Yav (album)

Yav is the seventh full-length album by the Russian pagan metal band Arkona. It was released on 25 April 2014 through Napalm Records.
The album references the material world Yav. Violin players Olli Vänskä of Turisas and Alexey of Sviatogor appear as guest musicians.

Personnel

Arkona

Masha "Scream" – vocals, keyboards, songwriting, lyrics, lyrics translation, producer
Sergei "Lazar" Atrashkevich – guitars, producer, mixing, mastering
Ruslan "Kniaz" Oganyan – bass
Vlad "Artist" Sokolov – drums
Vladimir "Volk" Reshetnikov – gaita gallega, tin whistle, low whistle, sopilka, blockflute

;Additional musicians

Thomas Väänänen – vocals, lyrics on "Ved'ma"
Olli Vänskä – violin on "Zov pustyh dereven"
Aleksey "Master Alafern" Hrebeniuk - violin on "Zarozhdenie", "Na strazhe novyh let", "Gorod snov", "Ved'ma", "Chado indigo", "Yav'"
Vika "Vkgoeswild" Yermlyeva – piano on "Chado indigo"
Radimir Atrashkevich – child narration on "Chado indigo"
Andrey Ischenko – drums on "Chado indigo", "Yav'", "V ob'yat'yah kramoly"

;Production

Sergey Pavlov – lyrics translation
Gyula Havancsák – artwork, design
Greg Shanta – photography

Reception

The Sonic Seducer magazine wrote that Yav was more mature and serious than Arkona's previous releases, leaving the clichés of the genre behind. The album was also lauded for a diversity of moods. The reviewer for the Austrian Stormbringer website observed that elements of black metal had now been combined with Arkona's typical style which provided for the album's sinister atmosphere.