suidakra

"Are you ready for some Celtic metal?!" Suidakra frontman Arkadius Antonik asked the crowd at BB Kings on March 8. Of course they were ready! The German death metal band played after the more mellow Gwynbleidd and before Orphaned Land. "On the last tour I asked every night for your support...

Suidakra. Go ahead. Spell it backwards. We'll wait while you do. OK, Done yet? It's Arkadius, which is essentially just the name of the band's singer and guitarist spelled backwards. Normally, we don't ask band's to expound upon the origins of their name, because that's a trite journalistic question and we'll leave that to the inquiring minds that really want to know...

It's typical for either the singer of a band to write the lyrics. Sometimes it's the guitarist. Rarely, it's the bassist or even the drummer. It's almost always a member of the band who pens the words, unless, of course, you are a pop tart like Britney Spears, who sings songs written for her by professional songwriters...

German celtic metallers Suidakra have been making folk-infused, pagan metal for 14 years now. But unless you are immersed and enmeshed in the underground pagan scene, you've probably never crossed their path. Needless to say, staying together for nearly a decade and a half is nothing to scoff at...

Israel's Orphaned Land will be playing four North American gigs -- two in the U.S., two in Canada -- beginning in March. They will be supporting Suidakra. The shows will be 'events,' since the band rarely is able to tour the continent. While it's a handful of dates, vocalist Kobi Farhi enthused to Noisecreep, "We hope to get more shows...