NORD'N'COMMANDER "Akkortheon" [2005/2009] new
Antichristian Commando Zine #2 (WINTER/SPRING 2010)
"Almost Funeral Doom" is the definition with which Vadim Proskuryakov and Alexander Ishutin have marked their music. From April 2009,the band decided to put an end to this project and this album then becomes the final witness. Nord 'n' Commander are original and curious: this is the first impression resulted from a superficial listening of "Akkortheon". Before getting into specific, we must describe the musical approach of this bizarre Russian duet to understand better the nature of origin. We are facing a real twisting of the concept of folk, extrapolated in its classical melodies and adapted in the doom structures and atmospheres but resumed only in the purity of the essence, because it's not represented in the typical rhythmic section that a metal sound require...the role of these instruments as the basic melody is based mainly of the note of an accordion with avant-garde choices and solution, accompanied by spectral voices. Don't expect experiment far from our conception of music: the soul of the band is always present and uses the accordion as vessel, the automatically becomes the backbone and at the same time the representation of the minimal concept of this work. With this dominant element we find often the use of the choirs of harsh and deadly voices (giving a mystic and solemn touch to the tracks) that often evoke the tonalities used in the Black Metal and are opposed to the melodic and harmonious solutions created by the accordion and the keyboards, sometimes evocative but in some moments even more carefree. The drum machine limits a bit the rhythmic of the songs but simultaneously gives a modern touch that makes more bizarre the flowing of this work. We can divide "Akkortheon" in two main chapters: the first is the essence of the name Nord 'n' Commander and the second is the creativity and the desire of the band to break new musical territories. The first chapter consists in six tracks, it's pervaded by dark and gloomy sounds, marked by slow rhythms and reflective moments. In the second, to validate my thoughts expressed since the beginning, we find nine cover in the end of the work as bonus tracks: besides the laudable qualitative value and the extravagant and personal reinterpretation, immediately strikes the choice of the tracks, because the band goes with a surprising ease and spontaneity from a song of Burzum ("War") to one of Death ("Crystal Mountain"), including also the remake of tracks more popular and commercials. This perfectly represents the free spirit of the band that breaks down every reasoning and any encumbrances of the concept of music: careful and intelligent Nord 'n' Commander have captured everything who managed to touch their artistic sensibility, without worry about the provenience, giving full vent to the creativity that unquestionably they demonstrate to possess. In conclusion, a unique work to listen without hesitations, for who is constantly looking for new and contrasting emotions. Blooddawn
NORD'N'COMMANDER "Akkortheon" [2005/2009]
Mroczna Strefa 04.11.2009
Mark: 9/10
Funeral doom metal zagrany na akordeonie? Czy to w ogole mozliwe?! Po swoim traumatyczno - dziwacznym doswiadczeniu z jednym z wydawnictwem NORD'N'COMMANDER pt. "Karty Putieszestwija Tieni" wolalem przygotowac sie na "Akkortheon" i w tym celu przeczytalem kilka razy opis tego wydawnictwa, doszukujac sie w tym roznych "kruczkow". Tymczasem faktycznie, ten album zostal nagrany za pomoca akordeonu, automatu perkusyjnego, wokali i niewielkiej ilosci sampli chorow. Na tym prostym fundamencie zostala zbudowana, mozna by rzec klasyczna, funeral doom metalowa plyta, tyle, ze bez uzycia gitar. Zamiast gitar mamy akordeon, wokal growluje, prymitywny automat wystukuje umierajacy rytm (przejscia "rzadza" hehehe) i to wszystko zaskakuje... cholerna swiezoscia. Chociaz akurat motywy skladajace sie na piec pierwszych utworow zostaly prawie ze zywcem zaczerpniete z roznych plyt kapel grajacych ten prawdziwy funeral doom, poczawszy od niektorych zagrywek MY DYING BRIDE, poprzez EVOKEN i UNHOLY, a skonczywszy na przyklad na SKEPTICISM. Pomysl jest jednak wysmienity i jestem przekonany, ze Rosjanie z Woroneza wpadli na niego jako pierwsi. Czy znajda sie nasladowcy - okaze sie lub nie. Z wykonaniem jest juz roznie, bo NORD'N'COMMANDER rejestruje swoje plyty prawdopodobnie w domowym zaciszu, wiec brakuje tym dzwiekom niezbednego ciezaru, glebi i spoistosci. Co prawda powklejano do tych prostych kompozycji sample chorow i rozne zaspiewy obcego pochodzenia (szosty na plycie "Some Signs Out of Nav'" jest skonstruowany glownie z tych elementow), ale mozna to potraktowac jako pewien ciekawy eksperyment, nic ponad to.
Wiekszy problem i zaskoczenie (a jednak!) czeka tych, ktorzy przebrna przez "pogrzebowa" czesc tego krazka. Przypuszczam, ze pozostale kawalki to bonusy, ktorych nie bylo na oryginalnej wersji tego wydawnictwa. Nastepuje w kazdym razie olbrzymi przeskok stylistyczny i mamy okazje posluchac NORD'N'COMMANDER wykonujacego covery. Ale jakiez to covery! Rozrzut jest totalny! Od "Walking Alone" pop-punkowego GREEN DAY, poprzez electro-pop nieznanego mi CAR-MAN (Rosjanie chalturza tu niemilosiernie - przypomina mi to dokonania takiego zespoliku z lat 80-ych, jakim byl THE TWINS), "My Secret Garden" DEPECHE MODE, "My Immortal" EVANESCENCE z "gotyckim" meskim wokalem, az po przerobki juz typowo metalowych utworow. A w zestawie tym mamy... uwaga!... "I Am the Bloody Earth" MY DYING BRIDE, (sic!) "War" BURZUM, "Crystal Mountain" DEATH i "Brothers of Metal" MANOWAR. Z tymi kolesiami naprawde cos jest nie tak. Ale akurat cover Brajdow wyszedl im niesamowicie, bo zamiast skrzypiec i gitary gra tu znany z pierwszej czesci tej plyty akordeon. Mowie Wam - wrazen na tej plycie jest moc! Mieszane to wrazenia, ale "cos" jest w tym NORD'N'COMMANDER, ze nie odchodzi sie od glosnikow, chociaz czasem odczuwa sie wylacznie obrzydzenie... Hm... Diovis
NORD'N'COMMANDER "Akkortheon" [2005/2009]
Heathen Harvest, October 01 2009
When you see two ruskys inside a regular house room, one of them with his face covered in corpse paint, grabbing a microphone with his eyes popping out of his head while the other holds an accordion with his face hidden behind a veil of hair, and besides they call theirselves purposely “Quasi Funeral Doom” music you’ll may eventually think the pic doesn’t fit quite well. So it’s time to explore a bit what this is all about. Previously reviewed here at Heathen Harvest these Russian duo made by Vadim Proskuryakov and Alexander Ishutin now presents some kind of Folk adaptation into a Doom structure, only that the “metal” additive lacks its form as there is no guitar, bass or drum set, it is as if the author were dedicated to extract just the very essence and then to emancipate through an accordion, combining the characteristic deadly dirge from Doom with the melancholic accent of the instrument. As usual for Nord’n’commander, they result intrepid and vanguards in their conceptions and generally results atypical in their creativity. Limited to 500 copies this is an album that deserves some attention from the Neo-folkers with an open view on experimentation.
“Akkortheon” it’s a sort of tribute album for this instrument, where accordion logically comes as the most representative play figure and completely engulfs the album atmosphere. In a way this could be called medieval electronica as the music presents this folkloric tone and rhythm that gets obliterated by the gloomy and melancholic melodies generally associated with Doom. As an almighty figure, the accordion delivers all the riffs, dirges and arpeggios in an elegant cadence, taking the role from guitars and basses at in his own disposition. This is a character that probably represents the ace and the curse from this album as its sui-generis appearance may lead some people off but undoubtedly represents an intention to fuse the folk aesthetic with the modern turn from this metal subgenre. Anchored in this minimalist approach just a few additional elements finish up the album structure. A demented vocal set, harsh and rutilant, full of despair and darkness and probably proceeded by a Black Metal past that gets violently contrasted with the accordion harmonies and brings a obfuscating sensation all over the tracks. Additionally we have a programmed drum set an aspect that I continue to detest from Nord’n’commander as it certainly takes off a lot of its power and vitalism out, replacing it with this soulless mechanized drum programming and finally there is a keyboard based chorus and that’s all about the instrumentation.
The album presents two phases, the first one is the more folkloric-doom focused one, which constitutes the very core from the album and additionally there is eight bonus tracks that steps into a whole different territory. The first part, presents this obscure atmosphere and somber notation, marked by a slow tempo and dense transition, a syncretism from folk passages and metal arrangements for the accordion and a well conceived finale presented with the amazing choral sacrality, overly mystic and transcendental. While the second half catapults everything into a bunch of tributes executed to the most diverse bands. It sounds as a total different world and comes as an aural shock for the listener. Transiting from happy edulcorated pop structures (Walking Alone, My Secret Garden, Paris) with even a colourful remake from Death “Crystal Mountain” to electronically redesigned version on Burzum and My Dying Bride presents a section that results irremediably chaotic and unstable in comparison with the first half, as it comes as a totally different scenario that doesn’t match the logic from the previous experimentation and direction from the album. Nord’n’commander establishes as a band that steps in uncharted territory, experimenting with variations and instrumental diversifications that definitively grants them an original touch. Folk and Doom joined by electronica and Black metal vocals results an interesting mix but their saccharine formula as a tribute for pop music results more humorous than entertaining. Jack The Ripper
NORD'N'COMMANDER "Akkortheon" [2005/2009]
Rock Storm, September 13 2009
Uf kurevsky temna zalezitost zpivana v rustine. Nord'n'Comander jsou dvojice muzikantu – experimentatoru z Ruska, kteri tvori metal po svem. Na konte od roku 2000 maji 11 nosicu a objevili se na mnoha kompilacich.
Toto album obsahuje 6 skladeb a 9 bonusu v trvani cca 79 minut kvalitni nahravky. Protoze se album jmenuje Akkortheon je uz podle nazvu jasne, jaky hudebni nastroj je pouzit na tomto albu. Ano jde o harmoniku (Akordeon), dale pak bici a zpev. Svou tvorbu na albu zasadili do kombinace Black metalu, Doom metalu s folkovymi prvky. Hodne temne, hodne utahane, hodne blackove, az ponure devastujici.
Album, nebo spise vsechna alba se nechaji sehnat v Cechach u nezavislych distributoru a nebo rovnou objednat primo u vydavatele. Dale pak opet jako vzdy tvorbu muzete prehrat v podobe mp3 ze stranek skupiny.
Zaverecna skladba coz je 6 (dale pak bonus) je uz uchu lahodici. Zde vystrihnuli choral ala melodicky Doom. Tak to by bylo pro metalove osazenstvo. Bonus jsem nepochopil, co tim mysleli, kdyz udelali kompletku v metalu. Bonus bych priradil nekam do pop – disco – castecne brane k podobe Depeche Mode. Ne ze by to bylo spatne, je to poslouchatelne a snad pokud mne sluch nesali jsou zde pouzity zname skladby od heavy metalovych kapel predelany do Wawe elektroniky. Ale toto asi nebude schopen kazdy skousnout, pouze ti, kteri poslouchaji vetsi zaber hudebnich stylu.
No presto, pokud mate radi experimentovani a jste schopni stravit cokoliv a dokonce se z toho i radovat, tak tato particka muzikantu je tim pravym. Alan