Band:	Suidakra
Album:	Realms Of Odoric
Style:	Melodic death metal, Folk metal
Release date:	May 20, 2016
A review by:	Dream Taster

01. Into The Realm
02. The Serpent Within
03. The Hunter's Horde
04. Creeping Blood
05. Undaunted
06. Lion Of Darcania
07. Pictish Pride
08. On Roads To Ruin
09. Dark Revelations
10. Braving The End
11. One Against The Tide
12. Cimbric Requiem
13. Remembrance [Digipak bonus]

Arkadius Antonik has been successfully steering the ship of Suidakra for over 20 years. The German band has received plenty of praise for their folk-enriched melodic death metal, especially during the time guitarist Marcel Schoenen was on board. The classic and epic albums The Arcanum and Emprise To Avalon, the more brutal Signs For The Fallen, the more folk-oriented trilogy of Caledonia, Crógacht and Book Of Dowth. And more recently, Eternal Defiance. Three years have passed and Realms Of Odoric shall make its presence know soon through AFM Records.

Originally written as a soundtrack for an epic fantasy project, the songs have been beefed up to metal standards, which is easy to achieve with the arsenal at their disposal. Lars Wehner is a drummer capable of setting fire to a Wacken crowd by himself. Antonik and Marius "Jussi" Pesch are both masters of the crushing and catchy guitar riffs. For the opera aspect of the music, Tina Stabel is providing female vocals to counterbalance Arkadius's death growls, much like on the previous album.

Bagpipes kick things off in high gear on the intro, followed by two strong songs like only Suidakra can muster. Then, things get a little weird. See, we are so used to a wall of melodic death from them that interludes and female clean vocal leads as heard on "Undaunted" seem a little out of place. Tina Stabel's style is not unsuited to their music. Her Doro Pesch-like voice works quite well. But that's so unexpected that it breaks the flow of the album.

The shot is quickly rectified with what is probably the best song, "Lion Of Dacaria", a furious, fast-paced melodic death tune sure to haunt the pits of several summer festivals. The following few tracks are equally worthy of Suidakra. Two more songs need your attention. The odd ballad "Braving The End" is a mix of folk and pop but it works as a whole and does not deter from the spirit of the record. Finally the acoustic and atmospheric piece "Cimbric Requiem" closes this chapter in the band discography in beautiful fashion and on a positive note.

How to sum up this album? Ambitious, at times unexpected, more often than not predictable, often powerful and on target, in the end, it is a real experience. In my opinion, the chosen order for these songs could have been better, as the slower tracks can become a bit of a distraction so early in the playlist. That being said, Realms Of Odoric remains a sure value of melodic death with folk influences.