Concrete Age – Bardo Thodol

Label: Independent     Release date: January 6, 2023

The fact that Ethno sounds from all corners of the world work pretty well when paired with (Extreme) Metal, was proven way back then by the Austrians Hollenthon (their brilliant debut “Domus Mundi”should certainly be available via online metal archives, little hint!).

Concrete Age (originally from Russia, now based in the UK) can indeed reach my personal high bar and deliver an equally brilliant studio album – actually their eighth! Bardo Thodol, the Tibetan Book Of The Dead is a funerary text whose lessons form a pathway to guide souls through death to rebirth.

This album offers a lot to the living souls – a cool mixture of Ethnic sounds from Balkan and North Caucasus and Melodic Death / Classic / Black Metal (see for example “True Believer”). It all grooves like hell, sometimes brutal with extreme growls, sometimes soft and clear vocals – lots of variety, extremely catchy, captivates you  immediately, stimulates your neck muscles and surely puts a big smile on every metalhead’s face. Do I hear an accordion? And throat singing? A successful work of art, no weak tracks whatsoever. My only criticism – if it’s about the Tibetan Book of the Dead, maybe there should also be a bit more of Tibetan acoustic excursions.

What can I say, a new potential fave for my CD player (next to Hollenthon) for the next decade, check the Bandwebsite where and how to get the album, and I need to take a closer look at the band’s back catalogue…

Line-up:
Ilia Morozov – Vocals/Guitars/Ethnic Instruments
Boris Zahariev – Guitars
Giovanni Ruiu – Bass
Davide Marini – Drums