The native land in question here is Tatarstan, a republic about a thousand kilometres east of Moscow. Pictures emerge through the music of fields and traditional costumes. Gentle metal supports atmospheric folk and interesting harmonies from the trio of female singers and a growler.

The flute player works overtime on this album. A mixture of melancholic and jolly rhythms can be heard in the background. They invite us to dance quietly round the maypole, or the Russian equivalent of it. Unlike some folk metal, this is never frivolous. It never gets out of hand and is always controlled. The atmosphere is workmanlike. I never felt I was bathed in sunshine while listening to “o Zemle Rodnoy”. There’s work to be done in those fields. So we have “Psennychnaya” (The Wheat Song) and a reflection of the seasons – “Zimnaya Skazka” (A Winter Tale) and “Vesna” (Spring). We have the moods brought on by the struggle and the environment – “Uchody Dalyoko Gore” (Leave us Sorrow) and “Voin Hrabyri, Yasni Sokol” (Brave Warrior). There are occasional growls to darken the skies, but to add to that there is that flute and the irrepressible rhythms. The female vocals are rich and salty, yet everything represents a certain matter-of-factness. This isn’t industrial in any way. The folk song melodies in fact reflect the opposite and suggest this evocative work is about people and nature, not machines.

The title track opens the album. It is wistful. An acoustic melody mixes with the dominant willowy flute and a tinge of metal. There’s a relaxing constancy. The trio of vocalists set to work with their harmonies. Jollity then enters the scene with “Pshenychnaya”. By contrast, “Zimnaya Skazka” is moody, bleak and sombre. There’s a deceiving simplicity as often happens with folk songs. “Vesna” has the air of a nursery rhyme. Then, as “Sred’lesov” (In the Middle of the Forests) has happiness about it, “Uchody Dalyoko Gore” has soul. The beat is steady and a piper creeps in. The album is full of subtle contrasts. “Plach o Dolyushke” (Lament about the Lot) is a strong folk song, beautifully sung with mysterious whistlings in the background. Like the album as a whole, it’s delicately balanced and like a breeze running through a field. It’s interspersed with growls and a swaying rhythm. Some songs have more vigour than others, but energetic as “Voin Hrabyi, Yasni Sokol” is, it remains delightful as ever. I sensed Eastern European style half notes in there, but above it’s the pure vocals which match the flute to provide the magic.

“o Zemle Rodnoy” adds to an already congested genre, but although comparison is invited with Skyforger, Cruachan, Svarga, Alkonoth and Korpiklaani to a greater or lesser degree, Grai tread their own path. Whilst having an almost dead pan production and lacking in variation of style but not mood, I still saw this as a natural and refreshing collection of songs.

(7.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

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