- Гой, Роде, Гой! review
| Band: | Arkona |
| Album: | Гой, Роде, Гой! |
| Style: | Pagan folk metal |
| Release date: | October 2009 |
01. Гой, Роде, Гой!
02. Тропою Неведанной
03. Невидаль
04. На Моей Земле
05. Притча
06. В Цепях Древней Тайны
07. Ярило
08. Лики Бессмертных Богов
09. Коло Нави
10. Корочун
11. Память
12. Купалец
13. Аркона
14. Небо Хмурое, Тучи Мрачные
Admittedly, I have been quite critical in the past of this genre called "folk metal". It was novel and fun at first, but after a while - like any other genre - it became watered down with a lot of worthless crap. It's a lot easier for me to put down crappy folk metal than any other genre. I'm a man who appreciates solid riffing above anything else, and when any potential riffing is completely drowned out in accordions or synthesizers (not mentioning a particular Finnish band that begins with a "K"), I get angry. No one likes a rabid reviewer when they're angry. However, every once in a while a band or album will come along to raise the bar for metal as a whole; using the folk sound to enhance the music rather than cover up any lack of song writing abilities with gimmicky child's play. With Goi, Rode, Goi!, Arkona have undoubtedly secured their place next to the more respectable folk acts out there these days such as Moonsorrow and Eluveitie.
So why do Arkona deserve respect above other folk "metal" acts? It's simple - they keep the "metal" in folk metal. Between the staple chants & interludes of various instruments (done tastefully may I add), there is plenty of aggressive riffing, blast-beats, and pissed-off guttural vocals. The impressive part about this album is how well it flows together, end to end, with next to no repetition. The whole thing almost works like a story in itself; you're not going to see the same scene twice.
Like the common problem within folk metal, Arkona appear to be a little too over-indulgent. Unlike most folk metal, the over-indulgent tendencies aren't the instruments themselves, but rather the sheer length of this piece. As I said, it's a seamless, flowing, varied work of art, each section being essential to the overall picture - not so bad, right? Well, in most cases, no, but Goi, Rode, Goi! Is about twice as long as your average album. Sitting through 80 minutes of anything is difficult, but especially so when it's an album that isn't easily broken into more digestible pieces. It could just be my A.D.D. talking, but it's hard not to get distracted after a while, which results in overlooking potential highlights. Long story short Goi, Rode, Goi! could have benefited from being broken down into 2 discs. Unless you're particularly enthusiastic about the genre, an entire play through will leave you with no energy to do anything but sit in your swivel chair and drool on yourself.
Altogether this is what the pinnacle of folk metal could sound like, but needs a little bit of consolidation to offer a more direct punch to be heralded as any kind of instant classic. Oh well, maybe next time.
Comments
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Comments: 41
Visited by: 428 users
| ItalktotheWind Wood Troll Posts: 1235 From: USA  |
Good review, dually noted on the korpiklaani reference and the length of the album. I must checks it out.
---- "A witty saying proves nothing." -Voltaire
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| Baz Anderson Posts: 13237 From: UK  |
Eluveitie are one folk band I won't touch. It just goes to show folk metal is very person-specific. The length makes this album unbearable. The new Equilibrium album was also this length (well, a little longer), but it was consistently good. This just seems long for the sake of cramming as much on as possible.
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| BudDa Posts: 887 From: Uganda  |
Written by Baz Anderson on 02.12.2009 at 13:26 What do u mean by that..
---- Freeze! Step away from the hubris.
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| Baz Anderson Posts: 13237 From: UK |
Written by BudDa on 02.12.2009 at 13:31 It's long without the quality to back it up.
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| Stigmatized .......... Posts: 3820 From: USA  |
Written by Baz Anderson on 02.12.2009 at 13:26 I've never thought of them as folk metal. It's basically In Flames with folk instruments. Arkona is more along the lines of actual folk metal IMO.
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662 From: Czech Republic  |
Eluveitie sucks imo and it is incredibly overrated...but this doesnt belong here what i want to say about this review is, that i dont understand, why is everyone so bothered with "long albums"? i listen to music almost all time i sit before my computer at home and this makes sometimes not less then 10 hours pro day...so i really dont mind one album would be 1/10th of it...for me it is even sort of an advantage...
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920 From: Italy  |
This review kinda intrigues me, I still haven't heard the album. The 80 mins could be an important question mark though, I don't know if it can be interesting this long. Oh, and latest Eluveitie was really bad.
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| *!* Posts: 52 From: Jordan  |
Quote: just what i was thinking ;P
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| Chainer Witch Hunter Gen Posts: 172 From: USA  |
Quote: I don't have anything against long albums in general, and I think that most people agree. But when an album just doesn't deliver over the course of 80 minutes I can see how that would be a huge turn off. Now that being said, I haven't listened to this so I wont make any assumptions about its quality, but if its 80 min of sub-par or even ok folk metal I could see not being interested enough to sit through the whole thing.
---- Written by Dangerboner on 02.11.2009 at 08:11
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662 From: Czech Republic |
Written by Guest on 02.12.2009 at 18:05 sorry, but this simply IS chauvinistic
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662 From: Czech Republic |
Maybe its just you are jealous Masha can growl better than you...  
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| MétalNoir Fils du Lys Posts: 847 From: Canada  |
The rating is OK, but the comments about the length are irrelevent. I've been let down by many albums that were too short, and this one is long enough to make you fully appreciate what the band wanted you to feel. And, without Na Moey Zemle, the album would have been average in terms of length, but this track is the album's highlight. This is Arkona's best album to date and one of the best folk efforts I ever heard.
---- Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662 From: Czech Republic |
I think their best album is Od Sertsa K Nebu, but this is very good one too
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| Ernis 狼獾 Posts: 6804 From: New Zealand  |
Quote: Let's make a club.... I have never liked those "ultra-finnish(so finnish you can tell it's finnish in an instant)" folk metal acts who add so much "jenkka", "humppa" etc into the music it becomes painfully annoying...Finntroll, for instance, being one of the worst examples...the ridiculous Finnish accordion/fiddle style is not my cup of tea at all...the first association I have is overweight drunk Finns dancing some cheap barn-dance and singing something really silly so...no happy lil' boozer for me, thank you : ) Arkona, on the other hand is special....although Eastern-European folk (including Finnish) is also in Arkona's work, it's more closer to me in Estonia and I understand it better...Finnish is distinct from others and thus has some characteristics I find annoying which Russian, Estonian, Wõro, Karelian, Ukrainian etc don't have.... Eluveitie is grand too...a good example...their antique/celtic/greek style and Gaulish language lyrics are wonderful and very special....they put great effort into what they do plus the overall fiery (south European) style and the distinctive sound of the ancient language form a fine blend.... unlike "LET'S DRINK! (accordion rape) LET'S PUKE! (fiddle/accordion rape)...humppa humppa humppa..." That's just my taste tho... But I'm definitely going to check out Arkona's Гой, роде, гой...
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| GT Coffee!! Posts: 5101 From: Denmark  |
I don't really like this album. I can't put my finger on what annoys me, but something does and it's not the length. One moment I find myself thinking "this is actually good" and then five seconds later "this is awful/annoying/boring/pointless".
----  Dreams are made so we don't get bored when we sleep
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| Nergal Posts: 25 From: Italy  |
How's that Goi, Rode, Goi has the worst rating among Arkona's albums???  Very strange, it's their best album... 
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| Winterthrone Posts: 289 From: Canada  |
This review is very good. I agree with almost everything stated in it except for the comment about the length of this awesome album. To me it passes quickly despite it 's over an hour long, just because the music is so diversified and awe-inspiring. This review made me check out that band and I was not disapointed at all!
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| wes337 Posts: 3 From: Canada  |
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| Torgo Posts: 17 From: USA  |
Written by MétalNoir on 02.12.2009 at 20:08I completely agree. Many times I will buy a new album and just when Im Really getting into it BAM! it ends! and find myself wanting more then realizing it's going to be another 2-3 years before this band will be releasing a new album  With an album like this it gives you alot more to hold you over and I believe the quality is there to back it up  Written by MétalNoir on 02.12.2009 at 20:08Again I agree. and also the last track which has a 10 min run time is really only a 4.30 min song the rest is just nature sounds with a little instrumental jig at the end. So there's another 5 min off for you! Anyways! I think it's great! just ordered one for myself!
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| MétalNoir Fils du Lys Posts: 847 From: Canada |
Written by Torgo on 25.03.2010 at 19:08 And guess what? Ensiferum won the MS folk award! Total bullshit... The awards are not won by worthy albums, they're won by popular bands. I personnally try to listen a bit to many listed albums before I vote. Anyway, Goi, Rode, Goi is in my top ten of folk metal for a long time.
---- Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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| Bovinus Posts: 11 From: France  |
Complainting about "the length of an album" sounds like Emperor Joseph II about Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro", which contained "too many notes". In two words : total bullshit.
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Posts: 9718 From: Canada  |
Written by Bovinus on 30.11.2010 at 18:41 Not really. As listening to basically the same thing for too long is tiresome.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Bovinus Posts: 11 From: France |
Written by Doc G. on 02.12.2010 at 07:17 Then the problem is how do you like the album, rather than its length. If folk metal is not your cup of tea, forcing yourself listening to folk metal for 75 minutes long is probably not the most reasonable thing to do. But again, there are "stop" buttons on a CD Player. And someone who enjoys folk metal would on the contrary be pretty happy to get such a long album for the price of a "normal" one. Only my 2 cents. By the way, Doc Godin, may I ask how did you get that 8 for the songwriting part of the review ? Do you speak russian ? I studied it, and I still don't get the half of the text, even with the lyrics right under my nose. This is not even russian, this is ancient russian. I also got the english version of the booklet, which contains basically nothing. Not trying to be agressive here, just wondering.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands  |
Written by Bovinus on 30.11.2010 at 18:41 Ever heard of the saying "less is more"? Most of the times that applies. Loads of albums when going over the 50 minute mark lose punch and become less effective. And too many notes usually also is a weakness, sipmlicity is the key to great works of art  I love doom and old school death metal and old school thrash metal. And most of the great albums in those genres clock around 50 minutes. There are only couple of exceptions. Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale which is over 100 minutes being one.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Bovinus Posts: 11 From: France |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 02.12.2010 at 12:52 Heh, I hate death metal. From my point of view, any death metal album longer than 1 minute is already way too long But I can understand that there are people out there who like this genre, and probably are able to enjoy a death metal album 75 minutes long.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden  |
Written by Bovinus on 02.12.2010 at 12:43 The songwriting doesn't have anything to do with the lyrics... at all. It's just about how the SONGS are build. The composition, etc... My 2 cents here: Yes... You can judge an album by it's lenght, some bands don't have the skills to back it up and make you focus on the music.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Posts: 9718 From: Canada |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 02.12.2010 at 19:20 Guy just wants to bitch because he's butthurt I didn't give a favourite album of his 10/10.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Posts: 9718 From: Canada |
Written by Bovinus on 02.12.2010 at 12:43 I enjoy folk metal very much. It doesn't take some profound understanding to "get" this genre so it's nothing like doom or black where I may be approaching it from the wrong angle. The complaint on length applies to an album of any genre. I've heard bands play a 35 minute album that was too long for it's own good. There was a lot of dead parts in this album that could have been cut out, making 80 minutes wholly unnecessary. As for your second point. Think that over a few times, and if you still don't quite understand why it's a silly question, read Mr.Doctors response, as he seems to have a grasp on what criteria music should be judged on.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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