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Heidevolk-Batavi-NL-CD-FLAC-2012-CATARACT
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ARTIST : Heidevolk STOREDATE : 00-00-2012
ALBUM : Batavi RIPDATE : 01-15-2016
YEAR : 2012 RUNTIME : 39:45 min
GENRE : Metal LANGUAGE : Dutch
LABEL : Napalm Records GRABBER : EAC Secure
SOURCE : CDDA ENCODER : FLAC 1.2.1
QUALITY : 1014kbps Avg 44.1kHz 2 channels SIZE : 305.2MB
URL : http://tinyurl.com/j8qu9yo TRACKS : 9 Files
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01 Een Nieuw Begin 3:57
02 De Toekomst Lonkt 4:26
03 Het Verbond Met Rome 5:08
04 Wapenbroeders 4:00
05 In Het Woud Gezworen 6:39
06 Veleda 2:30
07 Als De Dood Weer Naar Ons Lacht 3:51
08 Einde Der Zege 4:06
09 Vrijgevochten 5:08
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39:45 min
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│ With Batavi, Heidevolk delivers its fourth full-length, and the │
│ Dutchmen made it into a very fine album with the necessary amount of │
│ spice. │
│ │
│ For those of you who don't know Heidevolk, here's a short │
│ introduction to the band. Heidevolk is a folk metal sextet from the │
│ Dutch province Gelderland, who sing in Dutch. The band uses two │
│ singers but no folk instruments (except for a guest's contribution │
│ once in a while). │
│ │
│ Batavi is the fourth album by the Dutchmen and a first concept │
│ album. Until now, the band sang about a variety of themes │
│ (mythology, history, folk and drinking songs) and now turns towards │
│ the history of the treaty between the Germanic tribe of the Batavi │
│ and the Roman Empire. Heidevolk shows its dark serious side, and is │
│ more of a pagan metal band than a folk metal band on Batavi. The │
│ violin we heard on previous albums only appears in Wapenbroeders and │
│ Veleda. Other than that, the band uses pure metal laden with good │
│ riffs. │
│ │
│ The first thing you see is, of course, the artwork. On the first │
│ three albums, the artwork showed a landscape while Batavi shows a │
│ blooded mask. Darker, and a change parallel to the one heard in the │
│ music. Fans will recognize Heidevolk as their band, but things are │
│ not as cheerful as before. There are fewer sing-along parts (be it a │
│ "hohohoho" as in Saksenland or a catchy chorus as the one in │
│ Nehalennia). One may think I'm telling nonsense as the album takes │
│ of with such a moment, but that is one of the very few exceptions. │
│ But I do not miss those moments, because the atmosphere on the album │
│ cancels the need for them. But it has to be said that Dutch speaking │
│ fans may be able to pick up a few lines throughout the album. │
│ │
│ The music is melodic but definitely harder and darker than any of │
│ the older songs. There are some surprisingly pounding moments to be │
│ found, for example Als de Dood Weer naar Ons Lacht, and these │
│ moments can go hand in hand with some more melancholic tunes (the │
│ wonderful Wapenbroeders, all the more in combination with the lyrics │
│ about leaving one's land). │
│ │
│ The vocals deserve some extra attention, as they are excellent on │
│ Batavi. Singers Mark Splintervuyscht and Joris Boghtdrincker use a │
│ firm but very clear voice and never turn to screams or grunts, │
│ except for a rare wordless shout. Because of this clear vocals, the │
│ lyrics gain in importance and it becomes even more easy for the │
│ Dutch speaking listener to pick up the words. The use of double │
│ vocals also allows for a better dynamic in the music, and the band │
│ can change in sound and atmosphere. In this fashion, the two voices │
│ add a more epic feel to the music, which only gains from it. │
│ │
│ To me, Batavi is fantastic album: more pagan than folk by leaving │
│ out lighter and more cheerful songs (exception is the folk song │
│ Veleda). Heidevolk has created its darkest and hardest album to │
│ date, without transforming into another band. Fans need not fear the │
│ changes, as they are only for the better. 2012 will have to be an │
│ amazing year for metal if Batavi does not end up in my top 10. │
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