Wiki
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Release Date
9 October 2000
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Length
9 tracks
Latvian Riflemen is the second Skyforger album, and last one on Mascot Records. Unfortunately label failed to support band with any promotional campaigns and tours, so in 2001 band left label fully disappointed with their working attitude.
In this album Skyforger took unexpected thematic shift from their previous albums - from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the twentieth century. The idea to write album about heroic Latvian Riflemen story came to singer's Peter mind when he was accidentally reading the book "Storm of Souls" by Aleksandrs Grīns. He was really enthralled by the book, for the events took place so recently and so close to Riga.
The album is conceptual one about World War I and the 8th regiments of Latvian Riflemen, which defended the Latvian land against the aggressors of Imperial Germany. Whole idea is to show what a simple man, which has had no contact with soldiers and war up to the very day, can do when is inspired by patriotism. Also important thing was to show the horrors of war and all the severe things that man can only endure on the warfield and unfortunately, there were a lot of them.
Musically Skyforger bring in a lot of variety into compositions, besides the usual instruments there's also a flute, accordion, choir singing, always well implemented into thrashy riffing. Sometimes songs are built almost like on classical heavy metal foundations. The tempo varies a lot, from calm passages up to really fast blast beat parts. Vocals differs very much from previous works, now whole atmosphere tends to get similar view as an angry, rough shrieking from the battle positions!
90 years have passed now, trenches and grenade-pits are overgrown with grass, but the paths leading to the last resting-places of the fallen heroes are never allowed to be overgrown. Time goes on… but legends remain – nothing's forgotten. Nothing will ever be forgotten…
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