A move to Hammerheart Records for Lithuanian Baltic Folk Metal band Romuvos feels like a fresh start for the band. Over their three previous albums they have been honing their own sound based around their ancestors ancient Baltic traditions, customs and Pagan beliefs, with a musical style suited to carry that forward. Romuvos started out as a solo project back in 2014, but they are now a five-piece with the same line-up in place as their previous offering “The Baltic Crusade”, so this unit are now able to press onward with a fresher, darker sound on “Spirits”
Romuvos are a band that defy comparisons – as a ball-park you could say they would appeal to fans of Wardruna through Saor, Empyrium or Fejd and many in between. And more. “Spirits” has a big emphasis on tribal-sounding rhythms, underneath traditional Folk passages as well as heavy, crushing guitar riffs, that are the basis for most songs. The clean sung, layered vocals have a chanted, camp-fire vibe about them. The lyrics are sung in English, Lithuanian and ancient Prussian, displayed by melodic, memorable vocal lines that give many tracks an instant hook, but thankfully steering clear of commercially catchy.
The intricate, intelligent arrangements dip in and out of Baltic Folk with ease, retaining an intensity and atmosphere throughout. Their tempos refuse to be hurried, maintaining an epic quality that drives each song forward. The band’s favoured (but not uniform) approach is to cleverly build an almost ambient mood with traditional instruments, meaning that when, or if, the heavy guitars make an appearance the impact is heightened and as effective as possible. You get the feeling that there is a lot of work that goes into each track, just to make it sound as atmospheric and deep as it can, then the band can embellish at will.
This is a dark, brooding album, brimming with feeling and mood. Nothing is designed to leap out, nothing is meant to jar, but much is intended to keep you interested. There are hidden depths that will unveil themselves over time, but there is equally so much to hook you in immediately. For instance, there’s a Mission-esque Goth touch to the vocal lines hidden away in ‘Spirits Of The Oak’, but the track is by no means Gothic Rock. It’s just one of the examples of how Romuvos 2024 are in a place where they can put elements into their music that you might not expect, yet make it work perfectly. It’s Dark, it’s intriguing and it’s mysterious. But on the whole, it’s a damn fine album from a band steadily creating their own unique sound.
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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