Aegonia – The Forgotten Song

 Considering that most of the clichés of the genre are present, you can expect a dramatic atmosphere cut at times by growls, and at other times by female (or male) clean vocals, and heavy guitars to give the songs a metal edge, as in the doomy “Restless mind” or the anthemic “Battles lost and won”. However, the album overall has a charm of its own, thanks to the beautiful sounds of the kaval (traditional Bulgarian flute), violin and bagpipes that really give off a certain fantasy vibe, like in the acoustic piece “The stolen song” or in the Celtic track “The maid and the mountain”. So in a way this mix is the best of both worlds as it offers variation and diversity, both on the album as well as on same song. Case in point “Gone” or “A bitter fate”.  

 In between these songs, the album offers some mellow moments like “Rain of tears” or the symphonic-infused number “With the mists she came” making for a nice build-up to the start of the album, which comes to a boiling point in “Restless mind” with harsh vocals and a more present guitar melody. After a short interlude, “Dreams come to me”, the album showcases its gothic metal side with the aforementioned “Battles lost and won” and “The offering” before diving back into folk territory with “The stolen song”. The flow and change of moods work so well, making the listener feel like in a gothic romance. Also, I love the fact that the album is not overly atmospheric, nor overly metal, instead there is a neat balance between the two, though, as pointed above, some songs tend to be more folky, others more ambiental, and others more metal, which makes the listener more entertained and engaged. Though a change of tempo would not hurt the experience.