By Luis Fernando Ribeiro and Leandro Abrantes
Sailing their longships across the medieval seas of the Old World, the Vikings disregarded physical borders or what noble maps attempted to define as the territory of one nation or another. They spread out on their bloody journey, waging savage war and plundering everything they could carry. Their explorations were primarily limited to regions of Europe, but their culture, customs, and legends continue to spread throughout the world to this day, being widely explored as a theme in books, series, films, and music. In heavy metal, not only Viking culture, but also that of the Celts and pagans had a direct influence on the emergence of the more folkloric and fantastical branches of the genre, such as folk and Viking metal.
In a country like Brazil, with its colossal dimensions and mixed-race population, bearing cultural heritage from all corners of the world, this mixture is inevitable and forges a nation culturally rich in traditions, customs, stories, and diverse art forms. The essentially tropical climate of most of our country has never prevented bands from the coldest and most remote corners of the planet from building a solid base of devoted fans of their music and customs in Brazilian lands. Honorary heirs of the rich Nordic and Celtic cultures, hailing from the coldest regions of Brazil, the Curitiba-based band Tandra emerges as yet another important representative of a genre that is gaining increasing space and followers among lovers of heavy music and a generous mug of beer or mead.
For those who associate folk music solely with the danceable melodies of the mandolin, the slanted sawing of the violin, and the bouncy whistling of a flute, they should know that when blended with the impetuosity of Viking culture and the heaviness of heavy metal, the sound is fueled by massive doses of raw, rustic energy, like warriors accustomed to falling before a few barrels of beer, but never before their enemies.
Founded in mid-2013, but with its lineup solidified only in 2017, Tandra first came to the public eye through its singles "Open the Bar" and "Time And Eternity," the latter achieving great success, reaching over 200,000 plays on Spotify (a mark that would later be surpassed by the more than 400,000 of "Marching to Infinity"). Having performed at various festivals, sharing the stage with big names in the national scene such as Angra , Krisiun , and Tuatha de Danann, the band built its image and gained maturity for the release of its first studio album.
Recorded at Beco Estúdio by Ivan Pellicciotti and released digitally on October 18, 2019 – and later also in physical format – Time and Eternity presents us with a highly competent band with the audacity to navigate waters rarely explored in the national territory, sailing through a sea of mighty waters, fed by diverse springs that flow into it, drawing their influences from the more traditional Folk Metal of bands like Ensiferum , Korpiklaani and Skyclad , to that which flirts with the more extreme music of bands like Finntroll , Eluveitie and Borknagar .
The album features Felipe Franco on bass and vocals, Christopher Knop and Geferson Franco on guitars and vocals, Felipe Ribeiro on flute and vocals, Max Waltrick on drums and percussion, and Carlos Linzmeyer on accordion. Special guests include Gabriel Mitsuo Inage on hurdy-gurdy and Andy Coutinho and Lucas Rafalski on backing vocals. The cover art was done by Ewan Donnovan , the interior design of the booklet by Max Waltick , and the photos by EstelaZ Fotografia.
The essential introduction, “The Summoning to the New Age,” immediately grabs attention, transporting the absorbed listener into the album's experience, making them feel as if they are on crowded boats of warriors sighting their destiny after countless days of uncertainty under a scorching sun and raging storms. The melodies sway placidly on the undulation of the sea and under the comforting breeze of the wind that leads the listener directly to the battlefield of “Thunder's Calling.” The band's entrance foreshadows the end of the calm and sounds, as the title suggests, like the call of a warrior preparing for his imminent destiny, who then sets off on his epic journey of battles, blood, gold, and glory, driven by the galloping rhythm section of Felipe Franco and Max Waltrick, the accelerated melodies of Carlos Linzmeyer's accordion and Felipe Ribeiro's flute, and the imposing riffs of Christopher Knop and Geferson Franco. The alternating vocals between Felipe Franco, Felipe Ribeiro, Christopher, and Geferson allow for a rich, almost theatrical interpretation, ranging from the most open to the deepest guttural vocals and from the cleanest to the most powerful vocals, always accompanied by grand backing vocals and choruses. Prominent and robust riffs bridge the gap to excellent guitar solos – probably the best on the album – full of fury and impetuosity, but also a feeling that overflows with every note. The cries of "Thunder's Calling," which each time they are repeated receive an extra dose of weight, culminate in the merciless savagery that closes the song, creating good expectations for what is to come.
The title track begins with beautiful melodies and a very well-constructed evolution, with noticeable influences from the classic "Lai Lai Hei" by Ensiferum. As the music builds, it progressively gains weight, until it is torn apart by a tempestuous riff from the seven-string guitars and exasperated screams that anticipate a complete change of rhythm, flirting with black metal and melodic death metal, especially in the piercing guitar riffs. The vocal nuances are a show in themselves, allowing the expression of all feelings with the theatricality that each passage of the song wishes to convey, telling the story of a people and their struggle for eternity. The collective nature of the song is another of its hallmarks, with space for everyone to shine collectively and individually. The forceful and varied drums and the pulsating bass dictate the rhythm and all the constant changes in tempo; the guitars range from complex, taciturn, and sophisticated passages to solos full of emotion and beauty. The arrangements, with accordion and flute sneaking into the middle of the music, give it an epic beauty, interspersed with guitars, providing a break from the song's constant heaviness and immediately showing the importance of all the musicians to the band's overall work.
The band's first song, "Open the Bar," begins with its bouncy accordion and bass, showcasing a band still searching for its identity and inevitably carrying influences from those who came before. Its unavoidable song praises the pleasures of alcohol and a good party, drawing inspiration from Alestorm and other masters of dance music like Korpiklaani and Trollfest . Despite its compelling tone, the song is a clear invitation to dance, with feet tapping, warm arms, and sweaty bodies crossing in leaps and bounds, and mugs overflowing with beer spilling in clumsy toasts, to shouts of "Open the bar, open the bar," obviously to be sung at the top of one's lungs during the band's live performances. A true gift from Tandra to its audience.
The lament of Carlos Linzmeyer's accordion and Felipe Ribeiro's flute, like the croaking of a crow with a broken wing, creates a desolate atmosphere for the band's entrance, in a dense and melancholic mood like winter fog. "Marching to Infinity" holds the title of the band's most popular track on streaming services, having been played 409,000 times on Spotify at the time of writing this review, giving the band visibility worthy of major names in the genre and spreading the music of the Curitiba-based sextet around the world, being heard especially in countries such as Germany, the United States, France, Sweden, Canada, Poland, Brazil, and Russia. The band's choice of the track that would carry Tandra's flag to the four corners of the planet proves to be correct, since "Marching" encompasses all the elements that make up the album and, being the track with the most personality, should serve as a basis for consolidating the band's identity throughout their career. The song manages to balance the most beautiful melodies with the most extreme passages, going in a matter of seconds from Max Waltrick's merciless blast beats and Felipe Franco's furious bass roar, to the crystalline whisper of the flute and the mournful guitar duets of Christopher Knop and Geferson Franco.
“The Forest Dance” repeats the festive formula of “Open the Bar,” in an ode to fauna and flora and a toast to life, to the rhythm of polka and giga, sometimes danceable, sometimes dizzying and exciting Death/Folk Metal, in an invitation to “Humans and animals dancing in sync with the forest.” The restless bass line and the more direct riffs hit the mark perfectly, demonstrating that absurdly elaborate lines are not necessary to create a beautiful and exciting composition. The interpretations of each passage, as if sung by distinct characters, evoke an RPG adventure in the middle of the forest. Its theme recalls the solemn celebration of “Tan Pinga Ra Tan” by Tuatha de Danann, but without the ballad trappings of the Minas Gerais bards.
The somber instrumental passage “Last War Sacrifice” and its ritualistic choruses of a sacrifice calling for the support of the gods in an imminent battle, make the perfect prelude to the epic “Winter Days,” the longest and naturally the most complete and complex song on the album, with instrumentals that had not yet been explored on the record and others that revisit what we have heard so far, in addition to the most profound and beautiful lyrical approach on the album, recounting the epic of a people in preserving their beliefs, ideals, and culture, with lyrics that can be clearly interpreted in a completely current context. The first part murmurs melodies of subtle beauty, where the accordion and flute of Carlos Linzmeyer and Felipe Ribeiro, enriched by the participation of Gabriel Inague on the hurdy-hurdy, create a refined atmosphere in a charming and organic counterpoint to the instrumental extremity of the rest of the band, which emerges soon after, first in a typically Folk passage, very heavy but quite melodic, with beautiful phrasing and interventions from the guitars of Christopher Knop and Geferson Franco, going to the angry gutturals and bass of Felipe Franco and long instrumental parts. The resounding drums and faint melodies create an episodic bridge to the song's conclusion, which blends elements of bands like Amon Amarth and Eluveitie, but at many points even draws on Black Metal to make the music even more aggressive and excruciating, as in the agonizing and desperate screams that plead with the gods, "She died now. With honor, With courage, With blood and sweat. But she will live tomorrow to be remembered forever.".
The final, instrumental track, “Tears of Sorrow,” closes the melancholic album with a palpable emotional farewell, like a final sacrifice, its melodies dripping with tears, as if the band wanted their songs to continue marching towards infinity through time and eternity, summoning their next album to a new era, like the call of thunder that brings winter days, inviting us once again to dance joyfully with the forest and clamor for the bar to open for another round of beers and great songs. A toast and long live Tandra's music.
Luis Fernando Rating: 8.8
Leandro Rating: 8.9
