Band: Welicoruss
Title: Apeiron
Label: own release
Distribution: Metal Revelation Records
Release date: 01/02/2010
Review: CD

The Siberian formation Welicoruss is rather popular in Russia. The band did play all over the country, and their former efforts were received very positively out there.
Their co-operation with Moscow-based label CD Maximum did put their name on the international Metal map – first step was the (re-) release of WinterMoon Symphony in Europe and North America.

Apeiron, the second full length, lasts for 32:43 minutes and goes on in the vein of the former material, even though the whole sounds (much) more mature. The result has become a varying album, a symbiosis of different styles.
The album opens with the title track, bringing symphonic Metal with a blackish edge, followed by a very energetic yet atmospheric instrumental hymn (To Far Worlds), possibly labelled within darker Goth / Power-spheres, and including astral and bombastic elements. Blud Flower is some melodic guitar-driven Neo-ballad (instrumental too), and Slava Rusi exhales a certain Pagan-spirit, much more in the vein of WinterMoon Symphony, including harmony choirs and an approach comparable to many Finnish or Baltic bands. The song also appears in an acoustic version, featuring the band Silenzium, and built upon piano, viola, violins, cello, that sweet chamber orchestra-stuff, and classical skilled female vocals. Next track is the so-called Elias remix of ‘older’ track Slavianskaia Sila, an instrumental electronic-industrialised remix by drummer Elias. It sucks, this version… Apeiron ends with Flower Of Universe, another instrumental, mainly semi-acoustic ballad-alike song with a darkened atmosphere.

I don’t think this recording is strong enough to overwhelm the grey Power / Black / Pagan / Sympho-masses nowadays – especially the fact of too many instrumental songs might bother some – and it might be difficult to grab it as a whole.

73/100

Ivan Tibos.