Review by JD on September 11, 2013.

The Ukraine has birthed a new breed of Extreme Metal scene that is one of the raw and fully unforgiving ones in the world. It’s developed in a very short amount of time to have innovation as well as some of the most vicious metal ever produced but by the same token, the scene has sometimes misses the mark in what they do.

Paganland is deemed to be a Pagan Black Metal outfit from the Ukraine, signed to Svarga Records. The tag is very much misleading – as the band plays a weird concoction of metal that is far from the mark here. There is some minor attributes of Black Metal and Pagan Metal appearing here, but it is not the core here. I hear shadings of Viking, Doom, Power, Folk and even some basic metal thrown in to the pot… all of which formed into the band’s sound.

I was rather disappointed with the band, musically. The album itself was recorded well, but the power was not there. With keyboards that were used too much, nature sounds that were overly tacked on, to the almost predictable riffs that had little substance to them – I was bored with it all. I was looking forward to heavier guitars and power drums and nasty vocals – I ended up with a completely ‘sanitized’ version of Pagan Metal that would be akin to Slayer doing a jingle for baby formula or some wart remover product… another words, it’s just wrong.

Being such amazing musicians cannot save this album for Paganland. Put this album straight in the 'no' pile and perhaps get a better representation of Pagan Black Metal (I suggest Odious or Finntroll or the legendary Bathory for some Pagan/Viking action).

This was one time when I was listening to metal, and I wanted the hour out of my life I used back. It was truly what I felt… and that is fucked.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Production: 7
Originality: 4
Overall: 4

Rating: 4.6 out of 10