A change in sound a bit (Zelenyj Al'bom - Chernyj Obelisk)

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Zelenyj Al'bom - Chernyj Obelisk
Date:	15/04/09 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Still some great guitar playing

Disadvantages: Lacking in the gruffness of early albums

Russian metal is always largely overlooked because just about every band sings in Russian and therefore doesn't get the coverage of their Scandanavian counterparts. In reality there's some good Pagan metal, some good Black Metal as well but their strongest genre is most definitely old NWOBHM influenced power metal in the vein of Iron Maiden and Metallica.

Numerous bands have been plugging along for years. Zelenyj Albom (Green Album) by Chernyj Obelisk (Black Obelisk) are one of them, albeit slightly newer on the scene than the legendary Ariya. Dark and slow riffs, gruff vocals in a Lemmy style growling out Russian which occasionally go into vibrato and slow heavy militant drumming are the name of the day with some awesome guitar solos often sounding very bluesy sneaked in.

This album doesn't have as many hits as their mid 90 releases and it does seem that they have a few songs moving away from their usual darker persona into a dodgy hard rock zone, I mean the track Kogda Nibud doesn't really sound particularly dark at all and could be Jon Bovi brushing up on his Learn Russian tape. These guys are pretty speedy on the guitars and their lyrics translate well into the dark yet kitsch world of power/speed metal. This album really isn't a patch on Stena though.

1. Intro
2. Ten'
3. Prazdnik Slepoty
4. Kogda-Nibud'
5. Po Doroge Staroy
6. Nebo
7. Moy Mir
8. Navsegda
9. God za Godom
10. Jazz
11. Labirint
12. Sam po Sebe
13. Den' bez Zabot
14. Angely
15. Son

Summary: A change for the worse