TANQUAM

The increased attention on MetalList Portal to the music scene of the small russian city of Yaroslavl is certainly gratifying. But on the other hand -- are there really so few other cities in russia? Yet there is one thing that surely exists nowhere else in russia. And arguably, nothing like it can be found across the entire post-Soviet space either. We're talking about a very enigmatic band that even in their hometown of Yaroslavl, few people know much about. TANQUAM's music represents a kind of intersection of gothic, ambient, Eastern folk, and numerous other "atmospheric phenomena," and they began performing all of this... in the early '90s, when many of these concepts were completely unknown in our country. The musicians of TANQUAM created such an atmosphere of mystery around their band that even in their hometown, you can only learn anything about them from indirect sources. After several demos and nearly a decade of existence, a full-length album finally emerged, officially released by the French label Cynfeirdd in a pressing of... 141 copies (presumably some symbolic number whose meaning is inaccessible to us mere mortals). For those less versed in the nuances of gothic music, TANQUAM will undoubtedly impress with their monumentality and mystical atmosphere. More "savvy" fans may notice a certain sonic resemblance to, say, Stoa (though Stoa tend to be more life-affirming). The overly synthetic sound (considering that TANQUAM's music actually employs quite a few "live" exotic instruments) is somewhat disappointing, but overall, the impression the album leaves is quite positive.