VOIEVOZII

Progressive Folk Metal. That is what genuinely we have here. Finally released in 2008 after a lot of difficulties in bringing the project to fruition, "Voievozii" is Bucium's debut (demos discounted) release. Hailing from Romania, and bearing the name of a traditional folk instrument from their homeland, Bucium deliver an album that can actually be said to be all 3 of these things.

The violin is the instrument that mainly takes the lead, and will provide the most interesting embellishments to the music, and is mostly responsible for the folky feel. The guitar strikes a modern metal tone, often a little thrashy, and gives the album it's metallic feel. How the songs are written is what makes this prog, in that it ticks all the key boxes in terms of composition and execution.

Vocals are powerful deep booming Romanian, very much in line with your typical folk metal singer, and as such are appropriate for the music. Able to lead in a dramatic or gruff manner when called for, but also able to just shout along to a catchy melody in a more light-hearted way. Some "choruses" have the air of a pub/crowd singalong, and are just a shouted wordless tune. Rather fun, I must say, there is a cheery, bouncy folkiness to these parts.

The whole album has a good supply of melody, odd time sigs, and folky instruments (eg violin), and can move from joyful and jiggy to epic without too much effort. In fact, some of the moments, melodies, and riffs occasional call to mind some of the classic prog bands. The sometimes frantic, sometimes more subtle violin, the frequent shifts of tempo, the energetic vocals all hold your attention reasonably well. Probably the last track, the 15 minute epic "Rovine", about a historic Romanian battle (seems appropriate when you hear the music) will hold the most interest for prog fans. It has probably both the most subtle moments of the album, and the most epic.

So, for anyone curious about how progressive folk metal would sound, this is a good choice. True, the music can sometimes lean more heavily in one direction or another at different moments, but I would still call this a genuine fusion. 3 stars, but if you like folk metal, give it another star and definitely seek it out.

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