About Native Land

I am always ready to give Russian pagan bands a spin - witness the awesomeness of Pagan Reign - and this band seemed like they might be interesting, with vocals being 90% clean-sung by singer Irina. The female voice gives them a different kind of sound from the other billion folk bands, but that doesn't make their compositions any better.

Not that Grai are bad, but they are pretty standard, with the heavy use of flutes and a lot of polka-type melodies. When they play slower and moodier they sound better, creating a genuine atmosphere. Their faster stuff tends to get all hummppaa without heaviness to leaven the effect. If you like folk music, this is fun in places, but it's not going to blow your mind.