I believe this is a first! Never have I reviewed an album for which the lyrics were written entirely in the language of Galicia. And I wonder how many records there are of those out there?

Let me get rid of the venom immediately: The guitar solo in the song A Alquímica Dexeneración Da Ialma really stinks!

There, got that off my chest.

Other than that, this album by Xerión, a band that for much of its past history has been synonomous with a guy called Nocturno (who funnily enough happens to be credited for guitars, bass, vocals and programming), is interesting not only because of it is a linguistic curiosity, but also because it borrows from the Iberian musical tradition in the same way as Moonspell does and in that way creates something that is quite unique and thus stands out from the rest of the European metal scene. The pipes and whistles mixed with keyboards and the metal guitars just has a certain air about it, and done properly you can avoid the cheese factor.

Xerión manage to avoid the cheese and bring about something that is well-worth a listen for those who enjoy metal with a folkloristic tint.

Try it out!