Σάββατο 5 Δεκεμβρίου 2015

REBELLION – Wyrd Bið Ful Aræd - The History of the Saxons review



 REBELLION – Wyrd Bið Ful Aræd - The History of the Saxons
Massacre Records
I think most of you know the history of the band. They were created by former GRAVE DIGGER members and this also explains the name of the band. In 2010 the band reached the point of disbanding, but somehow and with the support of their fans they managed to stand on their feet with a new line – up. All these led us to new releases and this one is their latest. REBELLION’s trademark of course is the creation of concept albums based on the history and myths of ancient tribes most of them of Teutonic/Germanic origin. So, this time their album is based on the story of the Saxons. The Saxons (Latin: Saxones, Old English: Seaxe, Old Saxon: Sahson, Low German: Sassen, German: Sachsen, Dutch: Saksen) were a confederation of Germanic tribes on the North German Plain. They settled in large parts of the Great Britain in the early Middle Ages and formed part of the merged group of Anglo-Saxons who eventually organised the first united Kingdom of England. Many Saxons however remained in Germany, where they resisted the expanding Frankish Empire through the leadership of the semi-legendary Saxon hero, Widukind (Taken from Wikipedia). The main topic here is the fight of the Saxons against the Frankish Empire, but the band also mentions the conquest of the Saxons on Great Britain. Enough with the history lessons and let us talk about the album…

THE COVER: On the picture of the cover I can see a statue of a Saxon god who holds a hammer on his hand and looks like Thor (after all the Vikings and the Saxons were relative tribes) and also a black raven sitting on a branch. The whole scenery is in flames and probably depicts the war between the Old Saxon religion and the Christian one that the Franks brought to them which is after all the main story of the whole album. It is an impressive cover that gives symbolically the story.
MUSICAL STYLE:  One thing that I appreciate abuot REBELLION is that they stay faithful to their sound and they play the kind of metal they like and feel confident that they can deliver to the audience. So, once again here you will listen to Teutonic heavy metal that owes a lot to the ACCEPT and GRAVE DIGGER tradition with a strong epic feeling. The trademarks of their sound like the accurate and steady rhythm section with the catchy melodies and sing along choruses are present here and the band sounds really fresh and in a creative mood.
CONCLUSION: If I have to compare the previous release of the band with their new album, then I can surely say that this one is a better album that sounds more fresh and confident. The band delivers what it promises and this is Teutonic metal with a strong epic feeling and also gives you the opportunity to learn and even search the history of the Saxons (this is an element that I do appreciate as a person that loves human history). In a few words I can say that REBELLION released one of the best albums of their career and it is definitely a must have for the fans of the band and the German metal sound in general.


Nick “Verkaim” Parastatidis

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