Airged L’amh – The Silver Arm
Black Lotus Records – September 30th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
It’s dangerous to judge a band by their name (cool but otherwise unpronounceable), cover art, and official description. “Barbaric epic folk metal”? Maybe one of the latter terms depicts the group, but none of the aforementioned applies simultaneously.
“Intro / Guardian of the Ancient Deeds” has a traditional heavy metal aura about it. “Fate of the King” is essentially a carbon copy of the first track. “Dissention Seeds” is slightly more determined, and the opening seconds of the song are pretty damn cool. A thrash-esque beat invades the next section, but delves into all-too-recognizable property. “Warp Spasm” utilizes the familiar, fade-in riff: despite the cliché technique, the track retains some dignity due to the guitar instrumentation. The weak production is probably most apparent during this particular number. “Mourning Grief” lightens the mood, and uses a gamut of synth effects; Venardo’s vocalizations try a little too hard to be inspiring and end up being unconvincing. I guess you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that a solitary riff lifts “The Silver Arm” off of the ground; actually, though, it’s a solid beat. “Balor of the Evil Eye” is where the epic qualities of
The Silver Arm are brought to the foreground. “The Arrival” is a return to the likes of “Mourning Grief.” “Armies Assemble,” “Splendor Divine,” and “Painless Vengeance” are fairly predictable compositions, while “End Domain” could be categorized under the same banner. “Homeland,” however, uses an aspect that allows it to standout from the rest of its companions. Unfortunately, the last track serves as an outro.
To put it bluntly, I wasn’t impressed with
Airged L’amh or
The Silver Arm. And – come to think of it – I don’t have much use for either of the above entities. Sure, there are some good moments, but overall they are too few and far between to garner any extolling.
6/10
Official Airged L’amh website
Official Black Lotus Records website
