Review by Sandre the Giant
One man Russian band Vottovaara has been making music since 2105 but ‘Paluu’ is the debut full length after a self titled demo in the first year of existence. It has been released independently in digital format but Wroth Emitter Records has done the CD version, and it is out now.
Opener ‘Om Asato Ma Sat Gamaya’ immediately showcases a lot of the folk elements that you will learn to expect. Acoustic guitar, jawharp and ethereal clean vocals build within the song, creating a mystical atmosphere that pervades a lot of metal from Eastern Europe. The melodic death metal sound comes in for the last two minutes, maintaining the same rhythm and melody but just harder. ‘Tie karjalaisten maalla’ is full of memorable hooks enhanced by tinkling keyboard and the battle cry of the eponymous track is a brilliant song for warriors to fight to, with a grandiose scale feeling like it tells a tale of a battle in different movements. The title track is a rousing instrumental full of great soloing and frenetic guitarwork, while closer proper ‘Kiitollisuuden kalma-vaaran’ is a perfect distillation of all facets of Vottovaara’s musical elements.
Rounded up by two 2017 demo versions of the album tracks, ‘Paluu’ is one of these records that on first listen I enjoyed but didn’t love. But as listens repeated, I grew to appreciate what they were going for and I realised that the potential for some excellent stuff is there for the unlocking. Vottovaraa’s work is solid, memorable and possessed of some genuinely fun moments, and I think the band is only going to get better. ‘Paluu’ is still definitely worth a listen though.
https://www.facebook.com/Vottovaaraofficial
https://vottovaara.bandcamp.com/
The Killchain 