Review by Sandre the Giant
The ninth record from Caucasian (as in from the Caucasus, not just white dudes) folk/thrash metallers Concrete Age is called ‘Motherland’, and comes recommended to me by someone whose opinion on this kind of thing I trust fairly deeply. It is out now through Soundage Productions and while the band have moved to the UK from their native Russia, the folk and the themes of their land runs deep throughout their discography.
Opener ‘Raida Rada’ teases you with a little ethnic metal feel before powering off through a deaththrash gallop, some wild soloing and yet a definite grasp of the folk metal vibe. Concrete Age have been around for a long time, and if there’s one thing they’ve perfected over their 14 years and nine records is the mix of folk elements and a proper thrashy death metal sound. Like if Korpiklaani played like Amon Amarth, the bulldozing ‘Battle for the Caucasus’ is a great example of just that; you’ve got big chunky riffs powering underneath some traditional instruments and a rousing melody earworm too. If you’ve been craving some folk metal that has a bit of a bite to it, a big old slab of riffs, then tracks like ‘Adeghaga’ and ‘Nomads’ are for you, and Concrete Age’s use of traditional instrumentation is always deployed with a certain restraint, never overbearing but always present and important. In a similar way to the likes of Tengger Cavalry, Concrete Age are cognizant of the balance required.
‘Motherland’ is one of those records that can fill you with a rousing joy and power, ready to charge into battle with sword and drinking horn held high, as well as really wreck your neck with its thrashy chops as well. It is a surprisingly diverse record too, never leaning too far in either direction but balancing that pit-inducing carnage with anthemic folk metal moments with ease. ‘Motherland’ is likely to be one of those slow burn records for 2024, an album that’ll remain on the playlist for a long time and crawl up that end of year list.
https://www.facebook.com/concreteage
https://concreteage.bandcamp.com/
The Killchain 