Eluveitie

Orpheus Omega – Wear Your Sins Review

By Twelve on March 28, 2019 in 2019, Australian Metal, EVP Recordings, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, 41 comments

“One of my favorite things about melodic death metal is its versatility. Alone, death metal is a style that I can appreciate but don’t often enjoy. So when you fuse it with aspects of other genres that I love, it’s easy for me to enjoy the result. Subsequently, this has long been one of my favorite genres of metal music. So much so that I’ve been hunting for some to review basically since the moment I got here. At long last, here they are, Orpheus Omega, who hails from Victoria, Australia, and Wear Your Sins, their fourth full-length effort.” Wish upon a scar.

Celtachor – Fiannaíocht Review

By Grymm on April 25, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Irish Metal, Reviews, Trollzorn Records, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 28 comments

“As a young lad, I took great pleasure in diving deep into the mythologies of the world. Little Me buried himself in books detailing Greek mythology like most people would with comic books. As years progressed and I discovered the joys of metal music, I found plenty of inspiring stories from around the world. From the books of J.R.R. Tolkien to Elias Lönnrot’s timeless Kalevala (thank you, Amorphis), my appreciation for stories of different cultures and lands would not be so rich had it not been for the music you and I love so very much. Now, Ireland’s Celtachor crafted Fiannaíocht, a 57-minute epic based on the stories of hunter-warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill, long-regarded as the bravest, strongest warrior to ever walk the Emerald Isles.” Fightin’ Irish.

Abinchova – Weltenwanderer Review

By Lokasenna on April 9, 2018 in 2018, Folk Metal, Massacre Records, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Swiss Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 15 comments

“One of my esteemed fellows, when I picked it from the promo-bin, dismissed Weltenwanderer as Eluveitie-core. Even as one of the few people around here with a soft spot for Eluveitie, that criticism is spot-on. Abinchova are three albums into their career and are settled into a style of folk-infused melodeath strongly reminiscent of their countrymen. Leaving the merits and flaws of the style itself behind, is Abinchova any good at it?” All folked up.

Cân Bardd – Nature Stays Silent Review

By Dr. Wvrm on April 3, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Northern Silence Productions, Reviews, Swiss Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, 43 comments

“~~First-time~~ long-time readers will note this site’s rep for lofty production expectations. Hell, even yours truly, who once indulged in sub-100 kbps Youtube rips, the food court Chinese of music formats, somehow finds himself infected with those same insidious ideals. Still, that total production meltdown, the one that drags down a perfectly otherwise great score and results in public gnashing of teeth, has escaped me. So when I saw that Nature Stays Silent was mixed by a 19-year-old one-man band ‘at home,’ I braced my eardrums for maximum pain.” Bardd of hearing.

Last Days of Eden – Chrysalis Review

By Steel Druhm on March 20, 2018 in 2018, Pride & Joy Music, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Symphonic Metal, 75 comments

“When the whole “symphonic metal with opera vocals” thing hit the world with Nightwish, I was intrigued and quite receptive to the concept. I enjoyed their first few albums, yet within a scant few years, the deluge of generic female-fronted clone acts had me running for more extreme climes and rarely have I looked back. That brings us to Last Days of Eden, Spain’s answer to Nightwish.” Symphony of the Night(wish).

Ensiferum – Two Paths Review

By Dr. Wvrm on September 13, 2017 in 2017, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Folk Metal, 60 comments

“Until now the Finns proved largely exempt from the Law of Diminishing Recordings™. Unsung Heroes may have polarized the metal community, yet in my estimation, an inability to execute on lofty goals, not a weakening sound, purpled that particular nurple. 2015’s One Man Army proved as much. Still, time marches on, and Two Paths proves no one is above the Law.” Folk law.

Eluveitie – Evocation II – Pantheon Review

By Dr. Wvrm on August 17, 2017 in 2017, Folk Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Swiss Metal, 85 comments

“Were Angry Metal Guy not lashed to the slave stick most days, I’m sure he would make good on his promise to give this a 1.0/5.0 based solely on how much he hated Eluveitie’s last album Origins. To be fair, that verdict may overstate the strain that Origins placed on Eluveitie’s generic melofolk, but not by much.” Stop straining the folk!

Dusius – Memory of a Man Review

By GardensTale on March 22, 2017 in 2017, Extreme Metal Music, Folk Metal, Italian Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Folk Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Viking Metal, 65 comments

“There’re as many ways to suck as there are to rock. There’re bands like Akoma and Starkill that make watered down, lowest common denominator crap. There’re can’t-be-arsed bands like Green Bastard that sound uninterested in their own music. And there’re the inept enthusiasts, of which newcomers Dusius might be the patron saint. This band clearly love what they do, but most of it is truly, genuinely bad.” We are bad, and that’s good. We will never be good, and that’s not bad.

Equilibrium – Armageddon Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on August 10, 2016 in 2016, Folk Metal, German Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Folk Metal, 26 comments

It’s hard not to be in the mood for some folk metal when I wake up every morning surrounded by towering pine trees and solar-eclipsed mountains. The birds chirping incessantly, the sun patiently ascending the treetops, and the gentle breeze carrying the sweet smell of dew-tickled pine needles. These are the surroundings that make folk metal. And what better way to take in this lush atmosphere than with a new Equilibrium release? Sure, there are bands better suited for my morning cup of coffee, but these Ensiferum and Finntroll worshipers have been delivering quality folk metal for close to fifteen years. 2016 finds them in a dark mood—a mood altogether surprising to a band known for being folking fun. So what happens when the band unleashes Armageddon on its fans? Is it too late to shut this off before the trees catch fire?

Suidakra – Realms of Odoric Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on May 12, 2016 in 2016, AFM Records, Black Metal, Folk Metal, German Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 44 comments

“As pointed out by our highly esteemed El Cuervo, Suidakra is perhaps one of the most productive bands on the planet. Including this year’s Realms of Odoric, the band has dished out twelve albums in nearly twenty years (including an early-career period where the band was releasing an album a year).” With so much productivity, are these guys the anti-Necrophagist?