Πέμπτη 22 Δεκεμβρίου 2016

VALTIKAN – Exordium Review




VALTIKAN – Exordium
Sepulchral Silence
Before I enter the presentation of this album, I think that some history lessons about the band are necessary since this is their debut release. The band started in 2011 under the name DEMONHEART which soon changed into VALTIKAN. As the band says, they took their name from the song "Mustan Valtikan Aika" of the Finnish band, KIVIMETSÄN DRUIDI, which is a choice that they didn’t make accidentally.

In “Exordium” VALTIKAN offer us a melodic power metal sound that has its own identity and most of all it has variety. In comparison with so many bands out there that play this kind of music, VALTIKAN have variety and I dare say identity. The whole listening process of the album is extremely interesting and doesn’t bore you at all. I would rather say they might surprise you. The band combines in its sound elements of traditional heavy and power metal, along with some symphonic and even folk metal elements (when they move on the folk metal paths they remind me a bit of the Turks KNIGHT ERRANT). I would also like to underline that in some compositions here the band also shows some progressive metal tendencies in the way it structures its compositions and spices up even more the whole release.

As for the lyrics the band is inspired by fantasy themes which are also used in a metaphorical way and I think that fit very well in their sound.

Personally speaking, VALTIKAN might come from Mexico, but mostly reminded me of good Italian heavy power metal bands like DOMINE, DRAKKAR, RHAPSODY and HEIMDALL.

VALTIKAN made a very impressive start with their debut album and I think that this is a release that every demanding fan of melodic power metal should check out.


Nick “Verkaim” Parastatidis

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