Rondellus
Sabbatum

May 2002
Released: 2002, Beg the Bug Records
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: Pete

And now for something completely different...I received this disc in the mail this week and I must admit, it took me a couple of listens to get through it. Not that it was a hard listen,it's just.....different!!!



Rondellus are a 5-peice band from Tallinn, Estonia that pay tribute to Sabbath on this 12 track CD. What's different about this is that they play the songs in 14th century-style medieval music, complete with instruments such as the Hurdy-Gurdy, Lute, Bagpipe, Fiddle and Frame Drum, accompanied with trance-like vocals sung in Latin(?). Man, you can only imagine the new meaning songs such as "War Pigs," "The WIzard," and "Spiral Architect" take on when performed this way. It's like going on a trip back in time to a another era and it gives a definite eerie quality to the whole Sabbath mystique.... Very cool!!!



To be honest,I never would have imagined myself checking something like this out, but being a big Sabbath fan, I couldn't pass it up. If you're expecting another "Nativity in Black," forget it...but if you want an eye opener, check it out at http://www.sabbatum.com