Cygnus Rock Band - Fire And Tales (album review)

"Fire and Tales" is Cygnus Rock Band's 2nd Viking album. It was officially released on 8th March, 2020.

The artwork of Fire and Tales

source: Google

I have to confess to you, dear Reader, this album is probably my most favorite Cygnus-albums of all.

Well, of course it's a contradiction in itself. There's no such thing for me as "my most favorite Cygnus-album". It just doesn't exist. I love them all. I love every single little piece they have ever created.

YES, I DO!!!! For those who may smile now out there, YES, I DO!!! :)))

The reason why Fire and Tales is still somehow has a special place in my heart

I think this post will be pretty much full of contradictions like that; bear with me, please, dear Reader

is because the songs contain everything that makes me happy.

They have:

- tiple

- percussions, lots of different percussions

- massive bass

- beautiful, rich folk themes

- myths, stories about the gods

- two powerful male voices

Yes, dear Reader, practically that's it. If we have these together, you can buy me, compromise me, corrupt me, even blackmail me.

Cygnus's previous - and very first Viking - album "Yggdrasil" is in many ways for me a kind of pathfinder album.

Don't ever take me wrong, dear Reader. I love that album, too, I have massive favorite songs on it and I love the idea of a concept album behind it.

More about them later, review coming soon!

"Yggdrasil" already had a lot of great ideas and beautiful songs written and played by very talented musicians. The fact that (for my ears) it's a pathfinder is absolutely not a derogative thing, on the contrary. I think it's just simply something every band has to go through, whether they release their very first material ever or they decided about a change of style/genre. This is natural and in my opinion every band should be proud of it. It's simply when the band already knows what they want to do, but - I didn't find any better word for it, apologies for my street language - it hasn't been baked through yet.

"Fire and Tales" shows this idea, this concept of Yggdrasil in its full power and beauty. The vision has been ripened and these wonderful musicians harvest it in its full beauty. The whole album sweeps you off your feet with its richness, with the playful yet very complex melodies, with the appearance of the symphonic orchestra along with the folk tunes and the power, warmth and energy of the voices of Ruxx and Deneb. What makes it very special is that this is the very first Viking album by Cygnus that starts with an overture. Eldr ok Sögu is special not only for this reason, but also 

I can be wrong, but I want to walk around this question in the upcoming review

because - as Deneb mentioned in the interview with Alaridos Radio - it was recorded live with an actual chamber orchestra.

Nevertheless Cygnus established their tradition of overtures on this album.

Yes, I know there's something like that on "Yggdrasil", too, but very hidden - yes, I hear it :) but I won't tell now where I found it!

The second song, Sleipnir immediately enchants the listener with the intro (tiple, percussions, beautiful folk theme) and keeps you on its very high energy til the last tune. It's a hymn dedicated to Odin's mighty steed and you can be sure the song suits perfectly for the high standards of a glorifying prayer. Wonderful lyrics, rich instrumentation, thorough arranging - and it's still the beginning of the album!

It's followed by Thor's Wedding Day with - in my opinion - one of the most hilarious stories of Norse mythology. The song opens with an even richer, even more exciting, fully symphonic intro and despite - or along with - the vibrant, vivid and exuberant sound it does have the atmosphere of ancient storytellers and bards playing on their instruments near the fire, telling people stories about heroes and gods.

This atmosphere goes through the entire album - hence the title! - and it appears in other songs as well.

My Glory Will Be Told is a wonderful power ballad; my opinion is that it's one of Cygnus's most beautiful ballads ever written. The song of a dying hero performed by Deneb, with - for my ears - a beautiful, medieval melody and a very interesting rhythm pattern, it's not just an ear candy, but a very exciting song that has much more than it seems at first.

The fan-favorite, ultimate antidepressant and - most probably - forever no. 1. Cygnus-song Valhalla is again a song that is much more than it seems at first peek. Being a wonderful, upbeat, sweeping song that absorbs the listener right in the first moment, it has got a very special theme that you can discover if you put away the superficial

I still won't use here tabloid indicatives

impressions. This sort of theme doesn't appear in too many Cygnus-songs and even though probably not too many people will discover it, I think it's still the essence (among many other reasons) why it's so popular among fans.

Vixen's Vik is a lovely song in every sense. Playful, cheeky lyrics, powerful theme that easily gets stuck in your ears, it's another song that is much more than it looks for the first glance.

Generally it's true for the vast majority of Cygnus-songs, they are much more than they look, just you out there either have ears full of wax or aren't willing to give any more than a shallow listening, and I don't know which is worse 😠 

It has got a very complex theme played by the guitar now

I'd love to see a guitar cam for this song one day

and no wonder once Deneb said they usually don't play it on gigs being a song that is too difficult to play. Its beauty comes with energy and delicacy. Just like the subject it's about :)

Bifröst is an even more complex song than the aforementioned Vixen's Vik with an unusual - and exactly for this reason beautiful - theme. Probably one of the underrated songs of Fire and Tales, it's a hymn for the rainbow that (upon Norse mythology) serves as a bridge between Midgard (the humane realm) and Asgard (the gods' empire). The melody and the rhythm are both sophisticated, thoroughly built-up and arranged and if you listen to it with open ears and open heart, you will find out why this song is a proof of the in-depth experience and talent of these Colombians.

Winter In The North is one of the hidden gems of the album. It's just beautiful. The theme, the instrumentation, the lyrics, everything is pure beauty here. I think I have mentioned it at other places, but this is the first time a song tells about winter this gently, with this much love. I've heard quite a number of songs about winter, from death/melodic death metal through black metal performers and somehow each and every single one of them focused on the harshness, the cold and the survival. None of them has ever written any song with such poetry, gentleness and empathy as Cygnus. This song is one of my favorites from this album. 

Yet another contradiction, thank you 🥰

The Forging of Mjölnir is the peak of the album, the catharsis of it all. More than 7 minutes of massive beauty, it tells the other most hilarious story of Norse mythology. The song builds up wonderfully, you find yourself sitting at a fire, where our favorite rockers, just like ancient bards tell the story of Loki, the trickster god pranking through the entire Asgard. Prepare yourself to get swept off your feet, and keep in mind, Cygnus made a hilarious video as well for this song, where the drawings were made by Ruxx himself!

Another - in my opinion - underrated song is Full Viking Mode. I personally love the contrast between the previous song and this one. Contrary to the story of Thor's mighty weapon that is full of folk tunes, has a wonderful atmosphere and stays in your ears for quite a time, Full Viking Mode is raw, pure metal, but don't ever think that it's some kind of primitive grinding. It has got a complex, rich theme as well, just like every other song on this album, just it comes with a galooping rhythm and rough power - it's a war song after all!

Ulfberht is another very special song, and let me guess, one of the most underrated ones ever. Yet I think

no, I'm sure

no, in fact I fkin KNOW

that this song is one of the most exciting and interesting ones, not just on this album, but in Cygnus's entire life-work. Beautiful, rich, folkish theme, complex melody with a hiding gem flute/piccolo dancing through the entire song. Typically that kind when the more you listen to it, the more you fall in love with it. Just it's very very complex, the average shallow listening won't give you any insight into its beauty. You have to sit down on your ass seat and listen to it. Many times. On loop.

Finally there's a hidden track as well on this album. Originally released on "Yggdrasil" as "Death of a Viking Warrior", Hermanns Viking Daudi is an enriched, beautiful and poignant version of the English one.

I can't not think of the possibility that if Cygnus had the chance to release their albums on actual, physical CD's, this song could be the classic hidden track, which only those alert and vigilant fans discover who don't turn off the player right after the last track mentioned on the album's cover.

We know well why it was impossible so far 🕱 and I sincerely hope that - since that era finally ended, for everyone's delight - we will soon wake up for the day when we can hold Cygnus's albums literally in our hands.

Special box-sets are most welcome 😁

Here's the Youtube-playlist for Fire and Tales:

...and here you can listen to it on Spotify: