New album for the spanish Àrnica, 4 years after the minialbum Numancia (not counting the EPs for Extremocidente e Fronte Nordico), Lecho de Piedra comes with no surprises for those who know the band. But don't expect them to be stagnant! Lecho de Piedra is an improvement of everything Àrnica did. There's still lots of acoustic folk with field recordings, with passionate declamations that speak of nature, animals and long lost traditions, akin to what Sangre Cavallum or Sturmpercht do. Yet, Àrnica gain bonus point for the dark and tribal tones of their ur-folk, making us go back to the stone age, as the cover so beautifully illustrates. One of the highlights of the year, no doubt! |