On disc: Dalriada

 
 Ígéret
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

Ígéret

(AFM Records - 2011)



 
 

 

Hungarian band Dalriada started in 1998 as Echo Of Dalriada, band founder András Ficzek and his mates released a demo album called A Walesi Bárdok in 2003. In November 2004 their debut Fergeteg was released. Jégbontó was the last album released by Echo Of Dalriada, in 2007 they shortened their band name. After Kikelet (2007) and Szelek (2008; entered the Hungarian charts on #2) it's now time for Ígéret! But before they started working on their current release they had a busy 2009 incl. being nominated for the greatest Hungarian music award!

They kick off with Intro, a track with violin and summoning words. Then they head into the up-tempo folk metal tune Hajdútánc. The violin is an important element of the sound, but also the Hungarian lyrics, Laura's and András' clean vocals and Tadeusz' and Barnabás' harsh vocals / growls. The accordion reminds me a bit of Finnish acts Korpiklaani and Finntroll - but Finns and Hungarians are closer to each other then many think.











With Hozd el, Isten they offer another fast, powerful tune, quite catchy. But due to the Hungarian lyrics you won't start singing along right away. The keyboard has partly a late 70's / early 80's hard rock sound.... A track full of vitality.

While Mennyei Harang has a melancholy edge which the violin just intensifies. András Ficzek's guitar solo has a neo-classical touch which works well with the violin and the classic keyboard arrangement. Btw, if you want to know what the songs are about, the band has short descriptions on their website.

The title track Ígerét is offering different folk sounds, speed changes and memorable melodies. Live this one will be one of the highlights of every show!

Igazi Tüz is a beautiful track with a sad note, it's dedicated to Péter Hende who was a member of Echo Of Dalriada and who passed away in January 2001 at the age of 23. The band is paying tribute to a former member and good friend with this tune. Touching!

The following songs can easily keep the level, they are based on the same sound elements, so if the description of the tracks sounds appealing, then the others won't disappoint you! Especially Leszek A Hold is a very catchy tune which you'll start humming along. Outro is closing the chapter and is a variation of the intro.

Dalriada present an almost perfect album, they combine the Hungarian folk with heavy metal and power metal add some growls here and there, but don't go to extremes. Where Finntroll and Korpiklaani have black / death metal roots and elements in their sound, Dalriada stay closer to the traditional metal sounds and so should be interesting for the majority of metal fans. Okay, it needs time to get used to the Hungarian vocals, but actually it's the Hungarian lyrics which makes the songs special. Check out the video, head over to their MySpace and listen to some songs, let the Hungarians enchant you!

 

 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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