Avē barbarae!
Gotland are one of these bands. They’ll release a record and wait for an inordinate amount of time to push the second out into the world. Nine years this time, to be precise. In the meantime, the band floated about the RMRsphereTM for a while with an offering here and there. And once the RMR reviewers thought them dead and gone, they suddenly appeared with grand tales. Or is it just a Fata Morgana of grandeur?
So, here’s to one of the most traumatic defeats in Roman history. Three legions lost in the Teutoburg forest somewhere, the Roman war leader killed, and the emperor in an uproar. The perpetrators are known, and the actions are pretty well documented. But the exact location of the battle is still contested. Kind of.
But never mind all that. Roman tales are an excellent canvas for Extreme Metal pieces and Gotland here chose themselves a mighty theme. Rise is no exception. So, draw those gladii, ready yer pila, and relive the Clades Variana, the Varian Disaster.
It’s funny. I just watched the Netflix series on Arminius and his treacherous actions against the Romans that culminated in the battle of the Teutoburg Forest. A pretty elaborate production of the fight between the Germanic tribes and the mighty Roman empire. A story about vengeance that’s best consumed cold. Already the folks back in time understood this pretty well. And their Cheruscan hero took full advantage of that well-known wisdom.
So, meet the Italians of Gotland who decided to take the musical torch to the Romans’ behinds after all those millennia all over again. But not only the battle is on the menu. Rise covers the whole story, prelude, massacre, aftermath, the unending wars, and the demise of the Germanic hero. And you’ll find next-level, well-researched, and full-immersion storytelling. The band used Italian for all things Roman1 and English will appear whenever the story shifts to their Teutonic brethren.
Most of the record comes with an abundance of rasps, growls, and snarls. Yet – suddenly – and as the story demands, you’ll get monologues, some chorus of clears, and more. As the RMR crew expected, Gotland used loads of Black Metal variants with splatters of Gothic, Dark, and Death Metal to lighten things up a bit. The RMR reviewers liked those breaks when everything stops and some weirdly constructed ambient piece suddenly emerges or the choir from damnation erupts out of nowhere. Rise also suddenly reverses onto proggy terrain or lets loose with some unusual chugging, just to sport subtle symphonics at no moment’s notice. Somewhat chaotic arrangments that nevertheless won’t cease to fascinate.
And what about some outstanding moments on this overly lengthy tracklist? The Same Blood sports some great Black Metal groove, if that’s possible at all. Visurgis delivers a perfect yet thrashy Black Metal sound high on multilayered vocals with Davide Cicalese of Furor Gallico as a guest. In fact, the record often sounds like an angry otherwordly incarnation of Fleshgod Apocalypse. Oh, and speaking about guest vocalists on this record, Gotland invited a ton of them. But let me just point out the haunting performance of Kyrah Aylin standing in for Thusnelda on Ballata del Tradimento.
Apart from a tendency to noodle about the soundscape towards the record’s second half, the RMR crew didn’t find many broken things on Rise. Instead, the apparent complexity, the competing elements, the delicate sampling and wistful acoustics, and this potpourri of styles perfectly depict the abundance of emotions such a story brings with it. Not sure what I mean? Fire up Roman and Cheruscan and listen to the stirring discussion of violin, guitar, and piano by 3.42. That’s pure sentiment expressed through sound.
But ultimately, Rise was a big ask with its 74-minute airplay. And whilst some self-editing could have indeed brought about additional crispness, Gotland sent us proof of superior storytelling. This is a mighty theme that can only be covered with an equally grand record. And the band delivered beautifully.
Now, the soundtrack only is of course one thing. But with a lush and abundant stage production, this piece will morph from a simple and somewhat lengthy record to a history-laden rock opera. And for that, yours truly would even travel to Italy for a live viewing. They have great amphitheaters at the ready over there for some Heilung-like stage performance. Just sayin.
Ed’s note: And – drumroll – the record’s made it onto our 2023 Top Ten list. Congrats!
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Self-Released | Web: Facebook (band)
Release Date: 15 September 2023
- Why not Latin, by the way? -Ed.-↩