
(written by Islander)
The history of the Armenian people is a long tale of subjugation and sorrow. As one source explains, between the 16th and 19th centuries the traditional Armenian homeland came under the rule of the Ottoman and Persian empires, and by the 19th century the eastern part of it had been conquered by the Russian empire. During World War I, up to 1.5 million Armenians living in their ancestral lands in the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated in the Armenian genocide. And after the Russian empire ceased to exist, the First Republic of Armenia was absorbed by the Soviet Union. The Republic of Armenia, as it now exists, became independent in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, landlocked and surrounded by Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran.
In April of this year the Armenian black metal band Rahvira (the duo of vocalist Aleksandr “Arson” Muradyan and songwriter/instrumentalist Tigran Rahvira) released an album named Ghosts Of Darkness through Holy Mountains Music (Yerevan, Armenia) and Wine And Fog Productions (Italy). As the band describe, the album “presents the struggles and sorrows of the Armenian people, dedicated entirely to the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide”.
“These songs emphasize the experiences, losses, and hopes of the Armenian people” and represent “the determination of the Armenian people to persevere despite the pain and suffering they have endured…. This album is not only a tribute to a critical chapter of Armenian history but also a spiritual journey — from pain to rebirth — that calls upon us to never forget, while urging us to continue living and triumphing, drawing strength from the past.”
What we have for you today is Rahvira‘s official video for a song from Ghosts of Darkness called “Only Forward“. Continue reading »