“This album is dedicated to one of the noblest Baltic (Haestian) nations – Prussians. They where the first to face messengers of the void bearing Slavs, and christian ticks bringing nothing but doom. They were first to counteract on the 23th of April in 997 AD as they killed the first christian missionary Vaitiekus Adelbertus. They were the first to stumble as well… “
The text above is taken from the album’s booklet. With its strong words, reading this already can raise a lot of different feelings and thoughts. For instance, who were these Prussians (no connections with Russians) and what’s so important about their struggle against Christians? The history of the Northern crusades aren’t well known in the Western hemisphere being overshadowed by the crusades in the Middle-east. This album is an attempt to put the struggles of Balts in musical form. And there is no better way to express hatred and yearning for the old ways and culture than black metal.
Lyrics are an exceptionally strong part of this album. Written by one the first communities of reenactors in Lithuania it strongly expresses deep hatred against foreign invaders during that part of history and Christian attempts to take hold of the land and its people. At the same time it takes a lot from history describing the most important battles in a poetic way. Obviously, the historical methodology is more complex but this isn’t the topic of this article. Anyone who is a non-native speaker of Lithuanian can find the translations for themselves.
The music itself directly correlates with the feelings expressed in lyrics. Musicians waste no time to kick into the highest gear. Fast and furious, guitars are roaring, drums are constantly blasting. Production here is like a buzzsaw assaulting the listener’s ears giving center stage to the drums and guitars. Song structure isn’t complex but it achieves it’s goal complementing both the lyrical content and approach to the sound.
To conclude, this is another album that can introduce listeners to a new culture and part of history. The production and composition may not be exceptionally outstanding but all the parts mentioned above create an enjoyable listening experience.
