Folk Metal

Morgan Rider and the Deep Dark River – Leviathan and the Deep Dark Blue Review

By Kenstrosity on November 19, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Folk, Folk Metal, North Soul Records, Reviews, Rock, Folk, Folk Metal, Rock, 23 comments

“My taste in music is a bit scattered. If I had to guess, I’d say that’s partly due to the fact that I’ll listen happily to just about anything, but I like to live with a genre for a long time before absorbing a new one into my regular rotation. My main musical gaps feature the various branches of folk. I’ve been meaning to change that for years now, but I constantly put it off for one reason or another. When I saw a folk metal album drop in our bin, I figured, “why not start now?” Hence, Morgan Rider and the Deep Dark River’s debut record Leviathan and the Deep Dark Blue. No expectations. No assumptions. Just me, embarking on a voyage into uncharted waters.” Swimming with the blues.

The Night Watch – An Embarrassment of Riches Review

By sentynel on November 7, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Folk Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Folk Metal, Progressive Metal, 42 comments

“The Night Watch bill themselves as “violin fronted instrumental progressive folk metal,” which certainly isn’t inaccurate. However, An Embarrassment of Riches feels first and foremost like a soundtrack album. It’s just one that adopts folk and metal as part of its sonic palette, in the vein of some of Bear McCreary’s work. As an instrumental concept album, it’s looking to tell a story.” Telling tales.

Borknagar – True North Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on September 26, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Century Media, Folk Metal, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Viking Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Viking Metal, 42 comments

“Calling me a fanboy of Borknagar is an understatement. Because of this, the review of this year’s True North has been one of the toughest yet for ole Grier. That’s why it’s always difficult to trust the opinion of fanboys, starfuckers, or anyone getting financial ‘encouragement’ from a band or label. Wait a second, Grier, did you back yourself into a corner and admit that no one should trust this review? Hell no, plebs. I’m no n00b.” Trve North, trve journalisming.

Vorna – Sateet palata saavat Review

By Master of Muppets on September 23, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Lifeforce Records, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Folk Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 45 comments

“With the annual pilgrimage to dead leaves and perpetual darkness underway, an appropriate soundtrack is imperative to survival; I need something that will simultaneously sonically augment the surrounding scenery as well as shield me from its scheduled sadness, something which will bring this death to life and save me from it. Such a savior has arrived in the form of Vorna’s Sateet palata saavat, and though I am loathe to share such splendor with the likes ov you, the urge to babble about said greatness has temporarily overtaken my selfish recalcitrance: you’re welcome, yo.” The autumn wind smells like Muppet.

Geistaz’ika – Trolddomssejd I Skovens Dybe Kedel Review

By Carcharodon on September 11, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Danish Metal, Folk Metal, Reviews, Signal Rex, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 26 comments

“Denmark. It’s one of those places oft-overlooked, by me at least. If I think of Scandinavia, Norway and Sweden immediately come to mind, belatedly followed by Finland — which I’m reasonably sure is not actually part of Scandinavia — and only then, Denmark. Similarly, when I think of metal, and black metal, in particular, the same countries come to mind, probably in the same order. Denmark just isn’t really on my geographic or musical radar. I realize this will be deeply offensive to any Danish readers but I’m British and we currently specialize in offending other Europeans by the disparaging way we talk about them and their countries.” Dis-Danes.

Elvenking – Reader of the Runes – Divination Review

By Eldritch Elitist on August 29, 2019 in 2019, AFM Records, Folk Metal, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Folk Metal, Power Metal, 18 comments

“While checking out a music video for one of the lead singles to Elvenking’s latest record, Reader of the Runes – Divination, I stumbled across a comment that deeply resonated with me. To paraphrase: “This is pretty good, but I still feel like a Pagan Manifesto widow.” It’s rare for a band to drop their best album seventeen years and eight LPs in their career, but 2014’s The Pagan Manifesto was precisely that.” Everything’s runed.

Manntra – Oyka! Review

By Twelve on July 29, 2019 in 2019, Croatian Metal, Folk Metal, NoCut Entertainment, Reviews, Folk Metal, 21 comments

“Why do people listen to folk metal? For that matter, why do I listen to folk metal? There are many plausible answers to this strangest of questions, beginning with “power metal and Vikings are a great combination,” and spanning all the way to “flutes are cool, man.” Truthfully, I think “folk metal” is too broad a term. When I first stumbled across Okya!, the fourth full-length from Croatian folk metal band Manntra, I was intrigued by the “folk metal” tag the band carried, but also brought with me the usual trepidation of not really knowing what to expect. Ensiferum folk metal and Eluveitie folk metal are, after all, very different metals, but both fall under the same basic tag.” A jig in a folk.

Falls of Rauros – Patterns in Mythology Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on July 16, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Gilead Media, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 82 comments

“A wild Muppet appears! Maine is about as renowned for its black metal as it is for anything else that isn’t lobsters, blueberries, or Stephen King, and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna trust my homelands trvest export alone with Arizonan Ne’er-do-well Grier; I’m worried that his review isn’t biased enough, yo. There’s also the tiniest, itsiest little bit ov a possibility that alcohol and boredom coaxed me into challenging the Assumed Non-doctrinaire to a medieval weapons duel for the reviewing rights.” Fight for the Falls.

Tanzwut – Seemannsgarn Review

By Twelve on June 12, 2019 in 2019, AFM Records, Folk Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Folk Metal, 39 comments

“So there I am, minding my own business, taking a casual stroll through the Angry Metal Promo Pit when a certain Tanzwut catches my eye. There’s the name, of course, but more importantly, the tagline: “medieval rock,” they use to describe themselves. Now, the last time I heard “medieval” applied to a style of metal, the album was The End is Nigh, the band was Apocalypse Orchestra, and my Album o’ the Year was thus. So if you tell me you play “medieval rock” and you have two bagpipers in your band, well, what can I say? I’m in.” Bag men.

L’Acéphale – L’Acéphale Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on May 4, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Eisenwald Records, Folk Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 24 comments

“Twenty-nineteen has, so far, been an interesting year for metal. Not including the fact that the infamous Lords of Chaos has finally hit the big screen. And it seems to be the catalyst for some interesting current events. Events brought on by weirdos that wish they were 1) Norwegian and 2) friends with Count Grishnakh. Churches of all denominations have been going up in flames around the world and one can only wonder how far this will go. Hell, as of this writing, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has gone up in smoke. And one can only wonder, with the nonstop success of the French scene, who is responsible.” Burning times.