CD. This is an odd release for 2001. There are a great many Black Metal bands that spend time trying to capture this exact sound, but never achieve anything even remotely close. The reason? This material was originally recorded in the winter of 1995/1996 and must've been recorded shortly after "Imperium".
If you want to delve into a very nostalgic world where you have extremely fond memories of the early works from Old Man's Child, Dodheimsgard, and Gorgoroth, then this is the album you've wanted to come out for years. This is what many new fans of modern Black Metal really missed out on and only get to engage from the past. Now Arkona has been sitting on an album from this era and it is newly released. I don't think anything has been redone, nothing is enhanced, even the mastering sounds old! "Zeta Reticuli" is truly a beautiful album in that regard. It really captures the cold and beautiful nature of the early Black Metal scene. I liken them more to the Norwegian bands above, because I feel like that is the closest relation. The scary part is, Arkona was doing almost the same stuff as this band around this time... but those are the most well known bands that have the same feel.
"Zeta Reticuli" is very different from "Imperium" and I'm actually surprised to see these were recorded around the same time frame. "Zeta Reticuli" has pretty much no keyboards. The music is wonderfully composed and you can really hear the strength of this band is in the guitar work. It's pretty clear how much having keyboards was detracting from the bands overall atmosphere and sound. A lot of those problems were entirely fixed on this recording and I really wish the band had written more music in this vein. Unfortunately I think this band was inactive for a very long time. The only reason we even get to hear this today is because the band has essentially become resurrected by Khorzon, thankfully.
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Astral Wings Records, 1996
Genre: Black Metal
1. Skrajna Nienawiść Egoistycznej Egzystencji
2. Epidemia Rozczarowania i Nędza Duchowa
3. Każdy Los to Cień
4. Jesienne Cienie Czekające na Kolejną Reinkarnację
5. Wściekłość Która Nadchodzi
6. Pluję Na Twą Marność Psie!
7. Pogarda Dla Wrogów Imperium Wszechmocy
Despite being recorded in studio during late 1994, this didn't see any release until 1996. Also, the band seems to have been rather quiet during this time frame in terms of releasing material. I missed out on the original press of this album, so I have no idea what the original booklet looked like. Instead, I have the following version:
Long Ago Records, 2005
Genre: Black Metal
8. Długa Ciężka Zima
9. W Wiecznej Zemście Pogańskich Bogów
Apparently two versions of this album existed and as a bonus two tracks from that other version are featured on the re-release. The two tracks are actually extremely different compared to the actual album. They seem far more raw and I'm not sure if these are rehearsal tracks or not, to be honest.
"Imperium" basically picks up where "An Eternal Curse of the Pagan Godz" leaves off. This time around, though, I feel like they've managed to include the keyboard into their compositions a lot more cleanly. I didn't feel nearly as overwhelmed by the keys and they certainly didn't get in the way of the guitar work. In fact, they managed to enhance passages a little bit more. I think some of these songs are originally found on the demos, but having a solid mix from a studio session is probably changing the way I engage these songs. I think I see the merit of what this band was trying to do and why "Imperium" is a rather popular release. Arkona come across as a darker and more harsh version of Emperor, which is where I think they're getting a lot of their influence. Their material is both dark and beautiful, which makes for an interesting listen given how far back this material goes. It always amazes me to hear what Poland was doing in the early 90's and have such an interesting take on Black Metal for their time frame.
"Imperium" is probably one of the major classics of the Polish scene. You have to keep in mind that albums like Behemoth's "Grom" were probably heavily influenced by what Arkona was performing years before. If you're really interested in the history of Black Metal, this is an absolute must have. This is definitely a classic album, one that I feel has somewhat been lost to time.
Self-Released, 1994
Genre: Black Metal
1. From the Depths of Hell-Fire into the Infinited War
2. Only True Belief
3. Long Hard Winter
4. In the Shadow of Dying Willows
5. Under the Arms of Lucipher
6. Frostwind from the Land of Immortal Hatred
7. Barbarian - Fire on the Whirlwind Hills
8. An Eternal Curse of the Pagan Godz
9. The Infinited War
After a very compelling first demo Arkona released a second demo in 1994. I do not own an original copy of this, but my friend Noel owned the re-release from 1997 on the mighty Folter Records. I have no idea what the original cover looked like and this is actually the only cover I can find on the internet. The Folter release is actually both demos on one album, so "An Eternal Curse of the Pagan Godz" is the second part of the album.
Unfortunately, if you were expecting the same level of recording quality on "Bogowie Zapomnienia" you are going to be disappointed. This is not a new studio recording, instead this is a recording a rehearsal. On that note, however, the quality is actually quite good. It's far more raw, but it sort of works for the music. I'm actually surprised at how much keyboard use is going on for the songs, since a lot of them would stand better without it and whenever they just have the music without the keyboards it sounds a lot more powerful. I really hope Arkona moves away from using these in the future, because it actually detracts from the music a little. Either that or they start using them better. Considering this was done back in 1994, it's not too bad, but I just couldn't get into very much. It feels like a harsher Emperor in some ways, but the guitar lines don't have the same level of memorable.
We'll see what happens in the future with this band. They're clearly still experimenting. I wish I had more to say on this review, but it's a little hard when I just feel fairly flatlined by the music. I think they were trying to add a lot more atmosphere by using the keyboards, but it took away from the edge of their Black Metal a little more than they probably thought it would.
Self-Released, 1994
Genre: Black Metal
1. Nieporozumienie W Bezsensie Istnienia
2. Gwałt Własnego Pożądania
3. Przyszły Zdrajca Chrześcijańskiej Masy
4. Szaleńcza Pogoń Za Bezwstydną Rozkoszą
5. Kres Ludzkiej Doskonałości Obezwładniony Próżnością
6. Najprostrza Martwica Zgubnej Niemocy
I'm not sure how many people out there remember an avantgarde project from Poland named Mussorgski, but many of the members from Mussorgski also founded Arkona. I think Arkona is a lot more well known in the extreme metal scene, and, to be honest, I do like Arkona a lot more than Mussorgski. I actually don't own the original demos, but I do have a re-release, which I will make an entry for later.
Warkult Productions, 2005
Genre: Black Metal
7. Niezwykle Uciążliwa Droga Do Gwiazd...
8. Kiedy Głaz Nadaje Kształt Boskiej Naturze/Krąg Ognia
The extra two tracks were originally on "Zeta Reticuli", so I'm not sure why they were added as a bonus since they are not unreleased. Oh well, just thought I would show what version I actually had.
As far as demo material goes, this is actually some very solid material. This would be pretty standard form for new Black Metal bands today, and even then few bands could write at this quality. For 1994, this is truly some great material. They're clearly influenced by the Norwegian Black Metal scene the most and I hear a lot of Mayhem in their sound, but you can also hear elements of the local Polish scene showing through. Christ Agony were playing some strange atmospheric styled stuff at this time and Arkona has a bit more atmosphere in their sound along those lines.
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