Band: Adorned Brood
Title: Noor
Label: Black Bards Entertainment
Distribution: Sonic Rendezvous
Release date: 06/06/2009
Review: CD

Adorned Brood are one of the longest existing German Pagan / Folk bands. They started in 1993 and throughout the years, the band released a couple of demos and five highly acclaimed studio full lengths. Besides, the band’s live reputation has ever grown, proven by playing on many festivals, among which last year’s Pagan Fest.
Noor, the sixth album, lasts for fifty five minutes and opens with the somewhat ominous and upwhipping intro Intro (did you find out this title yourself?), but as from Storm on, Adorned Brood brings what they’ve always brought: battle-lusting Pagan / Folk Metal with a Viking-touch. The tracks are mostly technical, with sharp guitar solos and a heavy rhythm section, but with lots of tempo- and melody changes. The band injects the songs with acoustic guitars and flute, giving the whole a medieval touch. Vocally there’s a lot of variation too: harmony chants, a rough yet epic throat, (high pitched) blackish screams and female vocals. Some parts stand for medieval Folk music, others are more aggressive and Thrash / Heavy Metal-driven, a few are catchy, and so on.
Statement: Adorned Brood certainly are one of the strongest bands on Black Bards Entertainment (whom the band signed to almost four years ago).

82/100

Ivan Tibos.