Maybe not a perfect solution, but as a DM I like to have the details in case I need them. Still, a lot changes over a thousand years, so I decided on creating note blocks which detail potential cultural points concerning locations or races over the centuries and let the DM choose the ones they wish to use. Focus on the base foundation and let aspiring DMs wishing to visit Kamigawa go from there. Since we have not seen Kamigawa in mainstream MTG save for some Commander cards, we cannot be sure what the social structure is.Īs much as I hated to consider it, being general and vague likely was the way to go. The Kitsune, Akki, Orochi, and Nezumi all may have suffered greatly from the plots and assaults by the kami or the Soratami. The Soratami were humbled and bloodied, but they may have also suffered discrimination if their plans to take over Kamigawa were revealed. The human empire was crushed, their command and a huge portion of their army destroyed by O-Kagachi. The rituals may have changed, the traditions may have changed, but the worship of the kami themselves likely would not have changed.įor the races themselves, they would have likely changed drastically. For others, it may be a hurdle since they wish to connect other MTG worlds for a larger campaign (like I do) and such a time shift may not be plausible for the storyline.įor the kami, this is not such an issue since the kami themselves exist so long as the people worship them and despite the Kami War, the people did not stop praying to kami. For some players, that's not much of an issue since they may only play in Kamigawa. Part of the problem with a Plane Shift for Kamigawa is that the events outlined in the Kamigawa block happened over a thousand years before the modern MTG storyline. This plane is a Japanese-themed plane seen in the sets of Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa, and Saviors of Kamigawa.Īlthough the mechanics of Kamigawa were not the most popular in MTG cards, the lore is actually very rich and provides a backdrop to a lot of D&D style adventures which can bring more fans and attention to Kamigawa itself and maybe, just maybe, bring the world back into the limelight for MTG players. Maybe this album shall become a little gem in your collection as it become in mine.Well, here is my second attempt at a Plane Shift, this time in the more content rich plane of Kamigawa. I would recommend this album to those thirsty for some unorthodox and daring metal, to those who seek the originality in music and wouldn't mind all the little 'buts' I mentioned in my review. The only downside of this album is the usage of computer drums, which is evident, but you can also grow accustomed to it in time.

Well, there are no guitar solos but I don't think it's an integral part of any metal album.

Dy's guitar work also sounds pretty solid and, though the production is not top-notch, a little 'dirt' isn't a bad ingredient for this kind of music. Rustam's screams don't sound like anything out of the ordinary but they don't spoil an impression from the album. I especially like his voice on 'Gorthaur Aulendil' which gives this otherwise pretty straightforward song a sophisticated feeling. Noir's unusual vocal manner may sound a bit weird at first but after a few spins you may find it a pleasurable one. Some of the songs on this album also carry more doomish feeling (such as 'Og'elend' or, more evidently, 'The Unquiet Grave') while the title track portrays the state of absolute mind liberation with relentless riffs and omnipresent keyboards. With mostly fantasy-inspired lyrics it's a given that there are some beautiful medieval melodies present which are delivered by Rustam's airy keyboards and P. Musically its roots lay in the black metal soil but the tree that grows from there is quite splendid. Planeshift is a second album of the not-too-well-known Russian band Rakoth and it's the album that got them some good reviews and attention of the connoisseurs of unorthodox metal a decade ago (how fast time flies!). But I'll try nevertheless and we'll see what happens. And it's even harder when you write a review of your favourite band's album and the one that got you acquainted with that band. It's always hard to be objective when you write a review.

Planeshift review