Seyminhol - Septentrion's walk 4/5
Reviewed: 10-28-05
Tracklist:
1. The Christians world's death throes?
2. A furore normannorum
3. A fatal omen
4. Laments of a king
5. Return of the long snake
6. Veizla ok orykkja
7. In the winding of thought
8. Godfred's will
9. And the north, now, had the ships
10. Invaders
11. The bloody Rampart
12. Dawn of the God
13. The conquest is marching
14. Breath of fate
15. The kiss of dusk
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Seyminhol is a band from France that, up until a few months ago, was unknown to me. They've been a great discovery though, as I've found myself very into what they have to offer. 'Septentrion's walk' is their 2nd CD, a concept album (based on the 8th century early medieval Scandinavia, focusing on man's determination against evil forces) that is a continuation from their debut 'Northern recital'. The debut was broken up into part l, ll and lll, and 'Septentrion's walk' is part lV, V and Vl. The first 6 tracks are part lV, the next 5 tracks are part V, and the final 4 tracks are part Vl. Normally, I could care less what the songs are titled, whether they're parts or are intended to be individual songs, but I've found 'Septentrion's walk' to be a fantastic listen as a whole, even though it doesn't offer any real individual highlights.
Seyminhol plays a very epic style of symphonic power/heavy metal. Although they're from France, they sound more like some of the Italian bands, specifically Thy Majestie. But there are some influences from Dark Horizon, Kaledon, Dragonhammer, a slight touch of Skylark, and in the opposite direction, a touch of Heimdall. I'm also reminded of the band Final Chapter, who's CD 'The wizard queen' is formatted similar to 'Septentrion's walk'. There are many changes in tempo, so don't expect a whole lot of speed, as the majority are in an epic (sometimes pounding) heavy metal style, leaving only 3 or 4 songs that are fast. There is also a good amount of short interludes with powerful orchestration, similar to what is heard on the Thy Majestie debut 'The lasting power' or the mentioned 'The wizard queen' from Final Chapter. Some of these interludes have narration, so mentioning the mighty Rhapsody is also necessary.
Vocally, Kevin Kazek has a voice not unlike Dario Grillo of Thy Majestie. He's a very solid vocalist too, from the powerful epic songs (track 4 "Laments of a king" and track 10 "Invaders", to name a few), to the slower songs like track 14 "Breath of fate", where he sings a beautiful duet with a female vocalist, who is present on this song only. Special mention must also be made of track 6 "Veizla ok orykkja", a folkish instrumental that features a playful flute and some really nice melodies. But as mentioned, the CD is quite special as a whole, and not only does the lengthy CD (clocking in at 73 minutes) flow very well, but the songs blend together perfectly. 'Septentrion's walk' is an enjoyable symphonic power/heavy metal CD that has really hooked me in and is recommended to those who have been intrigued by the band comparisons. Well done!
CLINT
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