Metal Debate Album Review - Пляска святого Вита (Калевала)

The best of folk metal comes from eastern Europe including and especially Russia. We can go through the lengthy roster of outstanding Russian folk metal bands – Arkona, Alkonost, Grai, Woodscream, Anaboiz… the list goes on. One of the true pioneers and legends of Russian folk metal are certainly Kalevala, who’ve been tearing it up out of Moscow since 2007. Kalevala have a new album released this year – the seventh full-length of their career – entitled “Пляска Святого Вита.” As is typical for releases that excite me, I can’t help but go through this one track by track to share my thoughts… The opening song “Гори по полной!” begins softly but quickly ramps up the pressure, especially when the accordion kicks in. All elements work together perfectly on this one – uptempo, aggressive, joyouse, and folky. Singer Ksenia Markevich is right in her comfort range here, thundering away with her clear, strong, beautiful voice. Well executed all around and with an awesome chorus that I can’t help but sing along with and bang my head to… Гори по полной! The pace comes down just a notch on the second song and title track, “Пляска святого Вита.” The keys set the mood on this one while the guitars and folk instruments provide a great building mountain of metal riffs atop. Ksenia’s vocals are a bit more tempered here, but even more mesmerizing. This is one I can see played live and the crowd jumping along in time to the jaunty beat. The main melody is incredibly catchy… two listens and you won’t be able to rid it from your head. “Ловец змей” – the first single and video from the album – is a mid-paced rocker that gets soft on the verse, and fairly light in the chorus. Probably the most AOR-friendly track on the album. Not a bad song by any stretch, but bit cutsie in the execution for my taste. Next up is “Проснись во мне, Зверь.” This is the best of Ksenia’s voice – slightly creepy/haunting in the verses and empassioned on the chorus. Great riffs from guitarist Nikita Andriyanov and another cool vocal melody from Ksenia. The violins pair perfectly with the guitar throughout this one – it might be my favorite track on the album! The keys come back strong in “Именем леса,” really raising the sonic floor and creating a quite uplifiting, mythic feel throughout. Kalevala are very skilled when it comes to songcraft, and I can’t give them enough respect for the effort they make in composing these songs. The instrumentals often falling out to give space for Xenia’s vocals. I think one thing even Kalevala’s harshest critics would admit is that they are able to keep plenty of variety and freshness in their song composition, even while adhering to a fairly constrained stylistic approach. Track six – “Безбожники” - relies more heavily on blunt guitar riffs to drive the song, although there’s plenty of starts and stops to freshen things up along the way. I think one thing even Kalevala’s harshest critics would admit is that they are able to keep plenty of variety and freshness in their song composition, even while adhering to a fairly constrained stylistic approach. “Безбожники” is followed by the pristine rocker “Сто дней.” Ksenia does a great job changing the projection of her voice to perfectly emote alongside the guitar and garmin. Speaking of, the accordian solo is a real highlight on this one! “Так долго ждать,” does a fine job of building the energy – a very nuanced, considered approach to the instruments punctuated by energized bursts of guitar and featuring another brilliant accordion lead break. A bit more of an epic feel to this one as compared to the approach on most other tracks on the album. On “Бесхвостая лиса,” the strumming ukelele intro sets the stage for an upbeat, bouncy melody. This one alternates between some light touches and shading and more aggressive elements. The tenth and final track “Сёстры бога” brings those folk instruments – particularly the violin - back to front-and-center, allowing them to lead the way while the guitars churn beneath. This is an upbeat rocker that provides a worthy outro. This band have definitely stood the test of time and their latest offering is a perfect example of how they’ve done so. The whole is always greater than the sum of the parts, and although they are each obviously amazing musicians there’s not any sense they’re ever showing off just to demonstrate chops. The overall mood is bright and powerful, upbeat and exciting. In summary, I’m giving this album a rating of 9 ½ out of ten. This is absolutely my favorite metal release to date this year, and a near lock for a spot on my list of best albums of 2023. I urge fans of bands such as Finntroll, Ensiferum, and Eluveitie to give this album and band a listen. You can get “Пляска святого Вита” digitally via Apple Music and itunes, and most of Kalevala’s back discography is available from .