Phonebook Eater 8/10

A world of pain and loss, but triumph will somehow take shape.

Moonsorrow's final, great album so far is 'V: Havitetty', the most ambitious, mature, and complex albums by the band, and that is to say a lot, being followed by a masterpiece of intricacy such as the epic 'Verisakeet': But the band push their boundaries even further, and create something that a listener would never forget.

This is an album of details. Details are the elements that build 'Havitetty'; it's like creating a castle not with immense milestones but with small pieces of rocks that together nevertheless make an incredibly solid effort. And it is a castle that is quite hard to destroy. It's a solid, almost hour long album, where ambition is the first word that comes to mind. More synthesizers, even more Folk elements incorporated; there is in the slower, quieter moments, even some Prog Rock sparks. But Black Metal is still the core of Moonsorrow's music: it's not a cerebral, polished BM like it was in 'Verisakeet', but it is a raw, abrasive one reminiscent of an earlier period for the band.

The element that attracted much more ambitious metalheads to this release (and perhaps distanced the ones who like their metal played safe) is the fact that this is a two song affair, both of them reaching nearly the half-hour length. The first one, 'Jaasta Syntynyt/ Varjojen Virta', more melancholic, sad, hopeless, but of an amazing beauty especially in the first seven minutes or so, where atmospheres a-la-Pink Floyd take place, before exploding into a bunch of different, unique, and carefully arranged Black Metal riffs (with shrieked vocals) that take turns in hopping up in front of the listener. With lyrics concerning the death of our world, due to stupidity of man ( immense frustration is felt in the poetry of lyricist), and the preparation to a war that will give nothing but further loss to us. But if the first track is resigned and helpless, 'Tuleen Ajettu Ma' is the revenge, the anger, the hope. Starting almost right off with heavy riffs, it has in the core of the song slower passages. The feeling here is more triumphant, more epic almost. The hooks thus are even more memorable, and often even hauntingly gorgeous, like in the last, final minutes of music. Both of the tracks wonderfully complement one another, and together create an album that couldn't have possibly felt more rounded and complete.

It won't be an easy listen for many people because of it's highly ambitious nature, in terms of structure but also of the music itself. Although not as seminal as previous Moonsorrow works, 'V: Havitetty' is an album that will always be regarded as one of the finest, most interesting and successful achievements of Folk Metal

Phonebook Eater 9/10

Folk Metal's greatest achievement so far, where the word epic acquires a new meaning.

Moonsorrow's masterpiece "Kivenkataja" ended up being the tip of the iceberg: the follow up to that album is "Verisakeet", an album that is just as haunting and well done, although the two are completely two different beasts. But it is definite now that Moonsorrow are one of the best cult Metal bands of all time, thanks mostly to these two landmark achievements, and have not, so far, released an album that was less than really good.

Like it was mentioned, "Verisakeet" is completely different than "Kivenkantaja": the songs are significantly longer, less in quantity, richer in instrumentation, and boast beautiful production and polished sound. There is a more progressive approach in structuring these long winded, complex and diverse songs, where there is an even larger use of exotic, Nordic instrumentation. All of the instruments(flutes, acoustic guitars, flutes, or synthesizers) individually have a prominent place, somewhere here, in this more than an hour long experience. But there is also a significant amount of blast beats and traditional Black Metal here, and a certain passage can go on for several minutes without there being any Folk elements. Nevertheless, this is compensated by the moments in which these Folk elements are present, and they become absolutely essential for that particular passage. There are also, in the beginning and end of each song, some nice nature recordings: this last element gives the impression that legends, with the passing of time, fade in and fade out, but nature remains the same.

Compared to other Moonsorrow albums, "Verisakeet" is the one in which there are more nature themes; it is the most earthly LP of the band, still somewhat focused on battles, but more emotions, such as fear, are heavily connected with the lyrics, in a time before or after a tragic war. If "Karhunkynsi" narrates the pre-battle and how it is not wanted by the people fighting it, "Haaska" is about the devastating aftermath, describing the bleak battlefield, and how futile the event was. "Pimea" is the most pessimistic track, depicting a dying world, another typical latter Moonsorrow theme. The final words that to me are interesting in this album are the ones sung in the intimate "Kaiku", a brief elegy of forefathers.

Musically, each one of these songs is amazingly done, starting from the huge opener, the fourteen minute epic; possibly the heaviest, more Black Metal driven song, but it has massive riffs which reoccur in a beautifully studied way throughout the track, thanks also to great production and musicianship. The second track is less accessible but almost as high of a level and just as long, with more additional instrumentation ( the acoustic guitar gives the main hook for the entire song), more complex, more triumphant, but still of supremely high quality. "Pimea" is still another very long and intricate listen as a whole, with the glossy keyboards giving a strong addition to some melodies, but it has a handful of quite beautiful Folkloric moments, as well as haunting hooks played with either guitars or exotic instruments. "Jotunheim" mixes a huge amount of sounds together, as well as another handful of successful riffs, and amazing musicianship. What differs in this track is that it has a more climactic nature, but also it boasts the most emotionally challenging riffs of the album, them being very desolate sounding. When the final moments of this track, consisting of the routined nature recordings, blend in with the starting moments of "Kaiku", the final track, it is obvious that this amazing journey is coming to an end: this last track is a melancholically campfire-set acoustic jam between an intimate chorus of vocals and acoustic guitar.

"Verisakeet" is possibly the most complete and successful Moonsorrow release; it's possibly also the greatest, most important Folk Metal of all time. With more and more years increasing the album's age, it's quite possibly going to become a Metal classic. For now, this remains stuck in a somewhat cult status, but that doesn't diminish its quality one bit.

Warthur I'd like to enjoy Cruachan's music, I really would, because on paper the idea of fusing metal with traditional Irish music is an intriguing idea. I don't know what I was expecting going into Folk-Lore - perhaps something like a harder rocking version of Clannad? - but what I got was fairly disappointing. Rather than providing a smooth blending of the two different musical traditions the band draw from, more often they seem to be playing fairly bland metal and occasionally playing fairly bland Irish folk music over it. To my ears, at least, the end result isn't a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts. Oh well; I suppose those who are particularly keen on traditional Irish music might get a bit more out of this than I did, but personally I just don't see the appeal.

dtguitarfan This is an album that is very much like a musical onion - upon first listen it may seem simple, but every listen after that you peel back a layer and find complexity. Orphaned Land creates an incredibly unique musical experience, melding together Progressive, Metal, Death Metal, and traditional Arabic and Jewish soundscapes to produce a style of music that many of their fans have dubbed "Oriental Metal". To add to this blending of styles, throughout the album they employ the use of many traditional instruments (the Oud? The Saz? The Bouzouki?),songs contain lyrics written in multiple languages, a Yemenite folk singer adds guest vocals, and the band puts their spin on centuries old traditional Jewish and Yemenite folk songs. The lyrics even borrow concepts from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. This is an extraordinary album, and I can't see any way to give it anything but 5 stars.

Phonebook Eater 9/10

"Kivenkataja", for it's beautiful profoundness, should be considered a landmark Metal album of the new millennium.

Moonsorrow are one of the greatest Metal bands of the new millennium and have proved to be so with several albums, one of them is the masterpiece “Kivenkataja”, the third album, and the first album that is part of a trilogy of excellent works (the second one would be 2005’s “Verisakeet” and the final chapter 2007’s “V: Havitetty”.) This 2003 release proves how Moonsorrow in two years have shown a great difference in songwriting skills, structuring songs and arranging them: “Kivenkataja” indeed is a 100% Moonsorrow album that shows all of the band’s essential and best characteristics.

On one side, the style isn’t different: we’re talking about the usual, Pagan Black Metal/ Folk Metal influence here. But it’s so much more complex, profound and epic than the previous two releases, (beating even the wonderful “Voimasta Ja Kunniasta”) due to it’s superior instrumentation, more progressive influences, and overall perfected songwriting skills. All this together makes up something more than just great album: “Kivenkataja” rightfully should be considered a landmark Metal LP of it’s era, because of it’s uniqueness, richness, and especially, it’s haunting and evocative nature. Sure, Folkish instruments like the Jew Harp, accordion, flutes and many others were present in previous albums, however here, they have a major, essential role, and dominate completely some of the passages here, creating a well balanced equilibrium between the lush Folk moments and Black Metal influenced ones, which still have melodies driven by traditional Scandinavian canons. The Lyrics, being this Pagan Metal, although having pretty much the same themes as the first two albums, this time around are proposed and written in a much more poetic and vivid way: instead of focusing on battles and warriors, there is more detailed descriptions of nature, like in the opening track “Rauniolla”. The tone is more the one of a lonely, forgotten bard of the North, instead perhaps of a drunk one from a noble palace telling hackneyed stories of warriors and battles fought. It basically feels more of a realistic point of view.

The album starts off with the thirteen minute epic “Rauniolla”, quite possibly the best thing Moonsorrow has ever created: the melodies are, instead of being triumphant and full of testosterone, melancholic, a little resigned, solemn. Structured almost as a mini-suite, it features extremely diverse moments, from heavy riffs to beautifully evocative Folkloric ones. “Jumalten Kaupunki”, the second track, is heavier, with less atmospheric moments, and with a more triumphant tone, however still maintaining an impressive level of complexity and depth. The following track is yet another sort of mini, ten minute suite, using however completely different formulas from the ones used in the previous two tracks, giving the structure of the overall album a great flow so far. The title track is more of a traditional Folk Metal track, more ballzy and in-your-face, but it also shows explicit Prog Metal influences especially in the frequent rhythm changes; “Tuulen Tytar” is a mostly instrumental piece, half calm, half distorted and loud. It certainly is the odd one out of these six tracks, and gives yet again another touch of variety in the sound. The album closes with the short but gorgeously crafted “Maktan Lopussa”, a sad, beautiful, and very surprising song on behalf of Moonsorrow.

“Kivenkataja” has an amazing set of songs that together make one, solid and consistent album, despite the great amount of changes that distinguish one song from the other. One of the culminating peaks of Folk Metal music, a perfect model for all of the bands that are minimally interested in the genre.

Phonebook Eater 6/10

"Suden Uni" although feeling like a collection of drinking songs, is a fun and consistent listen.

“Suden Uni” is legendary Finnish act Moonsorrow’s debut album, which will be shortly followed that same year by a much more well developed album, “Voimasta Ja Kunniasta”, one of the most solid releases of the band’s discography. In fact this album does not stand at the same level as the sophomore LP, however, it is proof that Moonsorrow have taken a further step ahead from the previous demos, towards the path of maturity.

Moonsorrow adapt a cleaner production for their full length, compared to the rawness of the EPs/Demos, and start to incorporate a lot more Nordic Folk influenced melodies in their music, as well as exotic instruments like the accordion and the famous jaw harp, but also several keyboards are used. But compared to future albums these folkish instruments are used in a much more subtle way, and serve the sole purpose to enrich the sound; they don’t play a particularly important role within a song. This said, it’s easy to imagine how much less atmospheric and more straight-forward this LP is, again compared to the complexity of future Moonsorrow albums, thus more riff driven and melodic.

“Sudden Uni” means “A Wolf’s Dream” in Finnish: by only the title, you can tell what Mooonsorrow’s lyrics deal with, and, if you’re familiar with the band, it will be very easy to guess the main themes of the album: Viking./Nordic wars, proud warriors, Gods, but also normal people and their sense of honor. the first track is probably the one that is the oddest of all, seemingly coming from a completely different style: “Son of the God Of Thunder” (English translation) is about a young, teenage God who gets expelled by his father from the clouds, because of his futile and reckless behavior. Other than that, the lyrics deal with the above mentioned themes in a casual way, without being particularly evocative.

Because of it’s straight-forwardness, “Suden Uni” in some points seems to be a collection of drinking songs, instead of profound, epic poems of music. This impression obviously does not occur in every song: for example, in the eleven minute “1065: Time”, there are some good doses of epicness in the songwriting and the structure of the song is fantastic, which includes also more ambient friendly passages, mostly in the first few minutes. But the rest of the songs offer little variation, and some are not at all as memorable as they should be: “As Eternal” and “Son Of The God Of Thunder” come a little close to annoy me, however, standing in the middle of them (according to the tracklist) is “Pakanavedet II”, much more accessible and interesting, thanks to the massive presence of the Jew Harp and fun, heavy rhythms. . “Home Of the Wind…” is a little too simple and banal for my taste, but it still has interesting arrangements overall.

“Suden Uni” can be a fun listen for sure, and even if some melodies come a little too close to being corny and clichéd, it’s still a solidly structured release for Moonsorrow, an album that is the natural predecessor of “Voimasta Ja Kunniasta”, which uses a more complex and solid formula.

Warthur Opening with a synthesiser intro (Black Winds Rising) which takes on a rather melodramatic tone reminiscent of the soundtrack to a big budget fantasy movie, Wolfchant's Call of the Black Winds gets down to business properly on Stormwolves, and by the end of the album I'm still not sure what to make of them. There's mild folk influences and the odd sprinkling of synthesiser here and there to give the odd nod to symphonic metal, but on the whole I came away with the impression that the band were playing really rather ordinary death metal with the folk and symphonic influences tossed in to add flavour but not having any substantial effect on the baseline compositional approach, which is middle of the road death metal through and through. Still, I was very impressed by Lokhi's harsh vocals, since he has a very unique style which puts me in mind of some ancient wolf-demon's gutteral snarling and grumbling.

Phonebook Eater 8/10

"Voimasta" is a perfectly balanced interconnection between the Viking muscles and the guiding hand of Nordic Folklore.

The (possibly) greatest Finnish band of all time, Moonsorrow, in 2001 were able to release two albums: the first one was “Suden Uni”, the second one, “Voimasta Ja Kunniasta”. The latter is possibly the most mature one and the first album by the band that is immensely successful in terms of quality: although maybe not the most recognized and famous release of these Folk Metallers, it is definitely one that opened the path to all of the following Moonsorrow albums and all the other bands that followed them.

Folk Metal’s basics are all down here in an incredibly precise way: here we have the epic feel and melodies of the rough guitars, the Black Metal shrieks, the additional, folkloristic instrumentation (flutes and accordion mostly), the atmospheric synths, and the straddling rhythms. So many Folk Metal bands have used only a portion of these characteristics, but most of the time, the best result will occur if all of these elements are properly incorporated. The songs themselves are structured in a very thought-provoking way, because of the shifting tempos and passages ( from a folkloristic one to a harsh, black Metal burst, enlightened moments later by elaborate, acoustic instrumentation).

The spirit of all Moonsorrow albums is here found in great abundance: the Northern lands, the Vikings, the battles, the Gods. In “Voimasta Ja Kunniasta” there seems to be a more frequent and specific theme of battles, plunders of villages, pride and honor of warriors. “Aurinko Ja Kuu” is however the odd one: its an interesting description of a man who roams in the woods without ever encountering men, and that sleeps in the beds of bears. In 50 minutes of length, “Voimasta” manages to stay quite consistent, and at the same time, the songs have enough variation one another to have a fluent flow. Nearly each one of these six songs can be considered a highlight: “Sankarihauta” and “Kylan Paasa” are generally more muscular, raw, and harsh songs, which still do not lack of intelligence. “Sankaritarina” however, the thirteen minute closer, has a great riff that echoes throughout the entire song and still manages to have the most thought-provoking and elaborate structure here. The remaining two songs, “Auriko Ja Kuu” and “Hiidenpelto” are great as well, incorporating more folkish elements yet without losing the grit.

“Voimasta Ja Kunniasta” can be considered essential listening not only for Moonsorrow lovers but also for Folk Metal fans; an album that uses all of the canons and brings them up at a quality that not many other bands of the genre can do.

Phonebook Eater 6/10

"Tama Ikuinen Talvi" is a decent demo that, although still having some flaws, is a promising piece of music for Moonsorrow.

Finnish Folk Metallers Moonsorrow, at the time of their first demo, had already released the extremely lo-fi, twenty minute EP “Metsa”, which wasn’t exactly one that promised the immense epicness of the future albums. This 1999 release, though, is a big improvement and it goes towards a direction that is much more accessible, haunting, and well developed.

For starters, the production is much less lo-fi than the first EP, even though still maintaining the very rough sound typical of Black Metal recordings. The music in fact for the most part of that kind of Metal: however, there are instant sparks of Folk Metal, and more than a few moments of Symphonic ones, thanks to the glossy, enigmatic, and quite atmospheric keyboards, much more dominant than in “Metsa”, where they were extremely subtle. Acoustic moments aren’t really present, but the orchestral/ambient/sample-based ones have a few spots here and there, especially in the beginning and the end of the demo.

Although not quite at the levels of the next albums, this demo has some of the epic, triumphant atmospheres typical of the band, however they never feel accomplished nor developed enough. Instead, there is a stronger Symphonic Black Metal influence, because of the mentioned keyboards: the atmospheres they create are desolate, at times anxious too. Other times, they sound like they’re completely drowned in the production, fusing with the big melting pot of the rhythm section and the guitars. This kind of result comes out in several moments of the demo, and when it comes around, it feels like a snowstorm is surrounding the listener, disorienting him completely.

Moonsorrow start off with the best song off this album, “Taistelu Pohjolasta”, a sort of a mini suite that has as an intro an Ambient/ Orchestral section, until it blasts into a dense, enigmatic track with more than a few fiercely fast moments. The second track is another huge surprise, being the track that more than any of these five songs brings up a lot of Folk Metal passages, all of them extremely memorable (although still smothered in the particularly rough production). Starting from the third track however things start to go downhill in terms of variety and innovation, and even more so for the fourth track, where the melodies are very flat and unexciting. The closing piece is a short epilogue in the same vein as the opening minutes of the album.

Overall this first demo, called “Tama Ikuinen Talvi”, is an interesting start for Moonsorrow, a piece of work that still has some flaws, but, in the end, it’s really only a demo, so no extraordinary things can be expected, especially when a band is at such an early stage.

Time Signature Night bell...

Genre: symphonic black metal

Never having heard the music of the Australian one-man band before, I have seen Aquilus' music described as neoclassical folk music, and I honestly expected "Griseus" to be a really cheesy blend of Opus Atlantica and Yngwie Malmsten.

You can imagine my shock upon actually listening to the album, learning that it has absolutely nothing to do with neoclassicalism in the sense of Malmsten, Blackmore, Mattsson and all those other guitarists, and that there was very little folk music as well (actually, the only place where there is a real folk feel is towards the end of 'Latent Thistle'. Instead, the listener is treated to what is perhaps best described as symphonic black metal.

Making use of black metal style riffage, combined with occasional blastbeats and indecipherable harsh screamed and growled, Aquilus' sole member, Waldorf, definitely captures the spirit of black metal. Furthermore, the occasional thrash and death metal passages pop up every now and then alongside more doomy and gothic sections (the vocals are rich in reverb and not unlike what you hear in funeral doom metal and atmospheric black metal).

But metal is only half of the music on this release, as the tunes on this album also feature lush orchestral arrangements (performed on synths, I suspect), some of which accompany the metal instrumentation, and some of which are fully symphonic passages. At times, there is even a cinematic quality to the symphonic arrangements, and at all times, the music on "Griseus" is epic and atmospheric, and - I would say - an artistic success.

I think that the weak spot is the production, as there is a slight lack of equilibrium between the metallic and the symphonic. The symphonic elements are simply louder in the mix than the metallic ones. Now, this might be intentional, but I find it a bit of a shame.

Still, if you are looking for some quality symphonic black metal with lots of atmosphere and a truly epic and dark feel, then it is a good bet that you will find what you seek in Aquilus' "Griseus".

Phonebook Eater 4/10

"Metsa" is a messy, but still somewhat promising (at the time) EP by Moonsorrow.

Moonsorrow’s first effort as a group has been criticized a great deal by even the most die-hard fans of the band. Mostly, because of it’s ridiculously immature sound that is so distant from the glories to come of the Finnish band.

The production is in fact almost a joke: one of the most lo-fi productions I’ve heard, where the guitar melodies playing are barely recognizable, being extremely noisy and suffocated by the constant buzz. Then, there’s the most controversial element of this demo/EP: the vocals. They really do sound like a cat screaming, and can be really annoying. The crispy keyboards are in my opinion the redeeming characteristic that give the music a strange yet unique atmosphere, an atmosphere however still buried in a wall of noise.

With just three tracks in the course of less than twenty minutes, “Metsa” is still able to build in a somewhat climactic way: after the brief ambient intro, the extremely noisy “Fimbulvetr Frost” kicks in. It’s frankly a mess of a track because of all the details being corroded by the abrasive production; the only things really recognizable are the okay hooks and the vocals. “Hvergelmir” is a slight improvement, although the ten full minutes could have been cut a little: but the melodies and the song-writing are noticeably at a higher level, the vocals are slightly less annoying, and there is an interesting acoustic/folk passage that closes the piece, as well as the EP.

“Metsa” is really something only for the fans, even though it has some occasional bursts of talent, bursts that will be much more frequent in following albums.

adg211288 Elemental Tales is the third studio album from Russian folk/melodic death metal act Svartby. The 2012 release represents some changes for the band as it’s their first full-length to feature English lyrics rather than Swedish ones. The album was also recorded with half the main line-up as session musicians, including the lead vocalist. Only Giftsvamp (keyboards) and Lindwurm (guitars) remain from the line-up that recorded the group’s previous album Riv, Hugg och Bit (2009). The line-up has even changed since the release of Elemental Tales’ prior teaser release Scum from Underwater leaving the only full-time member other than those I already mentioned in the recording line-up being Humla (guitars). Although new full-time members have started being recruited post-recording of Elemental Tales the band is here joined by guests Sartre (vocals), Owl (bass) and RJoker' (drums).

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when coming to Elemental Tales. I haven’t encountered Svartby before this and on the surface the album looks to be another one of these folk acts that just don’t sit right with me, that is to say an act that forgoes use of traditional instruments and uses a synthesiser to replicate them, and songs about drinking or trolls. This isn’t the case, at least in regard to their lyrical content, even if they do favour the synth. Svartby doesn’t have a single song about trolls. I’d say their lyrics still fit almost the same vein, but Svartby prefers to create their own tales and creatures rather than treading the same ground covered by countless others before them. I usually prefer more serious folk metal, but I approve all the same. They actually make a point of distancing themselves from the whole troll thing, along with numerous other things such as the terms ‘Pagan’ and ‘Viking’. I definitely approve, seeing as I think both of those terms are as ambiguous as you can get when discussing styles of metal music. Although Svartby is one of these bands that prefers to use their own unique term to describe their music, Svartcore in this case, they also put forth ‘brutal folk metal’. And that ladies and gentlemen is pretty damn accurate.

As I mentioned, Svartby favours the synthesiser to create their melodies. Its folk acts like this I normally don’t like and in most I’d probably consider this cheap and synthetic but when you get an act such as Svartby whose folk side is really very much secondary to their metal then it just doesn’t matter so much. Svartby’s sound here is more about the riffs, and they know how to deliver a good riff. Their music may appear goofy on the surface (though you can’t deny the coolness of the designs of those elementals on this albums artwork), but it’s as intense and indeed brutal as melodeath gets. It’s solid and in your face death metal first and foremost, although the folksy melodies are very noticeable as well and it’s undeniable that Elemental Tales is very much a folk metal as well. The folk melodies are really what adds the ‘melodic’ into this brand of melodic death metal rather than lead guitar melodies and leads.

Elemental Tales isn’t a very long album, not much over half an hour, but that’s okay for this kind of music I think. It comes, knocks you for six and then leaves you wondering what the hell just happened (in a good way of course). It’s then that you realise that you’re going to need to listen to this again. And again. And again. You get the picture. I’d say that’s because there’s a lot more depth to this music than just a death metal thrashing away with some folk melodies going on in the background, because those folk melodies are nearly always top quality, which is something that becomes especially apparent in the more mid-paced tracks, and the songs all pack serious punch. While there’s probably no denying that melodies of this quality would sound even more awesome delivered with traditional instruments I have to respect that wasn’t the sort of thing Svartby intended to go for. In fact this band may be the one case where the impact of their music may have been diminished if they’d gone down that route, as it may have distracted from the true intent here; to have been to create a furious death metal assault and on that count, the album is very much a success.

8.2/10

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org))

optisailor2002 Eluveitie was one of the first bands that got me hooked onto the melodic death metal style of folk metal, with Slania being the first album that I listened to. Unfortunately, over the years as the band's style of music evolved, my interest in the band dipped similarly. While the acoustic folk-rock album Evocation I was still bearable and unique in itself, their return to extreme metal grounds with 2010's Everything Remains as it Never Was was a disappointing album, sounding like an uninspired, watered-down melodic death metal album.

This year marks the release of the band's follow up to Everything Remains as it Never Was with Helvetios, and out of nostalgia's sake I decided to have a listen to the album. The epic and heroic feel that the band has always incorporated in their music is still present, first with the dramatic spoken introductory track, Prologue, sounding like the narrating of the opening chapter of the album and this definitely helps in building the anticipation for the journey that is to come. As title track Helvetios begins, the familiar folk instrumentations and arrangements immediately greet the listener, building the tension in the air. First listens certainly sound good, and there is the potential that the band has returned to their original form or even better, with the smooth progression of the tracks, and the perfect fusion of brutality through the gruff, death vocals and the melodies that the folk instruments provide.

Some of the most charming moments on the album are the heavy usage of folk elements compared to the previous release, and this is certainly a welcome move considering this was what made Eluveitie such an enjoyable band personally in the first place. The usage of the female vocals also add a nice dynamic and contrast to the gruff lead vocals, and the singing style gives a somewhat tribal feel to the music as well, instantly transporting the listener into the middle of a battlefield, and it is these folk elements that help to make the music catchy and keep the listener constantly interested.

Unfortunately, the band falls in terms of the metal instrumentations. The downtuned guitar, the beefy tone of the guitars and the chugging style that the band constantly utilises throughout the album may sound refreshing and suitably aggressive at first, but as the album drags on it almost starts to sound somewhat nu-metallish, and this particular so if one imagines the songs on the album without the folk instruments, especially on tracks like Helvetios. In fact, removing the folk instrumentations on the album, Helvetios would probably come across as yet another of those uninspired melodic death metal records, with the flat-sounding guitars and the boring riffs that are filled almost solely with power chords and little innovation attempted.

As already mentioned, the saving grace of Helvetios are the brilliant folk and acoustic arrangements that are present on the album. While I am all for bands attempting progress in their musical styles, in such an instance it would have been nice to see the band revert back to the style they had created on albums like Slania and Spirit instead. That said though, this album is still an improvement over the band's previous output, Everything Remains as it Never Was and is perhaps a step in the right direction for Eluveitie once more.

Originally written for http://www.heavymetaltribune.com/

Warthur Personally, I just can't get aboard Orphaned Land's Mabool. Despite being their most acclaimed album and hailed as a classic fusion of progressive metal and traditional music, on listening to it I can't really see it as anything other than a thin veneer of occasional Middle Eastern traditional music motifs over what is actually a fairly standard progressive metal sound, rather than a fundamental fusion of traditional music and metal as accomplished by some works of Mr Bungle or Secret Chiefs 3. It's a fun enough album, but I really don't think it's the creative breakthrough it's often made out to be.

adg211288 Helvetios is the fifth studio album from Swiss folk/melodic death metal act Eluveitie. Before I go into the album in detail, I want to apologise in advance for the generally negative vibe towards the band that this review is going to take. Normally criticising the decisions an artist makes in regard to what genre of music they play is not something I feel reviewers like myself are justified in bashing, at least when we’re talking about an artist who hasn’t changed their sound for the worse, but is sticking to their guns, but the fact of the matter is that Eluveitie totally flummox me in regard to the direction their music takes. It’s partly the way that they prove themselves exceptionally capable at making folk metal, but plaster it over with what is unfortunately pretty generic melodeath that does it, but even more flummoxing is how they can justify having such an exceptional vocalist in the band as Anna Murphy and not let her sing lead all the time. This is my biggest problem with the band. With just a little bit of re-jigging I think they could be something really special. But with the exception of an acoustic folk album, which in my opinion remains their best release, Eluveitie continually turns out music that more or less follows the same formula, one that as both a fan of folk metal and a reviewer makes me want to tear my hair out.

Somehow though Eluveitie have become one of the biggest names in the folk metal genre, so even though that’s just as flummoxing to me I guess they must be doing something right. Helvetios offers me no surprises in regard to the direction of the material though; the band is still producing their melodic death metal layered with Celtic folk instrumentation. The most praiseworthy thing I can say about the album is that it is at the very least a step in the right direction if this melodeath/folk metal hybrid is what we’re stuck with, as writing wise it’s much more solid material on offer than particularly their previous release Everything Remains as It Never Was. It doesn’t reach the masterpiece status that deep down I’m really longing to hear from this band, but it does give me hope than somewhere down the line we will finally be treated to such. For now however Helvetios still suffers from issues I’ve had with almost every Eluveitie release I’ve heard, with the exception of Evocation I – The Arcane Dominion, their folk album, which ironically as a non-metal release from a metal band, didn’t contain any of the issues I feel plague their ‘proper’ albums.

Now, I’ve not got anything against folk/melodeath hybrids, despite what the tone of this review may have suggested up until this point. Folk metal can get its metal side from pretty much anywhere within the metal spectrum and I think Eluveitie is very capable of making some absolutely killer songs in this vein, with perhaps the best and most known example of this being Inis Mona from their 2008 album Slania. The trouble is that these real gems of the style seem to be few and far between, and that’s mainly because vocalist Chrigel Glanzmann, who uses a growling vocal style to fit in with the band’s melodeath aspect, doesn’t really carry the songs to their full potential. His vocals work better on Helvetios in my opinion than on other releases, but I still feel it’s a lacking performance and that the songs would be better performed by Anna Murphy, who has a few vocal slots on the album, most notably in A Rose for Epona, the album’s best song. The trouble is when Anna does sing lead she very much shows Chrigel up, which was the same deal as on Evocation I where she actually did sing almost all the lead vocals. It’s ultimately a no-win situation. On a positive note the album was a much more enjoyable affair than I expected it would be but the major downside is ironically that when the band does flirt with the sort of sound I feel could make them really great it serves to highlight the issues I had on past Eluveitie releases all over again.

Despite my personal feelings though, at the end of the day I wouldn’t be doing my job as a reviewer if I didn’t make a point of the fact that when it comes down to it Helvetios is a good album. It many ways it’s pushing towards being a great one, but it is a little patchy. The first half of the album packs a bit more impact than what follows A Rose for Epona for example. That may be because as I already stated, this is the album’s apex in terms of overall quality, so naturally anything that follows can’t hold a candle to it and as it’s this point that overall faults have been highlighted on my first listen to the album I found I couldn’t listen to the material in quite the same light. This naturally carried over to subsequent listens of the album, so even the better half didn’t do quite as much for after that. Luxtos is another highlight of the album that I’d like to point out, and you probably won’t be surprised to hear that that it’s one of the songs featuring Anna’s vocals. It’s more a beauty and the beast style of vocal double team on this one, but even that works better than Chrigel on his own. Anna’s vocals really do make all the difference. She has power and charm and her voice just works with the folk sounds on so many levels.

While Helvetios doesn’t address any issues I’ve had with Eluveitie’s sound, and is very much an ‘as expected’ album at least on that sound front, it does at the very least make for an enjoyable enough listen, which is more than I can say for some of the group’s prior works. It’s the sort of album that would probably be okay for me if the band had produced considerably better already, and if we discount the acoustic album we’re actually left with Helvetios being within the high end of their discography so far. In that regard it’s a disappointment, but it’s still a recommendable release if folk/melodeath floats your boat.

7.2/10

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org))

adg211288 Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion is the third album from Switzerland’s Eluveitie. After putting out a couple of hybrid folk metal/melodic death metal albums, earning a reputation for their second album Slania in particular, Eluveitie decided to produce an album that stripped the metal out of their sound and moved frontman Chrigel Glanzmann into the background and stuck hurdy gurdy player Anna Murphy in his place as the band’s lead vocalist. This can only be beyond awful right?

Well actually it’s not. In fact although I know I’m going to get some flak for this, but Evocation I is actually, as far as I’m concerned, Eluveitie’s best album. At least it’s the only album of theirs that I feel really warrants the regard they’ve received within the folk metal scene, with the paradox in that sentence being that this isn’t even a metal album.

Allow me to explain myself. I’ve never been big on Eluveitie on a personal or even professional level. Slania is a solid and respectable album but I never felt it was masterful or anything, and their prior releases never really grabbed me. I also didn’t have a high opinion at all of Evocation I’s successor, Everything Remains as it Never Was. The problem was I also felt that Eluveitie’s Celtic folk sounds were right on the mark, but their metal was generally lacking. Then in 2009 they pulled Evocation I out of the hat, gave the metal the boot and allowed their folk influences to shine.

And shine it does. Evocation I features a nice varied approach to the folk instrumentation that ranges from the melancholic to the energetic. The lyrics on the album are mostly in the language Gaulish, giving an ancient and authentic feel to the folk music produced. This is spoiled slightly by the band retaining some small use of death growling in a few places, showing something of an unwillingness to complete isolate the sound from their past work, and seriously death growling plus pure folk music is a total no go. Fortunately it’s used sparingly.

Vocals are not as common in the album as a typical Eluveitie release. Many songs come across as quite ritual-like, although since I don’t know the first thing about Gaulish I can’t really tell what anything is about, although I do know that based on her dominant vocal contributions to the album the band should just move Anna Murphy up to the microphone full-time, since her vocals have much more charm and work better with the folk than Chrigel Glanzmann’s growl ever did. It only takes the more song-like tracks Brictom and Omnos to fully realise this.

I guess for those who are used to their normal work, Evocation I is a bit of a weird one, which may stop fans of the band from fully realising what a treasure the album really is. It would be fair to put it down as an acquired taste certainly, although I’d like to think that any metal fan who listens to folk metal regularly will be able to appreciate just want has been created here.

Unfortunately as I mentioned earlier Eluveitie went back to the day job so to speak after this album, and Everything Remains as it Never Was majorly disappointed me and they’re also just put out their fifth album, Helvetios, another metal album, which I haven’t heard yet but will be getting a review sometime in the near future. Fortunately as the title of this one suggests it’s actually the first part of a two album concept, so one day we should be treated to an Evocation II. I for one however wish that Eluvietie would get their act in gear and realise that this is what they are really good at. Evocation one has a few small hiccups, but this is only just below the borderline of a true masterpiece.

9.4/10

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org))

Conor Fynes 'Til Alle Heimsens Endar' - Galar (8/10)

It seems that the more music I listen to, the more I value surprises. Although Galar is often labelled 'viking metal'- a term that's lost much of its magic in recent years- their second album 'Til Alle Heimsens Endar' represents a more multi-faceted musical experience than I would have expected. Heard here is an interesting collision of melodic black metal (in the style of early Enslaved or Vintersorg) and- wait for it- classical chamber music. On 'Til Alle Heimsens Endar', the band strikes a keen balance between the two styles, merging the two in a memorable and dare I say 'epic' fashion.

As the plain, yet proud clean vocals tend to indicate, Galar is aligning themselves without the realm of viking metal, a style where I've often found musicians and bands using their heritage as an excuse to party and drink. As is done commonly enough, Galar incorporates some of the raspy harshness and timbre of black metal. Musically, Galar's sound is not far removed from the more progressive side of the Viking style, but the melancholic edge of the music never feels like this duo is trying to get a mead kegger fired up. Instead, there is a cinematic edge to the music that I much prefer over the alternative, made all the more vibrant by the lush chamber music orchestrations. Although many listeners will have a good idea of what to expect even if a simple 'viking metal' or 'melodic black metal' label is dropped on it, I was quickly taken by surprise by the other side of this band. Essentially, Galar toss out the guitars and blastbeats for extended passages on 'Til Alle Heimsens Endar', and resort to pianos, violins, and even a bassoon. This is what takes 'Til Alle Heimsens Endar' and pushes it up into the echelon of excellence. Their mellow edge is not folky or even symphonic- both of those would have been easy to predict. The sound here is the sort of music that's most heard in dramatic film scores, and the quality of the chamber arrangements here do not deny the possibility that the music here could indeed beautifully run alongside some tragic film sequence. The surprising excellence of the chamber half is something of a double-edged sword however; while that aspect of their sound is masterful, Galar's black metal side is not nearly as remarkable. Their tasteful balance of cleans and screams is enough for me to set them apart from many black metal acts, but on the second listen and onwards, I often found myself looking forward to the mellow passages more.

A little inconsistent in regards to the way I'm impressed perhaps, but 'Til Alle Heimsens Endar' makes for an intense and dramatic experience. If I were to give Galar any advice for future work, it would be incredible to see them incorporate the chamber style even more into their music, and mesh it in with the metal instead of leaving the two approaches separate. All in all, an excellent and- above all- surprising album from this talented Norwegian duo.

Time Signature Heart of war...

Genre: folk metal

Get ready to folk it up with the Metsatöll boys on this album entitled "Ulg" (and I must say, I love the cover art work!!!!) which combines medieval folk music with heavy metal aesthetics. Now, very often, I think that folk metal does not work, but Metsatöll belong to those bands who can create folk metal which works extremely well.

After a quite mellow and pleasant instrumental intro in the form of 'Agu', 'Sõjasüda' kicks in with fast drum beats and dissonant chords, and with its emphasis on repetition and speed, this song basically combines black metal and thrash metal, adding a folksy touch in the form of the vocal patterns. Continuing down the primitive thrash road, 'Küü' starts off combining a simply one chord groovy guitar riff with a folksy melody performed on a type of flute. Perhaps taking the listener by surprise some odd time signature passages pop up, and the remainder of the song goes back and forth between the simple groovy riff and rhythmically more complex odd metered parts, and, combined with the folksy vocals, this dynamics works excellently. 'Muhu õud' has more of a folksy drive to it, and a nice uplifting twangy sound on top of the distorted guitars, and 'Kivine Maa' is more of a traditional heavy metal / hard rock tune (with some nice use of Jew's harpes and other medieval instruments on top of the classic metal riffage). Another noteworthy tune is the rhythmically and slightly progressively oriented oriented metal track 'Kahjakaldad' (one of the best tracks on the album, for my money).

I think that one of the things that make this album work is first of all the balance between variation and coherence. Also, Metsatöll focus primarily on the metal aspect of their music, allowing the rhythm guitar to take the central role in the overall sound of the album, while the folk element primarily consists in the vocal lines and the melodies performed on folk instrumentation (I mist admit that I would have liked some more lead guitar on this album).

Overall, 'Ulg' is a quite good medieval/folk/pagan metal album which manages to draw on different types of heavy metal music, including black metal, thrash metal, and traditional metal to generate a varied, metal-focused folk metal album.

Phonebook Eater 7/10

“Redemption At The Puritans Hand” is a really good follow up to “To the Nameless Dead”, without repeating the formula too insistently.

After four years, Primordial return with a new album to the joy of the fans. This release was highly anticipated, after following their masterpiece “To The Nameless Dead”. We get something that is highly similar in concept to the previous album, perhaps toned down just a bit.

If you expect something different from the previous album, you’ll be disappointed; musically, the two albums share the same style and sound, as it was simply a second part to “To The Nameless Dead”. Thus, we have an archaic sounding production, with harsh guitars, vocals, and drums. Together, they create a dark, bleak, but at times hopeful sounding atmosphere. Whether this album is darker and more effective, it’s highly debatable. However, I can’t deny that this album has quite some moments that are distinct and unique from the other albums.

“Redemption At The Puritans Hand” is a solid release overall, consistent, and very much coherent lyrically speaking, however, I can’t help not enjoying it all the way through. Some parts of the songs, aren’t necessarily bad, or boring, the album as a whole I guess was too long, or at least it felt like it was going on forever. One of the reasons might be that the band always stretches out their songs, without adding another part to them, but of course this band is not progressive, and I never expected them to do so.

I found myself really liking some songs on this one, like the first two songs that open the album, “No Grave Deep Enough” and “Lain With The Wolf”, both having an amazingly dark and bleak atmosphere, even in the harsher moments. “The Mouth Of Judas” was kind of catchy for this record, it has a brilliant melody and a great atmosphere, and “Death Of The Gods”, the final track, is a perfect ending for such an album. Other good songs would be “The Black Hundred”, in all it’s diversity, and “Blooded Yet Unbowed” once again having a good melody and haunting atmosphere.

A solid effort, no one can deny it: one of those albums you feel like something is wrong, but you just don’t see it, because in the end you have almost no complaints. Possibly the only thing is that it is feels, like I mentioned, way too long, and much more than just an hour. Nevertheless an album that is certainly worth the wait for Primordial fans.

Conor Fynes 'The Lay Of Thrym' - Tyr (6/10)

The Faroe Islands are not a place that many know anything about, let alone that they are home to one of the biggest Viking metal bands out there. Tyr is a band that takes their love of Norse mythology and makes music surrounded by it, and while this is certainly nothing new for a metal genre that has been worshiping the icy gods virtually since its inception, their highly melodic and clean-vocalized approach to viking metal tends to send them apart somewhat from the legions of other Viking revivalists. 'The Lay Of Thrym' shows a band that is very familiar with their sound and the science of making Viking metal music. On that note, there is nothing new here that listeners of Tyr will not immediately identify with, but their legacy of catchy and melodic mythos-inspired metal lives on here.

I will make it clear from the beginning that Viking metal is not something I find myself all too enthused by, seeing as there are only so many albums and songs that can be written about the ancient stories. On the other hand, Tyr do have a identifiable sound to them, thanks largely to the vocals of Heri Joensen. It is not necessarily that his voice is distinct, but rather the fact that in a genre where vocalists tend to rumble and snarl, he opts for an incredibly clear, only slightly accented melodic voice. The music huddles around the vocal strengths of Tyr, as is evidenced by their songwriting. Although Tyr's songwriting gets somewhat tired by the end of the album, they do know how to write a catchy song, and the choruses to each of these will have you at least humming along by the end of it.

'The Lay Of Thrym' certainly is about being Norse and in no dearth of reverence for the old gods, but the thing that actually had me even just a little surprised by the album was the fact that Tyr was expanding their lyrical themes to address other issues. As one might expect, 'Shadow Of The Swastika' is about Nazis, and although a stranger to this band might suddenly think based on the title that Norse mythology is not the only thing that Tyr wants to revive, the band openly condemns the neo-Nazi movement, as well as all of the National Socialist bands that give metal a bad name. The lyrics are not particularly poetic- as anyone who has heard the song may agree- but undeniably effective. With 'Take Your Tyrant', they continue this style of good-guy lyrics, and while it is an interesting change of pace to see a metal band writing lyrics about things advocating the good and well-being of mankind (as opposed to its depravity and destruction), they usually are not particularly interesting.

For someone looking for upbeat, catchy, and even slightly (but only slightly) progressive Viking metal, Tyr's 'The Lay Of Thrym' may be a good album to check out. The album does not pass me as being great or excellent, and while the upbeat melodic nature of Tyr can feel a little too shallow for the album's length, there are enough strong tracks and originality to be worth checking out.

Phonebook Eater 8/10

“To The Nameless Dead”’s violent finesse makes it one of the key albums of Folk Metal.

Primordial, after the release of the acclaimed “The Gathering Wilderness”, took a step forward with their following release, “To The Nameless Dead”, thus far the best album that band has put out. Easily definable as a landmark album for Folk Metal, and puts Primordial among the highest names of such genre, along with Moonsorrow, Agalloch, Finntroll, Eluveite, Wuthering Heights, Nokturnal Mortum, and many others.

Like “the Gathering Wilderness”, “To The Nameless Dead finds it’s folkish elements not really in acoustic moments, which is a very common stereotype for Folk Metal, but in the rhythms, the dark, evoking melodies, the Ancient Roman flavored lyrics, the overall visceral and at times bleak atmosphere. However, this last album is more open to explicit Folklore, especially one song in particular, “Heathen Tribes”. The harshness of the guitars have not settled down, but have even more increased in intensity, the vocals by frontman Nemtheanga have got even more powerful and intense, yet always unique, the drums more fat but still great to hear. The atmosphere, like mentioned, is more effective and urgent than the previous albums: the solemnity of these galloping tracks is of an elegance (from the metal point of view, clearly)that rarely I hear in an album, is perfectly combined with a most visceral, crude, and rebellious atmosphere: this mix of almost opposing types of sound gives this album of a sort of violent finesse.

The reason of such a focused and clear atmosphere is also because of the lyrical content, which for the most part consists of Ancient Roman history, Roman Paganism, invasions. There is a more human approach on this one compared to the somewhat feral “The Gathering Wilderness”. However, nature is still of a great presence in this album, lyrically, but it isn’t hard to feel it in the air as well.

The album is the most solid Primordial has ever released, eight mostly long songs starting with“Empire Falls”, the opening track, no doubt one of the very best tracks of the band, with it’s amazing riff, strong vocals, great flow and amazing heaviness, while the surprising “Heathen Tribes” is a almost completely acoustic song that reminds much of Irish Folk music because of it’s andante rhythm. “As Rome Burns”’s nine minutes are another standout point, especially the second half of the song, where you find Primordial that have never been so intense. The Black Metal influences are most noticeable in the finale “No Nation Of This Earth”, which also has a mood and riffs that remind of such dark music.

There is really not one song I can talk badly about, a terrific album that rightfully deserves a place in the great metal efforts of the new millennium. An instant classic.

Phonebook Eater 7/10

“The Gathering Wilderness” sounds like a dark evocation of nature itself.

Primordial have been a huge success among the metal community, and praised as one of the best metal bands out there, as well as one of the best Folk Metal bands ever. One of the reasons for this success is “The Gathering Wilderness”, the band’s fifth studio album and the first that receives a lot of attention.

This Irish band has a pretty unique sound, and at the same time, it doesn’t sound like anything new: pure metal, with archaic sounding production and plenty of clean guitar atmospheres that go along with crunchy and heavy riffs, and harsh, yet extremely dramatic vocals, which sometimes are also shrieking. Many of these songs have unusual rhythms for metal, reminding a bit of traditional Irish music, a clear influence for this band. Folk Metal thus is the easiest label for this kind of music, but, looking also at the lyrics, there is a lot of references to paganism, nature, Gods, and Irish history, this way going also towards a Pagan Black Metal direction. These song structures are pretty stretched, going to the nine minute mark at the maximum. It’s a pretty long, but extremely solid release, featuring only seven tracks, that have many elements in common and remind one another, without it being a negative trait, as a matter of fact, it’s a characteristic that makes this album even more solid.

“The Gathering Wilderness” is a good mix of harshness and mellowness, but what makes this sound special is the way the musicians executed it and the overall sound if it: it has an evocative, yet savage production, like I said, thus it truly sounds like an evocation of nature itself, and I’m sure that is exactly what Nemtheanga and his fellow mates were aiming at, due also to their love for archaisms.

“The Golden Spiral”, the eight minute opener, gives you exactly what you’ll get for the remaining fifty minutes, but the title track adds even more spice to the course, as one of the greatest songs of the band, where the lyrics and the vocals are a standout. Hard not to be terrified when Nemtheanga sings “my Faith is not welcome here”. The remaining songs are really good as well, especially the extremely dramatic “The Coffin Ships”, and the final track “Cities Carved In Stone” which gives an epic conclusion to this album.

“The Gathering Wilderness” that will be for some a classic, and it a way, it is a standout for recent Celtic Metal. It’s intense drama and melancholy will eventually lead to the band’s masterpiece, “To The Nameless Dead”, which actually owes so much to “The Gathering Wilderness”.

Time Signature Hear our voices...

Genre: medieval metal

Folk metal has branched out in a lot of directions, as it merged with various different types of folk music traditions. One of these subtypes of folk metal is medieval metal, or pagan metal, which blends elements from medieval-inspired folk music and heavy metal. Cruadalach's style on "Lead - Not Follow" is best described as falling under this category of folk metal.

On the folk side, they make use of instrumentation such as pipes, fiddles, shawms and other instruments with strong medieval connotations. And these are accompanied by violins and cellos. I've heard the cello in the music of pure medieval folk acts, such as Tabula Rasa, so I assume that the cello is an integral part of modern medieval folk music. Many of the melodies on the album are also of a folksy medieval nature, which is of course further emphasized by the fact that they are played on the folk instruments. Now, I've always like the sound of the shawms, pipes and whistles in medieval folk music, and I also appreciate the way that the sound of the cello has become integrated in that sort of music, and Cruadalach successfully transfer this sound into their metal music, which has an overall nice sound (there are also some pure folk tracks on the album, such as the percussion-heavy 'Blejanje na mjesec' which also contains some interesting wild folksy vocal techniques).

The metal aspect of the album is primarily a sort of midpaced and slightly dark power metal with a couple of elements from more traditional metal (and in most cases, the overlaying of folk instrumentation on top of the metal riffage works pretty good). One thing that I quite like is that sometimes the cello plays along on the riffage rather than performing melodies, which helps generate the dark sound. There are, of course, elements from other branches of the metal tree such as 'For My Bleeding Friends', which is more of a hard rock song, and 'The Promise' which is more of a gothic doom metal song (this is also the track, I think, in which the folk and metal elements come together the most naturally and seamlessly). On the vocal side, a lot of the vocal performance consists of growls and death grunts, so there is an extreme metal element present, too. A clean, chanting type of singing is also used, which is slightly reminiscent of Langsuyar's vocals on "Wolfheart" - although I think this type of singing fits the overall sound of the album, I suspect that some listeners might find that it is unintentionally funny.

The production is definitely not polished and I think it sort of favors the folk instrumentation, which is clear and well-defined, while the metal instrumentation is more fuzzy. I think this is a bit of a shame and would have appreciated it more if the metal instrumentation were more crisp and defined in terms of the production.

Overall "Lead - Not Follow" is a pretty good medieval metal release which showcases the strengths and interesting points of that genre in general.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

adg211288 Munsalvaesche is the fifth full-length album from German metal act Enid. The album was released in 2011 and is the band’s first release since 2004’s Gradwanderer. Munsalvaesche is mostly the work of musician Martin Wiese, who handles most of the instrumentation and the vocals, while the remainder is performed by session musicians. The album is inspired by the medieval work Parzival, written by Wolfram von Eschenbach.

Although Enid began as a black metal act Munsalvaesche is very far removed from the style. Although most openly symphonic in style, the melodies of the album are straight up medieval influenced folk that is extremely atmospheric and never fails to conjure up images of the past. The vocals, which are mostly in a clean style although there are some growls as well, also fit this mood perfectly, although I have to be honest, this is one case where I could really do without the growls. Sometimes on an album with mostly clean vocals a few growls do a lot of wonders to really spice up a particular section of the music (a good example would be the song Streams by prog metal act Haken), but on Munsalvaesche they feel, unfortunately, unnecessary. I guess the use of the growls allows the album to retain some identity with Enid’s roots, but that’s really as far as their usefulness goes.

It’s actually a fair way into the album before we get to hear any metal since the opening track Red Knight completely forgoes the main genre in favour of an epic medieval flavoured opening performed as an orchestral piece. This track is, funnily enough for a metal album, one of the most epic things about the release, and a stunning opener. I like that it is a full track and not just a fancy introduction which barely lasts any time whatsoever. It’s only when we get a little way into Legends from the Storm that the metal finally kicks in and it fits in with the mood set up by Red Knight well enough, although somehow it did manage to lose a little bit of the really epic nature that the opening track held for me. It is still well composed and performed music though, and I like how Martin Wiese’s vocals become a part of the soundscape while also having memorable lyrical lines. The trouble for me is I could easily have listened to an entire album in the vein of Red Knight quite happily and will a great album all the same, there are very few moments after Red Knight ends that really capture the same level of greatness as said track.

Other highlights of the album appear later in the album and back to back. Both The Journey and Valley Under Two Suns stand as the best songs in the metal style that Munsalvaesche has to offer. Enid really captured the sound perfectly on these two, especially on The Journey which also is as close as the album comes to the atmosphere of Red Knight. All the tracks are good and have their masterful moments, though I would argue that the approach used in Belrapeire doesn’t do the medieval atmosphere any favours and while an interesting track it feels out of place on this particular album, making it the exception to the rule. Ironically when taking it out of context it’s not actually the weakest track on the album, a dubious accolade I have to hand to Condwiramurs, a track that despite being more in keeping with the album’s atmosphere than Belrapeire actually came across as a little boring.

As a whole package though Munsalvaesche is an enjoyable release with a unique take on metal music, but it does suffer ultimately from a little bit of inconsistency, something that is perhaps most evident by how far into the album it is before it gives up its post Red Knight gems. A certain spark is missing in much of the album in other words. This is however quite the intriguing release and I expect that if Enid keeps going down this track in the future we’ll be in for a real treat. For now this is pushing towards being great but does fall short by a small margin. Munsalvaesche is still an album I’d recommend to the listener looking for the more unique sound from the metal genre.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 7.3/10)

J-Man Although German black metal is often characterized by razor-thin guitar tones, war-themed lyrics, and an overall violent atmosphere, the music on Munsalvaesche is anything but that. Gentle symphonic passages, viking-styled clean vocals, and a strong traditional folk influence characterize Enid's sound on this album, and calling it "black metal" would be rather misleading to the unsuspecting listener. I'd say that this album has more in common with medieval classical and Nordic folk music than metal, but this is a highly eclectic album and, as such, does contain a few black metal portions to keep the listener on their toes. This isn't an album for the most die-hard of metalheads, but it's a great listen for the rest of us. Though a tad pretentious and inconsistent at times, this is a generally impressive work of art.

I've mentioned earlier that Munsalvaesche has a lot in common with classical and folk music, and that is especially apparent in the opening number "Red Knight" - a pure orchestral track that is epic beyond comparison. Most of the more metal oriented tracks also feature lots of symphonic and folky overtones, but there are also songs like "Belrapeire" that feature a much more modern and synth-driven approach. Munsalvaesche feels a tad inconsistent due to its excessive influences from different genres and styles, yet every individual song is enjoyable and well-composed. I guess slight inconsistency might be a drawback to making music as original as Enid have done here - make no mistake, Munsalvaesche is an incredibly unique and often enjoyable journey.

As strange as it may sound, I find myself enjoying the non-metal portions of Munsalvaesche much more than the heavier sections. The tranquility found in the gentle folk passages is stunning, and the metal sections come across as a bit generic by comparison. That's not to say that the heavy sections are bad, but more just to highlight how wonderful some of those symphonic passages are. I wouldn't call Munsalvaesche a flawless album, but it's a well-composed, original, and professional observation that fully deserves 3.5 stars.

UMUR "Mulmets Viser" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Danish death/folk metal act Svartsot. The album was released in March 2010 by Napalm Records.

"Mulmets Viser" pretty much continue where "Ravnenes Saga (2007)" left off. That´s a mix of mid-paced death metal and folky lead melodies played by both guitar and flute/whistles. The addition of Mandolin and accordion also provide an extra folky flavour. The lyrics are evolve around traditional Danish folklore and Nordic mythology. The growling vocals are slightly more intellegible this time around and that´s a plus in my book. The band generally deliver an energetic performance and there are several strong tracks on the album. Most tracks are a bit too similar in style though so it´s nice to hear a more epic sounding track like "Den Svarte Sot" included.

"Mulmets Viser" is another solid release by Svartsot. I still think their Amon Amarth meets early Amorphis sound (albeit with a more folky edge) lacks a bit of an original touch, but on the other hand you get a quality sound production, well written tracks and a band performing with passion, so I guess that somewhat makes up for it. A 3.5 star rating is deserved.

UMUR "Ravnenes Saga" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish folk/death metal act Svartsot. The album was released in November 2007 by Napalm Records. Svartsot grew out of the ashes of the more black metal oriented Skoll.

The music on the album is folk oriented death metal. Sort of like Amon Amarth meets early Amorphis. The lyrics evolve around traditional Danish folklore and Nordic mythology. The lyrics are in Danish but honestly you could have fooled me as the growling vocals are processed and completely unintelligeble. It´s too bad as I´m sure more intelligeble vocals would have done the quite entertaining lyrics more justice. The predominantly mid-paced albeit energetic and melodic death metal is quite enjoyable though. The omnipresent flutes and whistles provides a happy folky atmosphere and are a great asset to the soundscape.

The 12 tracks are a bit one-dimensional and simple in style and therefore it´s greatly appreciated when the band does something a bit different and more epic in a track like "Hedens Døtre". By one-dimensional I by no means mean bad though. The quality of the tracks are consistenly high throughout the 46:01 minutes long playing time, but I still think a bit more variation between tracks would have made "Ravnenes Saga" a stronger album.

The Jacob Hansen production is powerful with an organic touch and suits the music well.

"Ravnenes Saga" is quite the entertaining folky death metal album and when the album ends I´m left with a smile on my face. As mentioned above there are a couple of slight issues with the unintelligeble growling vocals and the fact that most of the tracks don´t vary enough from each other, but overall "Ravnenes Saga" is still a strong album deserving a 3.5 star rating.

Conor Fynes 'Iron' - Ensiferum (6/10)

Hailed by the band's fans as well as many folk metal heavyweights as a classic of the genre, Ensiferum's 'Iron' is now by many standards; a classic album. Although some have gone on to prefer the Wintersun project that band frontman Jari Maenpaa would do after leaving this band, there is no doubt that Ensiferum have left a great mark on folk, or pagan, or viking, or whatever-you-want-to-call-it metal with this album. Basing their act around their historic culture, as well as broader subjects concerning things like fighting, folklore, nature, and fighting, it is clear that this Finnish act have carved out a very particular niche for themselves,and their speed-oriented brand of folk metal is also established very firmly here. While Ensiferum clearly knows what they want to do here, and do it well at that, the result still feels like an album that- while barrels of good fun- could have been a great deal better, given a little more moderation.

Keep in mind that this is a relative outsider to the world of pagan metal speaking, but there is no doubt that Ensiferum is a band that aims to go over-the-top with virtually every aspect of their sound. Whether its the speedy rhythms, bombastic folk interludes, or belted vocals, everything about Ensiferum exudes this vibe of overindulgence. For the most part, this works well and is alot of fun. Going into a pagan metal album, one knows quite well what to expect, and Ensiferum does deliver that much; a collection of upbeat, epic-sounding metal tracks with a handful of folky segments to provide a great soundtrack to some beer-fueled pagan party out in the wilderness somewhere. The metal parts have some good energy to them, and the folk parts often feel like more than a gimmick; as is especially evidenced in the first track on the album, they are not afraid to let the folk elements take hold for a little longer than your average folk metal band's necessary interlude. This is something I can respect Ensiferum for.

While Ensiferum has got some great things going on for them, it feels to me like the way they are organized and put together could still use alot of work. While we have this over-the-top sound and upbeat folk, that is really all there is to 'Iron', no middle ground, no substantial moments of build-up, nothing but this small handful of different sounds. It is like driving a car that will only allow you to rocket ahead, or inch along. While Ensiferum do get the 'epic' vibe across that I am so sure they were aiming for, the total lack of moderation and dynamic in their sound makes the wild sound feel pretty tame after its been rocketing along for around forty minutes. When I first listened to the album, I was even thinking that the version I was hearing could have been sped up; at times, things sounded like Ensiferum were content to trade off musicality for speed, when I feel some of these tracks could have benefited by being toned down a notch, at least here and there.

'Iron' is a good album for folk metal, and it is very indicative of legions of bands who opt to play this upbeat and energetic style of music. While I do like what Ensiferum have done here, my thoughts about their music here are more mixed than anything, and despite the enjoyment that's been had here, I can't be but a little disappointed, when a few things could have been improved upon to make for a much more powerful experience.

Time Signature Aftermath...

Genre: Folk/Celtic melodeath

The three-track EP "Kronos' Heritage" is the second release from folk metallers Krampus this year - and I must say that their productivity is admirable, especially considering that, as far as I understand, their releases are self-released and not backed by any label.

The three tracks are solidly grounded in melodic death metal, although Krampus have not adopted the Gothenburg sound, which is always refreshing (I like the Gothenburg sound, to be sure, but it is nice to know that there are artists who do not follow the trends) and you can expect uptempo drumming, melodic but aggressive riffs as well as harsh vocals combined with clean ones. The vocals are mostly a sort of metalcore scream with the vocalist delivering some guttural growls and some clean choruses every now and then.

Krampus make extensive use of folk instrumentation and on top of the melodic death metal, there are folk instruments playing folk melodies (some times the guitars join in, too), and there are also whole passages that are more fundamentally folk-driven.

I think that the three tunes on this EP are just right in terms of metal elements and folk elements, and - although I am not a big fan of the vocals - I think that "Kronos' Heritage" is an all round solid and enjoyable release.

adg211288 Spitefull is the debut album from Israeli melodic folk/black metal act Ekho. The self-produced album was released in 2011 and followings on from a pair of the demo releases, Nymph and Among the Shadows of Erebus.

Most of the second demo, among the Shadows of Erebus also appears on the seven track album. The tracks appear in more polished versions and the title track as been renamed to simply Among Them. The only track absent from the demo is its closing instrumental Across, which in itself is a real shame because Across was quite an interesting closing piece for the demo and would have suited Spitefull in much the same way. Its absence, or at least the absence of a track in the same vein, makes Ekho seem more of a one dimensional act than I previously knew them to be. This is, naturally, something of a disappointment.

The second disappointment with Spitefull is its length. The full-length album only just gets by the half an hour mark, and only features seven tracks, three of which we’ve heard before. These tracks are at least very noticeably improved upon, with Bar Sanitovsky’s vocals being the most massive improvement in the overall sound of the band, although I do find myself wishing that he would stick to his growl when there’s a moment where some cleaner vocals are used, in the opening track Departure and in closer The Spite, although they are better in the latter.

Spitefull is mostly a positive experience though. The band’s sound is highly melodic and is mostly rooted in black metal rhythms and vocals, topped off with some folksy lead guitar melodies and use of keyboards that don’t push the release into any massively symphonic territories. Some of the new songs on the album don’t showcase as many folk leanings as the one included from the demo, which is something you’ll likely note straight away after you’ve heard Departure and Frail Life when Waters of Abyss kicks in. Overall this is still a melodic folk metal release over a black metal one, since those folk leanings can be very prominent in their sound, especially in Wrath Behind You, but the first two tracks are their most black metal sounding pieces on offer, the folk really picks up from there in.

To be honest, although there is a lot of improvement in Ekho’s sound on the album, Spitefull doesn’t make it any further up on the ladder of excellence than they did with Among the Shadows of Erebus. They were close to stepping up a rung, but didn’t quite get there, mostly for the issues I outlined at the start of this review. The album is however solid material and highly professional from the bunch of young talented guys but they’ve still got a bit of a way to go yet before they take that step onto the rung that signifies a real masterful release. But while they only just made it onto the ‘solid album’ rung with the prior demo, with Spitefull they’re firmly on it and ready to take that next step for album number two. I’ll be very interested to hear what they can come up with when that time comes.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 8.1/10)

Wilytank Celtic folk metal isn't a particularly common style in metal, but Primordial have really gotten more than their fair share of praise from the metal scene...for a very good reason: the music that they make lives up to the hype. 'Spirit the Earth Aflame' is one of their albums that stands out the most. They have made some of the most epic sounding music ever and without any keyboards or flutes that lots of other folk metal bands do.

Even on the intro track "Spirit the Earth Aflame", you can see why they are full of such awesomeness. Epic guitar tones and riffs, drumming that really seems signature to this kind of band, and A.A. Nemtheanga's voice of heathendom.

None of the songs ever get very fast paced, nor do they need to. The slow tempo in the songs just make it even more epic. "Gods to the Godless" and "The Soul Must Sleep" go at the same speed, but you can tell that they are a different awesome song.

Get it!

The Block I’m not a huge fan of folk metal. Granted I said this about black metal, too, when I first really started to listen to black metal. And now I like black metal, in fact my top release of 2011 so far is black metal. I was hoping that something like that would happen with folk metal, too. Well, let’s just say it didn’t go totally as planned. French folk metal group Cave Growl’s debut, Something Drunk, didn’t really impress me too much, to say the least. Centered on getting drunk at a local tavern this album is a more of the same over and over again, with few bright spots.

Granted this album could’ve been a complete disaster with just songs about drinking, drinking, and more drinking and no sense of good music at all. But thankfully Cave Growl focuses on the music throughout this album, so it is somewhat bearable. I really shouldn’t be too harsh on this album; it is for free off their website and it shows plenty of talent, especially in the drums, but it’s hard to find a lot that I like about it. For one the vocals are almost shouts, and they never really find their place on the album. They’re not quite growls, but they aren’t screams either. The best way to explain it is a mix between the two (plus a couple of drinks thrown in). The riffs on this album are pretty decent, especially the Scottish themed ones on “Captain Blackbeard”. The musicianship on this album is definitely very fine, but the whole drinking song atmosphere kind of drags this band down. I would love to see this band find something else to sing about, and I’m sure they will have great success.

The production of this album is another down point. This is a self released album, but I’ve heard much better production on self released albums, but I’ve also heard worse, though not much worse. It definitely isn’t polished, but in a way it fits the feel of the album. The only problem with that is that I don’t really like the feel of the album that much.

Overall this is an okay debut from the French folk metal act, but nothing too impressive by any stretch of the imagination. This definitely isn’t the ideal place to start with folk metal, but if you enjoy drinking songs this might just be your cup of tea. Anyway, Something Drunk gets 2.5 stars.

adg211288 Слово (Slovo) is the sixth full-length album by Russian folk metal act Аркона (Arkona), which was released in 2011. It follows on from the EP release Стенка на стенку (Stenka na Stenku) which was released earlier in the year, of which the EP’s title track also appears here. Like prior releases the album features a number of guest musicians including Meri Tadic of Eluveitie, and a full orchestra.

Now Аркона has really been on a role with their albums since 2005’s Во славу Великим! (Vo Slavu Velikim!). Each release has been pretty much faultless and they’ve delivered three masterpieces of their genre in a row. So logic says that eventually they’re going to trip up and after the fan’s only release that was the Стенка на стенку EP, I did wonder if Слово might end up being the release that did that tripping up. To be honest even then I was still expecting a solid album from Аркона since as a band they’re still miles ahead of many other acts, but to my pleasant surprise if this is that hidden tree root on the forest path then Аркона has casually stepped over it and delivered yet another folk metal gem. While thoughts of ‘how?’ may resonate through my mind at them being able to do a fourth album this great, here’s why it is.

The presence of the orchestra gives the album more of a symphonic feel than any of the band’s prior work, but I wouldn’t call Слово a change in direction for Аркона, more like it’s an expansion of their vision. Their use of actual instruments to produce their folk sounds remains and as usual I can’t find anything to fault with their take on the folk melodies. What’s perhaps more notable for the metal fan is that there seems to be some additional prominence given to Sergey "Lazar"’s guitar riffs, with gives the band’s songs some additional metal bite, not that they weren’t heavy to begin with since the band is rotted firmly in the extremer side of the folk metal genre. Back to the orchestra it doesn’t steer Аркона onto the symphonic folk path that acts such as Turisas follow. This is still very much a folk metal album with the band’s typical extreme metal leanings, but the orchestra really adds extra depth to the sections of the album it’s used on, and the resulting sound is an Аркона that is even more epic than before, which is quickly heard on the opening introduction track Азъ (Az’).

While music is in some ways typical for Аркона (but then bear in mind that typical Аркона is usually nothing less than masterful), Слово is notable for not sounding like a re-working of past releases. All the key elements of the band’s sound remain with the expansions outlined above, but the album has its own identity amongst their back catalogue. The flow of the songs is really excellent, especially the way Азъ moves into Аркаим (Arkaim), which is easily one of the very best that Слово has to offer.

As usual the band varies the approach to the metal side of their music. While there is plenty of room for vocalist and band mastermind Masha “Scream”’s folksy clean vocals, there are also some real intense metal parts where she unleashes her death growl, to the point that some of the music goes all the way into death metal territory, such as in Никогда (Nikogda). The riffs are sometimes more in a black metal vein in some places, although the group never go completely in this direction as they do with the death metal stuff. The folk side is usually leaning towards the darker and melancholy type, which is fitting with the extreme metal, but there are a couple of moments where the folk takes a ‘happier’ turn in Леший (Leshiy) and also in the familiar track from the EP, Стенка на стенку.

One more thing of note is how easily I was able to get into Слово compared to other Аркона releases, even the one’s I now dub as masterpieces. While I normally require a few listens to the albums in one hit to really get into them, Слово captures me right from the start and simply refuses to let go until its conclusion almost an hour later. Better still it doesn’t lose any appeal after becoming familiar with it.

Just how Аркона have managed to make a fourth masterpiece in a row is beyond me, but I’m very pleased that they have. They had me worried after the recent EP, but the doubts I had were ultimately needless. Once again Аркона proves that they are one of the most essential folk metal acts in existence. Overall I have to say that the prior album Гой, Роде, Гой! (Goi, Rode, Goi!) just about tops Слово because Слово does actually have one track that just doesn’t quite sit right for me, which is Потомок (Potomok), but fortunately Потомок is just one of a couple of interlude pieces, and one that doesn’t last even a full minute at that, but nevertheless I have to mention that Слово sounds a ever so slightly less cohesive package because of its presence.

But all in all this is definitely one of the albums of the year, and it is worth noting that it has been an extremely good year.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 9.7/10)

adg211288 The Middle Kingdom is the second full-length album from Irish folk metal act Cruachan. This is the first album release that they put out after reforming, and the band returns with many changes to their sound. The Middle Kingdom was released in 2000.

Cruachan’s previous album Tuatha Na Gael (1995) was in the folk/black metal style. The Middle Kingdom drops the black metal from their sound completely, and completely revamped the way the band produced their music. For one thing as of this album they were female fronted, with singer Karan Gilligan replacing band leader Keith Fay as their main vocalist, although Fay does retain some vocal parts on the album, however his growl is only actually heard in a single song. The production is also a lot more polished and professional than on Tuatha Na Gael, giving a much clearer sound that naturally makes Cruachan’s music sound much more commercial than on their debut. The folk side of the band remains intact though, drawing on their Irish folk roots extremely well. The metal here shares the odd similarity in riffing style to Tuatha Na Gael, but draws more of traditional metal than black metal. Additional there are several parts on the album that come across as being progressive.

The change in style means that Cruachan’s music isn’t anywhere near as aggressive as it was before their initial split, but that wasn’t mean that they music is bad, just different. Karan Gilligan is an excellent choice of singer for folk metal, and suits thee new direction of the music really well. It’s perhaps because of that that Keith Fay’s growls, in the brief time they appear come as a surprise and actually sound out of place. I very much prefer Fay’s clean vocals on the album, which are used in a couple of songs. Additionally there’s some guest vocals from a John Munnelly in Is Fuair An Chroí and if you have the special edition, also in bonus track To Hell Or To Connaught.

The Middle Kingdom is a much easier album to get into than Tuatha Na Gael ever could be, however even after giving it just as much time as that album I just don’t find The Middle Kingdom ultimately as rewarding. This is solid folk metal that is done really well both compositionally and performance wise, but it lacks the same spark as Tuatha Na Gael and the following Folk-Lore album (2002), and being sandwiched between two folk metal masterpieces doesn’t do The Middle Kingdom any favours really, since it makes it even easier to notice the flaws in the album. The Middle Kingdom certainly isn’t a bad album, and there are many gems amongst its tracks such as Celtica (Voice of the Morrigan), The Fianna, Is Fuair An Chroí, and Unstabled (Steeds of Macha), but it is perhaps best described as an album by a band that were trying to go in a new direction, but needed another album to perfect it. Still for the great tracks that are here and for being a highly enjoyable release in its own right, Cruachan still deserves a pretty decent rating for The Middle Kingdom.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 8.3/10)

adg211288 Возрождение (or Vozrozhdenie in English text and used herein) is the debut full-length album by Russian folk metal group Аркона (translated: Arkona), which was released in 2004. The album features an almost entirely new line-up from the group’s prior demo release, with the only constant being frontwoman Masha “Scream”. The sound of the record is notably different from later releases by the band, as at this stage in their career Arkona seems content to create their folk melody through use of a synthesiser, rather than the assortment of actual traditional instruments that graces their more recent releases.

This admittedly gives the album something of a synthetic feel in regard to the folk parts, but otherwise this is good first album from the band. The riffs are heavy and Masha’s vocals are stunning, being a mix between cleans that are very fitting to folk music, and harsh vocals, which she also does extremely well. Masha is the highlight of the album, because while her vocals are stunning, her compositional skills also make her stand out from the crowd. The synth dominated sound of Vozrozhdenie means that overall the album isn’t as stunning as it could be, the compositions are generally great and well performed, and the production gives the release a professional sound fitting to the heavy riffs and backing synths. Some of those synth parts sound real enough, but overall the ‘faked’ sound of them is a bit hard to miss.

I’m not so bothered about that in the larger scale of things. Masha makes the album a joy to listen to on her own. The main issue I have with the album is that there is a guest vocalist who crops up in a few of the tracks, called Alexey "Lesiar" Agafonov. His vocals add nothing to the album that Masha couldn’t have done better, and I don’t really see the point in bringing in guest singers when your full-time vocalist can handle the parts just fine. His growl is completely inferior to Masha’s, not because it is bad, but because it just doesn’t fit with Arkona’s music in quite the same way. I just fail to see the need for his presence here.

Vozrozhdenie is a good enough album from Arkona, but it’s not a patch on what they would go on to produce. The album is probably best described as a sign of better things to come. Still, its solid material and one of the better examples of snyth driven folk metal that I’ve come across so far. I feel a positive score is still pretty justified for Vozrozhdenie, but recommend that new-comers to the band check out later full-lengths such as Гой, Роде, гой! (aka Goi, Rode, Goi!) as a starting point for the group.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 7.5/10)

adg211288 Tuatha Na Gael is the debut album from Irish folk metal act Cruachan. Until very recently (2011) it was something of the oddball album in the band’s discography, being of more of Folk/Black Metal style, complete with a raw, yet atmospheric, production. After this album Cruachan actually split up and didn’t release another album until 2000, and they came back lacking the black metal tendencies of Tuatha Na Gael, although they gradually brought them back in more recent years from the album Pagan (2004) onwards. As such Cruachan gained most of their popularity from their other albums, and so in all fairness based on that Tuatha Na Gael may not sit so well with many of the band’s fans.

That’s kind of ironic really in the current metal scene where claims of ‘selling out’ are all too common, since if Cruachan did any selling out (I don’t really subscribe to such things for the record), it was after this album, yet this is the one that seems to be criminally underrated within the Cruachan discography. Oh well, I guess I’ll never understand metalheads. A shame really, because Tuatha Na Gael is arguably a very important release for the folk metal genre, specifically for so called celtic metal, of which Cruachan are an important entity (if not the most important artist of the entire style).

The fact is though that Tuatha Na Gael is actually a very strong record, but it suffers from a few things that make it difficult to get into, although once I did get into this album I actually found those things to be to the album’s credit. The core of the band’s metal side is raw black metal, which is created mostly through the lo-fi production values and tortured rasps from band frontman Keith Fay rather the instrumentation. Most of the music is layer with traditional Irish folk music as well, although there are parts where Cruachan cuts in back to allow the metal to come to the foreground. You can hear them doing this extremely well in an early track, The First Battle of Moytura, which is actually the first proper song after the instrumental folk introduction piece I Am Tuan. Instrumental work crops up a lot in the album, both as instrumental pieces and as drawn out sections in the vocal pieces, which are generally long tracks of around seven to eight minutes in length.

Another interesting folksy instrumental is Maeves March, though unlike I Am Tuan is includes some distorted guitars in the background. I suppose on a technical standard the production is pretty bad on the release, and Maeves March is a good showcase of that since the folk stuff is really loud whilst the guitars seem to be played as if in the distance. Somehow however the album manages to work, and not just in a passable fashion either, but I actually wouldn’t want this album in any other way. The raw sound gives Tuatha Na Gael a genuine feeling of authenticity in a sort of natural, raw, Pagan and primal way. The music is heavy, atmospheric, melancholic, and underneath that raw production is actually crafted pretty masterfully. The folk instrumentation is a particular treat, as it is on all of Cruachan’s releases. Many of the more popular folk metal acts would do well to take a few leaves out of Cruachan’s book.

If the whole lo-fi thing does nothing for you than I have to admit that you’re most likely to not find anything on Tuatha Na Gael to be worth your time. But that’s your loss, since what we have here is actually a gem of folk/black metal that is sadly overshadowed way too much by Cruachan’s more successful mid-career albums such as Folk-Lore and The Morrigan's Call. Ironically despite the tone this review has taken I’m just a big a fan of these albums and I actually consider Folk-Lore in particular to be the superior of Tuatha Na Gael (I actually think it’s one of, if not the best folk metal album of all time), however it’s about time the band’s fans started waking up to this overlooked and underappreciated release.

With the still recent release of their sixth album Blood on the Black Robe that returns the band to their black metal roots (albeit in a much more polished and modern way), the timing to rediscover Tuatha Na Gael couldn’t be better. It may take a little bit of getting into, especially if you, like me, found the band through their more commercial releases, but given proper care and attention to explore this release properly, you find something that is no less than a masterpiece. The highest of accolades is definitely well deserved for this album, and I hope that metalheads will soon wake up to it. Since this was released back in 1995, it would not be before time. Also if you buy it now you’ll get the ’97 promo as a bonus, which provides some interesting additional listening material from the bridge between the band’s first two albums and shifting style.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 9.5/10)

Wilytank Imagine for a second if Ensiferum was a warrior woman and Finntroll was a warrior...troll. They made sweet passionate love in the forest (real nice thing to imagine). The resulting offspring would be Equilibrium, who would go on to make himself a living legend.

And why not? When I think of Equilibrium's Sagas, I think of a combination of Finntroll and Ensiferum's sounds to make one epic folk metal album. You have the fast paced guitar tremolos and drums like Ensiferum, and overblown folk instruments and fanfare like Finntroll. You've got the best of both worlds here!

Equilibrium only sings in German, but the real thing to pay attention to is the music. "Prolog auf Erden" is an awesome way to get things rolling. It's one of those intro tracks that starts out the album with actual music instead of just ambiance or spoken prologue. Among other highlights is one standout song titled "Unbesiegt", which sounds like a battle in a rain forest with the South American-esque flutes making it a very unique and interesting song by a European folk metal band.

Everything climaxes at the epic 16 minute instrumental at the closing of the album, "Mana". Besides some choral "oooh"s and "aaah"s, the music is the only thing telling the story here. This song is a folk metal opus. It'll make you feel like you and your battle party are ascending some heavily occupied enemy citadel, fighting really tough enemies, fighting mini-bosses, finally reaching the final boss, killing him/her/it, and flying your team's banner on the top of the compound as peace returns to the land. ...wow that sounded really nerdy. :/

This is my favorite folk metal album right now. If you can get past the huge length of this album (79 minutes, a quarter of which is taken up by "Mana"), you'll find this really awesome too.

Time Signature Poverty...

Genre: power folk metal

Drawing on both power metal and folk music - tipping more towards the folksy side than the pure power metal side I think - this has got to be the best folk metal release, I have heard in a long time (closely followed by Skáldmöl's "Baldur" and not quite beating Skyclad's "Jonah's Ark").

Most of the melodies, and many of the riffs themselves, follow folk melody patterns, which also applies to the vocal melodies, sung to perfection in Mathias Blad's smooth and solid mid range voice. The vocals are exclusively sung in Swedish, and I must say that Swedish sounds fucking awesome in this context. It also adds a further folksy dimension to the overall music (at least to me, who grew up with a lot of folksy Swedish TV-shows). This album also features the fiddle and other traditional Swedish folk music instruments, but they are never dominant in relation to the metal instrumentation.

A lot of the tunes are in a midtempo pace, although there are some more uptempo parts, and some of the guitar riffage is quite groovy, but you can also expect black metal-like tremolo stuff, and there are even some blastbeats now an then. There are also elements from traditional metal and, of course, power metal, and I really like how the guitars make use of harmonies, and how heavy they sound compared to a lot of power metal.

If you like Nordic folk music and heavy metal music, then this album should definitely be up you alley. A strong contender to the title of folk metal album of the year.

Time Signature Metal and bones...

Genre: symphonic folk metal

It's big. It's epic. It's dark. It's heroic. It's Crimfall. "The Writ of Sword" is one of those albums that are so rich in detail that it takes some time to really be able to appreciate it.

The band combines folk metal with symphonic metal, which means that you will encounter both symphonic orchestration and folk instrumentation throughout the album, and there is also an emphasis on folk melodies, which are performed sometimes on guitars, sometimes on folk instruments and sometimes vocally (I really like those passages where the folk melodies are sung).

In terms of metal, Crimfall draw on power metal and melodic death metal and spice it up with elements from power metal and melodic black metal, and thus this album contains both galloping guitars, groovy riffs and blastbeats. In terms of vocals, you will heard both harsh male vocals and clean, as well as rock-ish, female vocals. Now this is not exactly and original approach, but it works; especially the female vocals are pretty awesome at times.

If you like your metal big and epic, then you should not hesitate to buys this album.

Time Signature Dance of death...

Genre: folk metal

Danish folk metal act Svartsot have, apart from apparently being M1 users (Danes will get the joke), the distinct honor of pretty much spearheading Danish folk metal, and now they are back with their third album.

The overall musicianship is very high and the album is characterized by professionalism, tightness and crisp production. The underlying drive of the music is quite typical of folk metal, and the band successfully integrate the folk and metal elements such that the folk instrumentation and folk melodies never obscure the traditional metal instrumentation of drums, bass and guitars. Most of the tracks are kept quite heavy, but with the typical folksy drive.

This heaviness suits the lyrical content, which deals with the hardships that the people of 14th century Denmark had to endure while the plague raged the country and took many lives. The problem, however, is that, because of this heaviness, the album sort of loses its momentum towards the end, which is a bit of a shame because the individual tunes are quite good.

The vocals are performed in Danish, which is obviously interesting, but the problem is that the vocals are so brutally growled that it is virtually impossible to hear what is being sung, and thus the listener misses out on what the sounds of the danish language might have contributed to the listening experience.

'Maledictus Eris' is a suitably dark folk metal album, which is characterized by professionalism and top notch musicianship, and I am sure that it will appeal to many fans of folk metal.

Time Signature Valhöll...

Genre: Norse metal

Sung in Icelandic and incorporating elements from traditional Icelandic music, this has got to be as Viking as Viking metal gets.

The metal music base is a blend of traditional metal, speed metal and a bit of power metal and incorporates solid riffs akin to the typical riffage of all three metal subgenres, and both uptempo, midtempo and heavy paces, which generates a nice feel of variation. There are plenty of twin lead guitar and single lead guitar melodies, many of which are based on folksy melodies. But the folk influences do not stop there, as Skálmöld incorporate traditional Norse choirs and vocal melodies into their music, and several of the tracks also feature traditional folk instrumentation - especially in the intros. The lead vocals are harsh and semi-growled, and I must say that Icelandic is the most metal language in the world.

There is an overall epic heroic feel to this album - and this epic atmosphere is generated by both folk elements and metal elements, but there is also a dark and melancholic side to the music which is present in much Nordic folk music.

This is Viking metal. It's big. It's heroic. It's fucking awesome!

adg211288 Something Drunk is the debut full-length album by French folk metal group Cave Growl, which was released in 2011. Although it is possible to order a physical copy of the album via the band, they have also released it as a free download via their website. As always with anything released for free, what more incentive is required to give the band a go?

My introduction to Cave Growl’s music comes straight from the band’s vocalist/guitarist Tritt in form of a sales pitch of sorts, who reveals that the band is most influenced by traditional Irish melodies and of course, metal. Their sound is created through a fusion of heavy metal and traditional instruments such as fiddles and bagpipes. This is a good thing for me without even hearing the group’s music, as it lets me know that they mean business, or if you prefer, folk metal that goes beyond drinking songs.

Hang on, I hear you say, the album is called Something Drunk right? Doesn’t that imply drinking songs? Well, yeah it does, but they are done in such a way that the music is what comes first. It should do, since Tritt also states in his sales pitch that the band aims to be an alternative to acts such as Eluveitie and Korpiklaani, who, in his own words “serve to us the same old shit during years without any innovative stuff”. It’s not exactly a subtle thing to say on his part, though I want it on record that I agree with him in regard to said examples. However given the focus on drinking songs and an attached tagline of ‘Pure Alcoholic Folk Metal’, I have to admit to being somewhat cautious when approaching Cave Growl’s debut, as after that remark coupled with seeming to be on the drinking songs folk metal bandwagon, this album could, potentially, have been a disaster.

It’s far from it however. The use of real instruments to create the folk side of the band is a big plus naturally, and is done generally well. As can be common with folk metal the folk instruments take on the role that is more often filled by the lead guitar, all there are some guitar solos on the album, but most of the time Tritt and fellow guitarist Rémi seem content to just riff away and maintain the heaviest of the record. There are some lighter sections on offer as well though, so variety is present in the album, and it’s nice there they is a wide range of folk ideas on offer, many of which are pretty spectacular.

There are two main problems with Something Drunk however. The biggest one is the production, which is not outright terrible but not exactly amazing either. It works well enough to showcase the material, but right from the off I wasn’t able to shake the feeling that if it had been polished up a bit then the record would have had a greater impact on me.

The second issue is Tritt’s vocals. Mostly he sticks to something that isn’t quite a growl, but has a rough edge to it. This is, admittedly, quite fitting with the alcoholic folk metal thing that Cave Growl has got going on, and does have a general appeal to it, but by the time I’m some way into the album, the style has started to grate, and it’s almost a relief when the vocals are shifted into growls, such as in parts of Silent Whisper. On a shorter album this wouldn’t be such a major problem, but Something Drunk clocks in at over an hour, so when trying to take it in one hit it can be a struggle. Naturally there are places where his vocals work better than others, especially in the song Battle's Beer, which is one of the album’s highlights.

Mostly though I am left with genuine positive thoughts about Something Drunk. The production issue could easily be improved should the band get a bit of backing (Something Drunk is a self-released affair). Tritt’s vocals can be an issue as I said, but with a bit of honing he could easily carry an album of this length better than he does on Something Drunk. The compositions are what make Something Drunk worth taking note of however. Drinking songs folk metal yes, but it’s very clear to me that Cave Growl is miles ahead of other bigger name bands that are doing this sort of thing. In some ways they remind me of Cruachan (one of my personal favourite folk metal bands), only drunker.

The burning question I find myself asking in regard to Cave Growl is if they would be a stronger unit if they ditched the whole drinking songs thing. The answer I come up with each time is yes. Not only because in general I have found stronger output from folk metal acts that have more serious lyrics, but because I have known the genre to be somewhat ridiculed for being too silly. It’s an opinion that I can respect because with many acts it’s all too easy to see where they are coming from. With Cave Growl delivering folk melodies of the highest standard, the music seems to be screaming for the drunkenness to be lost and for things to be all round taken to the higher level of quality exhibited by the band’s folk side.

In summary this is a good first album, but there is much I feel could be improved on. I look forward to hearing future releases from Cave Growl all the same.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 7.1/10)

adg211288 Beyond the North Winds is the second album by Canadian one-man band SIG:AR:TYR, which was released in 2008. SIG:AR:TYR began as a folk/dark ambient project and released a demo in this style in 2003. Their 2005 debut Sailing the Seas of Fate introduced some metal into the sound, creating a form of folk metal. Beyond the North Winds builds upon the sound of Sailing the Seas of Fate, bringing in even more of a metal influence, and retaining the acoustic folk and dark ambient ideas of previous releases to create what is a much heavier and metal dominated album.

The opening nine and a half minutes track, King of the World, is a great showcase of the direction that mastermind Daemonskald has gone with on Beyond the North Winds. The riffs are much more prominent in the mix, and the production more suited for something to have a kick to it, rather than the atmospheric sounds of prior offerings. This is still very much an Atmospheric take of metal, however here we start to get the best of both worlds. The result, in my opinion, is the strongest of the SIG:AR:TYR albums released to date.

Sailing the Seas of Fate was a solid first full-length, but it suffered from the fact that it was best taken as a whole, to fully be able to appreciate the atmospheric journey that it was, as there weren’t really anyone songs in the mostly instrumental release that really stood out as an individual highlight. It was album that you had to take, press play, and just absorb. In that, it was a success. But Beyond the North Winds goes one better by doing just that within a greater metal aspect, and has many tracks that can be taken on their own as highlights of the album. The intense opener King of the World is just one of them. The title track that follows is easily on the best songs of SIG:AR:TYR. It’s also certainly one of best uses of folk melody with the acoustic guitars with a backing of heavy guitars. The closing ballad Far Away is also a particular treat.

The album retains tracks reminiscent of SIG:AR:TYR’s roots as well, with Pale Autumnal Moon and Sword From An Unknown Hand showcasing the dark ambient sounds behind the stunning acoustic tones that Daemonskald gets out of his instrument. Here the style is used as transitional tracks (or breather pieces if you prefer), between the metal songs. I normally hate anything along the lines of introductions, interludes, or outros, however all I really have to say is that if every artist did them in such style as this then I wouldn’t be complaining.

Aside from going pretty much fully metal on Beyond the North Winds, another major change in the sound is that there is a greater focus on vocals. Daemonskald delivers in three distinct styles on the album – whispering than gives a feel of narration, or perhaps to better describe them, like the words of some Pagan ritual; black metal rasps, which aren’t the strongest in the world but are done in a very effectual way, and clean singing. I really like Daemonskald’s clean singing, and Far Away is a great example of how good this guy really is. The presence of more vocals makes Beyond the North Winds a much easier album to get into than the prior demo and album, but the music is far from commercial since, especially in regard to the still present dark ambient and folk parts, which give the release a really dark feel than I suspect metal fans will find appealing.

Many of the tracks are long, but they don’t feel drawn out in any way. The music grabs instantly and is able to make eight and above minute durations pass in what seems to be the blink of an eye. The lead guitar work is stunning, not least because some of with some of it Daemonskald swaps his electric for an acoustic. The music overall is much more folk metal than any of the other SIG:AR:Tyr releases, but black metal elements are present as well, which hint at the direction that SIG:AR:TYR took with the follow-up to Beyond the North Winds, 2010’s Godsaga.

Beyond the North Winds is an album that I can’t find fault in. Not only is this a unique take of folk metal but it is also masterfully crafted, and it beggars belief that this is all the work of one man. For this amazing release SIG:AR:TYR deserves nothing less than full marks.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scoring 10.0/10)

adg211288 Sailing the Seas of Fate is the debut full-length album by Canadian one-man band SIG:AR:TYR, which was released in 2005. SIG:AR:TYR’s only prior release is the demo The Stranger, which features a mix of folk and dark ambient music, with no relation to the heavy metal world that SIG:AR:TYR starts to become a part of with Sailing the Seas of Fate.

The music here has, for the most part, actually got much more in common with The Stranger than anything metal related. If you were to put Sailing the Seas of Fate up next to its 2008 follow-up Beyond the North Winds, you’d notice a clear difference. The album sounds like something of a transitional release between it and The Stranger. Metal elements are introduced here, appearing very early on in the opening track, Dreaming of the Dawn, and the riffs are very clearly influenced by the black metal genre, although the end result of the album is best described as a unique brand of folk metal. Metal sections have a very small focus on the album however, and the real star attraction here is the excellent use of acoustic guitars to create an atmospheric record. Use of vocal is few and far between, and like the electric guitars sound fitting to black metal at times, but at others the man behind the project, Daemonskald, uses more of a whisper to deliver the lines. It’s quite effectual, either way.

The most surprising track is the closing Skuld, in that is the most metal dominated track, featuring chugging riffs, black metal vocals, and more typical use of electric guitar. It still retains the excellent use of acoustics though, and there is a great ambient metal feel to the track’s intro in particular, but overall it has a very clear shift from the folk/ambient dominance of the previous tracks.

Although as I said above the album does have the sound of a transitional release between the distinctly non-metal SIG:AR:TYR that made The Stranger and the very metal SIG:AR:TYR that has, at the time of writing this review, released two following studio albums, the most recent being the black metal dominated Godsaga, this is still very solid material from Daemonskald. The atmospheric sections are on par with The Stranger, and the new found metal influence is used to great effect, while retaining the feel of an atmospheric record. This is atmospheric metal, and a very atypical take on the folk metal genre, and I highly recommend it and SIG:AR:TYR’s other releases to anyone who is looking for something that goes beyond the usual standards of metal music. This is, in all fairness, the weakest of the SIG:AR:TYR releases, and I even prefer the demo by a small margin, but this is still a great addition to any metal collection.

The only thing it really suffers for is that it has a lack of individual highlights, which may be in turn because of the lack of vocal lines to hook the listener into singing along. Taken in one hit and just enjoying it for its atmospheric qualities and the album is a great success, but if you don’t find the idea of that appealing, then Sailing the Seas of Fate clearly isn’t an album for you, but I still highly suggest you look into the following releases, which feature a very different focus to this one.

Still I do highly enjoy Sailing the Seas of Fate and will of course rate it for how it is meant to be taken. On that note, I think this a great journey through these so called seas of fate, and happily award SIG:AR:TYR a score worthy of a really great album. I say again though that there are better SIG:AR:TYR releases, which hopefully should give you an idea of just how strong the discography is.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scoring 8.2/10)

Time Signature Tears of metal...

Genre: Celtic/folk metal

This release, I think, is one of the more convincing folk metal releases I have heard. I must admit that a lot of folk metal strikes me as being silly and cheesy, but this release is totally free of silliness and only slightly cheesy.

The folk part of Krampus' music appears to be primarily rooted in Celtic folk music (with folk instrumentation and folk melodies performed on folk instruments), while the metal part combined melodeath, power metal, and traditional metal. In this particular case, the combination of folk and metal works very well, I think, and captures a lot of moods ranging from melancholy to uplifting fun and metal aggression.

All the tracks on this release are good, but "Tears of Stone" and "Witches' Lullaby" are outstanding.

As much as I like the musical aspect, I do not appreciate the metalcorish vocals. I would prefer clean vocals as in some sections in "Tears of Stone", I must admit. And there are also elements of the use of keyboards to achieve epic effects in some intros that strike me as being somewhat cheesy.

At the end of the day, "Shadows of our Time" is a solid folk metal release, which captures the best of both worlds and successfully combines it.

Conor Fynes 'V: Hävitetty' - Moonsorrow (10/10)

Whether you are a fan of the music or not, it is difficult to argue that Moonsorrow are not masters of epic metal. Through a notably consistent and accomplished career, the band has crafted immense pieces of music that- more often than not- transcend the barriers of metal and go to lengths that few folk metal bands ever do. 'V: Hävitetty' is the fifth full-length album of Moonsorrow, and I could go to argue that it is their best. Throughout the course of an hour, Moonsorrow makes it clear that they are in an entirely different league than any of their Finnish compatriots, and one of the best at what they do. With only two tracks here to make up the hour of music that 'V: Hävitetty' offers, the catchy drinking tunes usually associated with folk metal are non-existent here, instead giving way to two compositions of metal that is epic in the truest sense of the word. 'V: Hävitetty' is a masterpiece of metal, to put it simply, and although long-winded at times, I would love to see a detractor of the genre still arguing their common points that it is merely a style of 'noise' or 'screaming' after hearing this.

As previously stated, 'V: Hävitetty' takes the form of two epic-length tracks, 'Jäästä syntynyt/Varjojen virta' and 'Tuleen ajettu maa'. Contrary to the majority of the bands that reach some level of international acclaim and fame, Moonsorrow choose to remain singing in their mother tongue of Finnish, and while it would often be difficult to make out what the singer was saying through all of the dense instrumentation and raspy cries that make up most of the vocal work here, it is still a testament to the band's unwillingness to compromise. Anyone who has heard something from Moonsorrow before will have some idea of what to expect right from the start; grand orchestrations from both metal and folk instruments, complex arrangements, drawn out compositions and a triumphant tone to everything they do. Here though, there is certainly a little more of a black metal feel when compared to music they had released in the past, although there are no profound stylistic changes to really mention.

Instead of changing up what they have grown up doing as a band, Moonsorrow instead chooses to refine and intensify their existing sound. Simplicity is rare, and even possibly non-existent in the vocabulary of 'V: Hävitetty'; quite commonly, multiple instruments of many different timbres will be playing at once, giving the semblance of a folk metal orchestra. As one might expect, all of the details within the music are impossible to all pick up from the first listen onwards, and it is this sense of exploration and engrossing nature of the album that makes it so good. Although the album is never too quick to develop or change its pace throughout each song's monstrous length, it is difficult to leave 'V: Hävitetty' on merely in the background, due to the fact that there is too much going on to go unnoticed. The production of the album can sound a little weak at times, but this is almost certainly due to the fact that Moonsorrow jammed so much sound into the mix that the competition between instruments makes things a little cloudy.

For an album that is so instantly enjoyable and emotive, 'V: Hävitetty' is surprisingly challenging. A masterpiece of the genre, and contrary to what some might argue, this is the way folk metal was meant to be done.

Conor Fynes 'Verisäkeet' - Moonsorrow (8/10)

Finnish epic metallers Moonsorrow have become one of my favourite bands as of late, and 'Verisäkeet' does not break the streak of awe and excellence the band has demonstrated with each past experience I've had with them. Moonsorrow have always been ones for drawn out folk metal epics and their heavy sense of ambition takes them great places here. A somewhat more raw and black metal-leaning album than what I have heard before from them, 'Verisäkeet' is yet another long album to get lost in. It may not be the most successful record they have churned out, but for its flaws and faults, 'Verisäkeet' comes through as a great album.

Unless you are a newcomer to the music of this band, track lengths often reaching the fifteen minute mark and beyond should not be any surprise from the band at this point. In that sense, they have not changed their style much. There are still lush orchestrations, extended and often detailed compositions, and a heavy folk element that puts Moonsorrow at the top of the pagan metal hierarchy. For the sake of 'Verisäkeet' though, there is more of a focus on raw black metal sounds than there are on other records, if even a bit. 'Verisäkeet' is far from being a simple record, but there are moments where it feels as if Moonsorrow are paying an homage to the black metal classics. The final minutes of the opener 'Karhunkynsi' even feature a close rendition of the Mayhem song 'De Mysteriis Dom Santhanas', which is always a bit of a shock to hear on an album that otherwise prides itself greatly on its grand scale and bombastic nature.

Although the folkier side of Moonsorrow's fanbase may find the darker, brooding sound of 'Verisäkeet' a bit offputting when compared to their other albums, it does work to bring a sadness in the band's voice that is just as emotionally stirring as their more triumphant approach. 'Verisäkeet's more to-the-point nature is not something I think works as well for Moonsorrow as when they decide to go all out with orchestrations, like with 'V: Havitetty'. Also, the album's cohesion becomes less of an issue when each song becomes so long, but the final track 'Kaiku' feels a tad unnecessary. Although it is a pleasant ballad, having a four minute acoustic piece (the final four minutes is left to tedious natural ambiance) trail such monstrous tracks beforehand feels somewhat underwhelming for a closer to what it otherwise an epic piece of music.

Despite the flaws that remain pronounced enough to clearly identify, Moonsorrow's fourth album remains a triumph. Moonsorrow have impressed me again.

Conor Fynes 'Tulimyrsky EP' - Moonsorrow (8/10)

It is somewhat ironic that the EP of a band would turn out to be among their longest works. Here is Moonsorrow's 'Tulimyrsky EP', consisting of one typical Moonsorrow track (a half hour sprawling epic) and a considerable amount of bonus material. Although an EP is rarely ever supposed to hold much weight in a band's discography, this release has garnered some big attention from both fans and others in the metal scene, and for good reason. On top of an epic track that is soon to become a modern classic in pagan metal, the covers here are highly impressive and go to show what a giant act Moonsorrow really is. All this aside though, I would tend to agree with the consensus that 'Tulimyrsky' may have had more stopping power if they had only cut down on some of the material after the main attraction and shortened things up a bit. All the same, some of the material here is fantastic.

Of course, the covers and redone editions of earlier tracks are an added benefit, but the majority of the attention should be directed towards the epic half hour track 'Tulimyrsky'. Its name is Finnish for 'firestorm', and this does reflect quite well in the music. An epic that shows the bands roots in black metal quite well, there is an epic scope of songwriting here, and the vast amount of time the track has to work with lets each idea get nicely developed before moving on. Although there is a fair use of repetition in the writing of 'Tulimyrsky', one of Moonsorrow's greatest assets is that somehow, the music never gets boring, despite the fact that their style focuses greatly on hypnotic pagan anthems. There are two or three recurring musical themes that keep popping up throughout the piece, and this gives it some great cohesion. The epic peaks towards the last five minutes, which is absolutely majestic; chants, symphonic arrangements, and driving guitars give me chills each time 'Tulimyrsky' comes to a close. This epic reminds me greatly of the music on Moonsorrow's fifth album (and my personal favourite) 'V - Havitetty' and it remains one of the band's greatest achievements, although some parts can wear a bit much with the spoken word dialogue and soundscapes.

The rest of the album is quite strong, but also feels as if the afterthought it dragged on far too long. It feels that if 'Tulimyrsky EP' had ended as soon as the song did, there would be a lasting state of awe, but instead the band goes straight into cover tracks. Fortunately however, these covers are fantastic. The more famous of the two is the Metallica song 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', from their album 'Ride The Lightning'. Moonsorrow prove how strong their sense of style is here by taking a classic song and truly making it their own; one listening to it could almost swear it was a Moonsorrow song they were listening to, as opposed to a cover. The two 2008 redo versions are quite good, although somewhat forgettable when compared to the rest of the music that 'Tulimyrsky EP' has to offer.

An EP that comes close to being essential, 'Tulimyrsky EP' is highly recommended and more than worth checking out, if even only for the brilliant title track.

Time Signature Metal shall you know...

Genre: folk / black metal

The tracks on this album may be divided into two categories: folk metal and black metal, and it seems like the overall source of inspiration is Bathory - the legend of viking metal.

The tracks in the first category, some examples of which are "...Where His Ravens Fly...", the instrumental "Tanfana", and "Runes Shall You Know", are dominated by the folk music influence. The vocals are clean and melancholic, and all melody is folk-derived. Moreover, these track include folk instrumentation (some is keyboard-based), which performs most melodies such that the classic rock instrumentation becomes more of a background to the folk melodies. In some cases, though, the guitar is allowed to play a lead melody.

The black metal tracks are still very much under the influence of folk music, but here the vocals are snarled or growled in the typical black metal fashion, and the electric guitar is moved to the foreground. Some examples are "Time Between Dog and Wold" and "In Flames". I should reiterate that even these tracks are still anchored in folk metal, and they are kept in the same 3/4 midtempo as the other tracks, and they are melodic with no brutality or aggression to them at all.

In terns of atmosphere, this album is quite good. The viking folk nature of the music and the nature of both lead and vocal melodies contribute a very melancholic and dark atmosphere to the album, and it certainly is worth listening to several times because of the atmosphere. However, I do think that all the tracks on this album tend to become monotonous and, characterized by repetition, some are even on the verge of becoming boring.

Then again, repetition is considered a quality according to traditional black metal standards, and it is possible that the use of repetition is a deliberate import from the black metal genre, in which case, I am sure that black metal fans with enjoy and appreciate the monotony of this album. I do think, though, that "Tiurida" will appeal more to folk metal fans than to black metal fans.

cennsor [review originally published on http://thecennsor.wordpress.com/]

So here they are again, our beloved islanders from the cold cold North (ok, I’m probably exaggerating, it’s no Svalbard after all). The Faroese Týr are back, and it’s a pleasant return.

Just a couple (literaly) years after By the Light of the Northern Star, the talented quartet is out with a new release, still under the auspices of the trusted Napalm Records. Once again, almost nothing has changed, and once again, that’s just very good news for their listeners and lovers.

The album, aptly titled The Lay of Thrym, is the same old bunch of viking-inspired songs, a collection of solid heavy metal songs with a lot of folky undertones, plus a very nice ballad and two superb bonus tracks (more on that later). Does that make for a boring listening? Again, not at all. Týr have already shown their ability not to get too repetitive although dwelving in the same genre and stylemes for what feels like a long time now (and it actually is, as they’ve been around since 1998). The Lay of Thrym is just another good example of that.

The album kicks off with the powerful, typically Týr-ian Flames of the Free, setting the tone for all that’s to come. Shadow of the Swastika, though bearing a somewhat ambiguous title, is a funny number whose lyrics might have you reflect – or, you might just fall for the general catchiness and the nice solo; either would be good.

On the same vein is Take Your Tyrant, something of a “libertarian” anthem, if that makes any sense. Same goes for Hall of Freedom, but to avoid repetitiveness, Týr placed the balladesque Evening Star right in the middle of the two like-themed songs. Evening Star is a little pretty gem, and personally I think it outscores any slower-tempo “soft” stuff these guys have ever done. To kind of vary the general lyrical output, this number is Lord of the Rings-themed (something we can’t seem to get any rest from, especially when we think of “epic” power metal bands, from Blind Guardian down down to their legion of clones; but midway through a viking metal album, that makes for a nce variation).

Fields of the Fallen could be described as a synthesis between Týr‘s characteristic folky background and sort of a “return to the metal origins”; and a very good one at that. I don’t honestly remember so many and such good guitar solos from Týr in the past, which sure accounts for a bit of variation more within the songs and to the general feel of the album.

But it’s time for the folkiest of the lot: unlike on their previous works, this time Týr have confined the Faroese-sung songs in the second half of the album. Konning Hans, an actual Danish/Faroese traditional chant, opens this second half, with a well-known beginning to listeners of Týr and connoisseurs of the genre. Ellindur Bóndi á Jaðri and Nine Worlds of Lore also stem from Faroese traditionals, but had their lyrics re-written by guitarist/vocalist Heri Joensen, respectively in Faroese and English. The Lay of Thrym serves as a closer, with its epic echoes making it a nice metal counterpart to the eddic poem that inspired it.

And just when you thought that was it, here come the bonus tracks. Let me just say they blew me away! Bringing credit to those who would describe the album as a fusion of folky and heavy metal roots, here’s two astonishing renditions of Black Sabbath‘s I and Rainbow‘s Stargazer. The late Ronnie James Dio couldn’t have asked for a better viking metal tribute. Personally, I find the latter especially well rendered, nicely balanced between being a faithful cover and instilled with a typical Týr flavour. If you somehow found the rest boring (unlikely, if you’re a Týr fan), these two covers will more than make up for it.

THUS SPAKE THE CENNSOR: Týr are still out there doing what they do best: being Týr. That should suffice to convince any die-hard and even not-so-die-hard fans that The Lay of Thrym is worth adding to your viking metal collection. Especially if you’re into the “softer” (but I would just say “more listenable”) side, the powerish-epic one, of it. Personal note: I found this album much better than the two altogether that they put out between 2006 and 2008. But actually, no comparison is needed to just enjoy The Lay of Thrym quite a lot. 7,5/10