Tour of European Metal ended - what's next?

That's it, after:
- 6 months
- 70 posts
- 44 countries (did I miss any?)
- 247 youtube videos
it finally ends.
The ride is over, but I have learned a lot about Metal, found great bands that I didn't knew existed and had lots of fun writing these chronichles.
It was a heck of a ride, but I admit it was hard keeping the pace at times.

So what's next? Well, is Metal the most selling music genre in the world? No? Then it's not the time for me to stop yet!

The Darklands blog will obviously go on, with more videos, album and band reviews, news and anything that I feel like sharing with my beloved audience.
A tour of the American continent, starting in Brazil, is also in my plans, but not before April (need a rest!) and definetly at a slower pace and mixed with other posts.
Hope I can continue to count with the visit of everyone that, with their comments and silent visits, supported me through out the European Metal Tour.

Hail for Metal!

Azerbaijan - And so it ends...

And it ends poorly, because that is a good word to qualify Metal in Azerbaijan. Just found two bands with videos on youtube, and both of them with a Metal too crude for my taste. Anyway, here they are.

Parazith



Fatal Nation

Armenia - Unknown bands

In Armenia there are some bands, but there is very little or none information about them.

Ambehr a Folk Power Metal band.



Sworn a Symphonic Black Metal band.



Blood Covenant a Symphonic Black Metal band.



Sadael a one man Funeral Doom Metal band.

Georgia (again) - There is Metal life there after all

First of all, my deep thanks to Ericotzin. With one link he not only solved my missing Georgian bands problem and he introduced me to a great site about Metal.

So, there is Metal in Georgia after all. Here are a few bands, which are totally new to me, and in some cases i'm not even sure if they are active anymore.

Defenders Of Tanelorn a Folk/Viking Death Metal band.



Angel Of Disease play Progressive Death Metal. They appear in youtube as Armenian because they are represented by an Armenian label.



Ruins Of Faith a Pagan Black Metal band.



Im Nebel a Symphonic/Progressive Black Metal band.

Georgia - The void

I have searched and searched and haven't found a single Metal band from the ex-Soviet Republic of Georgia.
Does anyone out there know one?

Russia (part 2/2) - More Metal sounds

This is the second part of the Russian Metal chronicle, where I explore their non-Folk sounds.

Forest Stream is a band formed in 1995, but playing Doom Metal since 2002, with two full length releases ever since.



Dominia is a Melodic Death Metal band founded in 1999. They have two well received full length releases.



Wine From Tears is a Death Doom Metal band formed in 2002, that released their first full length in 2009.



Mechanical Poet is a Symphonic Heavy Metal band, formed in 2002. They have several full length and EP releases, but their quality has ups and downs.

Russia (part 1/2) - Folk from the tundra

The icy tundra of the remote areas of Russia yields several great Folk Metal bands, justifying an entire post dedicated to them.

Arkona is the most popular Russian band. They were formed in 2002, but were completely changed the line-up in 2003, maintaining only the front-lady Masha "Scream" Arhipova.



Nomans Land is a Viking Folk/Black Metal band, formed in 1996. They have released 4 full lengths.



Fferyllt is a Folk Metal band formed in 2003, that released in 2009 their first full length release called Dance Of Druids.



Svartby were founded in 2004 and will release this year their third full length. They sing in Russian.

Belarus - Good Folk and MeloDeath

Belarus is not a very proficient Metal country, but has some interesting bands.

Vicious Crusade is classified as a Heavy Folk/Trash Heavy Metal. I can't even imagine how that would sound, but I like the Folk sound of this band formed in 1996, so I selected the following video to introduce them to my readers.



Asguard is a Melodic Death Metal band, with Electronic influences. They were formed in 1996 and have release four full lengths.



Diathra is a Doom Gothic Metal band, formed in 1995. They have only two full lengths release.



Last, but definitely not the least, Lost Regrets, a band formed in 2006 but since 2009 playing Melodic Death Metal. For me, the most interesting band in today's post.
They have only one release of a full digital album available for download on their web site http://lost-regrets.com/. I'm downloading it as I'm writing these words.
Take a look at the video and let me know what you think.

Ukraine - Country side versus urbanity

Five days after the last one, due to being sick for a few days and having to work this past weekend on top of that, finally here is the Ukrainian Metal chronicle.

In Ukraine we are deep into Black Metal territory. Black Metal with lots of Folk, earth and nature related influences. But other sounds are also emerging from a new urban youth.

Drudkh are by far the most famous Ukrainian band. They were formed in 2002, playing Black Metal, and have release already 8 full lengths.



Kroda is a Black and Pagan Folk Metal band formed in 2003. They sing mostly in their native language.



Conquest is a Power Metal band formed in 1996.



Infinite Tales is the new hot Metal band from Ukraine. Formed in 2007 they play Gothenburg Metal, with the uncommon feature of adding a female voice.

Moldova - Heavier Metal

In Moldova the influence of the heavier sounds is much stronger, but it was much harder to find the bands to fill this post. Most bands were found just through patient search of YouTube and I have no details about them.

Neuromist is a Progressive Death Metal band formed in 2004.



Infected Rain is a female fronted Nu Metal band. Well done video.



Advent Fog is a Symphonic Black Metal band.



Backdoor Syndicate is an Industrial Gothic Metal band.

Romania - Folk, Black and Magica

Probably due to the nomad origins of it's people, Romanian Metal has a lot of Folk, which is something that I really enjoy. But also has one of the best female fronted Symphonic bands of Eastern Europe, that also pleases me. So I'm writing the Romanian Metal post and I'm happy! :)

Negură Bunget is a Folk Black Metal band founded in 1995, and with six full lengths and five EPs released.



Magica is a great Symphonic Power Metal band formed in 2002 by two ex-members of Gothic band Interitus Dei.



Bucovina is a Folk Metal band formed in 2000 that have released in 2010 an EP after their first full length in 2006.



Marțolea is the one member band of Alin Drimus, started in 2008. His music is Pagan Black Metal and he has released his first full length last year.

Bulgaria - Between two worlds

Moving north again, in our travel through the Metal sounds of Europe, we move into heavier and darker sounds. But in Bulgaria there is still a mix between both worlds.

Claymore is a Melodic Death and Melodic Black Metal band formed in 1999.



Epizod is an old school Heavy Metal band formed in 1988. They sing some songs in English and others in Bulgarian.



Darkflight is a Black/Doom Metal band, composed only by two elements that share among the responsabilities for all vocal and instrumental work.



Star Queen is a Symphonic Power/Gothic Metal band. It's classified as Bulgarian just because it's front lady and founder Stella Tormanoff is from the country, because I believe all other elements are Swedish.
They have two full lengths from 2002 and 2004 and have not released anything since then.

Turkey - When Europe and Middle East collide

I know the strength of Turkish Metal since in 2001 I got my hands on a CD called Unspoken of band called Mezarkabul. I tried to find out more about the band, but with no luck, it looked like a ghost band that appeared with that release.
Only months later, I found out that the band I knew as Mezarkabul, was in fact called Pentagram, and was the biggest Metal band in Turkey. The band uses both names: Pentagram in Turkey because is the name they are better known for, and Mezarkabul for their international releases, due to a name clash with an American Doom band that is also called Pentagram, and have legal rights over the name.

About what really matters, Mezarkabul (or Pentagram) play Heavy Metal with clear influences of their Middle Eastern cultural heritage, which is clearly audible in the video of one of the best songs of the album Unspoken, Lions in the Cage.



Almora is a very interesting Power and Folk Metal band founded in 2001.



Catafalque was a very good surprise - great Gothic Metal band.



Dreamtone & Iris Mavraki's Neverland is a very unique band. It started as a project for live appearances, between the Turkish Progressive Power Metal band Dreamtone and the Greek classical singer Iris Mavraki, bounded to help bring peace between two countries with history full of conflicts between them, a few still unsolved.
But the reactions were so positive that they decided to make it a full time band.
The bands music has two main sounds. Slower sounds where Iris voice shines and more Progressive Power songs where Dreamtone's singer or a guest singer takes the stand.

Cyprus - Greek influences

Cyprus is an island divided in two. One side is part of Greece and the other part of Turkey. Most of Cyprus Metal bands are from the Greek area, and with a good variety of genres, but a certain tendency for Power and Epic sounds, show their Greek influences.

Winter's Verge is a Power Metal band formed in 2004. The opening of the song in the following video is awesome. Unfortunately the remaining of the song is not even close of that level.



Dictator is a one man Funeral Doom Metal band formed in 2005.



Arryan Path is an Epic Heavy Metal band, with Power and Folk influences, as can be heard in the following video. Was formed in 1997 and has kept the same line-up since then.



Crest Fallen is a Melodic Death Metal band formed in 2001. They only released a demo in 2005, which I find promising.