13th Bell - Dance of the Vulture - Song Review - Mongolian Folk Metal from Denver, Colorado, USA
Today we are featuring a promising progressive ethnic metal band, The 13th Bell, from Denver, Colorado, USA. I have reviewed their debut single, Dance of the Vulture, along with its character, style, story, potential, and more.
Today we are featuring a promising thematic metal band, The 13th Bell, a very bright prospect, an ambitious project. Although I have never been a fan of thematic metal bands and projects such as Slipknot, Baby Metal, or Ghost, I accept the fact that the world is always ready to accept those who have the necessary qualities in their plan. It seems like, The 13th Bell is a strong candidate, even though it is too early to say so.
If I'm not mistaken, the world was introduced to Mongolian/folklore metal with The Hu some time ago with the unstoppable success of their debut, Yuve Yuve Yu, about 3 years ago. The band got so popular over the years, I remember Metallica sharing their Sad But True cover on their socials for their fans.
When I first watched the Dance of the Vulture music video, I immediately thought of The Hu. Although they've got a similar theme in their art, these bands are surprisingly from different parts of the world. Dance of the Vulture is one of the most thematic/art/folklore metal song I have listened to with such a solid personality, couldn't believe my eyes and ears at first. Some people might be passionate enough to become another Slipknot with their bands someday, but it doesn't mean that they have what it takes to make it happen. These projects are unique mostly because of this, whereas The 13th Bell, has the right deck of cards for the challenge.
Furthermore, Dance of the Vulture is a fantastic work both musically and technically. The musical side has heavy origins from Mongolian and Native American (Indian), as we also get to see in the music video. The song is quite linear, instruments are providing the energy and groove while vocal lines and the structure of the song make the actual difference.
On the other hand, the song is quite groovy, reminded me of the song structures of Rammstein with their radio-friendly approach. Nothing is too complex, has a good balance between being too simple or boring. The overall energy, on the other hand, reminded me of Ghost. They also have simple sentences and ideas in their compositions, who easily became a giant in their specific field over the last years. The 13th Bell, in this case, has both features in their character, supporting it with their theme and musical origins where they make the actual magic.
Lastly, the most impressive thing here for me was their vocal lines. They do not sound similar to anything related to metal, but only reminded me of that Mongolian metal band, The Hu. These vibes are that powerful, you watch their music video once and never forget about it ever again. As I have mentioned above, the way they approached Dance of the Vulture is a valid plan, but the way they make music is unique.
Technically, Dance of the Vulture has the necessary industry standards in its mix and production. Everything sounds flawless from the beginning to the end. I am not a producer myself yet I can only imagine the challenge of mixing such folklore instruments with metal guitars. And the outcome is quite fascinating. In my book, The 13th Bell has exceeded every single expectation we usually have from up-and-coming bands with their debut.
When I take all these into account, I'd like to say that I am well impressed by The 13th Bell. All they have to do is to continue making music while maintaining their standards, and time will take care of the rest for them.
"DANCE OF THE VULTURE" earned its place in our "MASTERS OF METAL UNDERGROUND PLAYLIST"
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In conclusion, Metalhead Community Team congratulates The 13th Bell for their exceptional debut "Dance of the Vulture", and wishes them the very best in their future careers. Thank you for reading.