Tuesday, March 1

Minos ~ Minos


Minos
Minos
2011

~

As a music fan (and I know I am not alone when I describe this), isn't it cool to be one of the first people to hear a new band and then watch the band grow beyond the walls of garage lore?, to be able to say, "I was a fan of theirs from way way back in the day"? I am going to give you a heads up for the band Minos: start listening to them now, because if the stars align you will be able to have the bragging rights that I’m describing.

Hailing from the plains of southern Minnesota, specifically from Rochester (the city of medical wonder and miracles), comes folk metal band Minos. They formed in 2009 and have making awesome music and plotting a dryadic uprising since then. Well, one or the other.

While Minos doesn't play any acoustic instruments like Subway to Sally or Eluveitie, they incorporate folk melodies and themes into their music similar in style to Tyr and Amorphis. The lyrical content extends beyond the typical tales of Viking conquests and Nordic folklore. Overall, if you are a fan of Swallow the Sun (but not as doomy), Amorphis, and Skyclad, Minos should be up your alley.

I was captured by the songs and the production from the moment I pressed play. The songs are full of tempo changes, blast beats, and great guitar solos. One thing that is a little different about Minos as opposed to their counterparts is the lack of growly vocals. So in a way, they are a great "gate-way" folk metal band. It is pretty tough for me to pick out favorites because I love them all, but the standouts for me are “Sapphire”, “The Forest Song” and “Warsong”.

“Warsong” is one of my favorites because it has a fast paced tempo. While many of the songs have tempos that alternate between fast and slow, Warsong is just plain speedy, and I wish that there was another song on the CD that was fast from beginning to end. I also think it would be nice if they had an all-acoustic ballad. I love the CD the way it is and I am being a little nit-picky, I just think these things ideas would enhance it.

I just can't say enough good things about Minos. Grab your grog, sit beside the hearth, and listen to tales from distant lands.

~ ~ ~

Live Long and Rock Hard,
SpaceKev


Space Kev's Rating: 8.75 out of 10


1 comment:

Unknown said...

love the metal thats coming from Minos these days. love you guys your the best...keep it metal keep it real