Angry Metal Guy

Arkona // Stenka Na Stenku
Rating: 3.5/5.0 — An EP
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: arkona-russia.com | myspace.com/arkonarussia
Release Dates: EU: 2011.05.24 | US: 06.14.2011

Arkona (Russian: Аркона) are a Russian folk metal band that has been a real revelation in the scene, as one commenter over at the Angry Metal Guy facebook page put it. Their music deftly blends Russian folk themes with black metally influence and ends up being a bit of a Finntroll plus Russia result. As far as this Angry Metal Guy is concerned, this cannot be more welcome. So while we aren’t being graced with a follow up to 2009′s excellent Goi, Rode, Goi! you can at least get a taste of an acoustic version of it on this EP.  Continue reading

After Steel Druhm’s fine addition to this discussion about awesome metal songs, here’s the continuation of my ridiculously superior list. No need for a rant. Just jump right on into the joy contained below. Here’s the first one.

Continue reading

Korpiklaani // Ukon Wacka
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — Let’s drinka then humppa
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: korpiklaani.com | myspace.com/korpiklaani
Release Dates: EU: 04.02.2011 | US: 02.15.2011

I’ve always said there can never be enough folka/polka humppa drinking metal from Finland. Go ahead, ask my friends, I’ve always said that! Thankfully Korpiklaani feels much the same way so they keep churning out albums at a highly dependable rate (seven albums in seven years). If you heard any of the previous albums you know what to expect here on Ukon Wacka. If not, imagine a far less serious and way more drunken Finntroll. This is filled to the brim with ridiculously catchy humppa/polka styled folk metal meant to be played whilst hoisting huge frothy mugs of foaming ale. That’s entirely appropriate since Ukon Wacka was an ancient pagan festival where the beer flowed muchly. If such beer soaked party music from 1099 doesn’t sound appealing to you, go home and tell your mom you’re a loser not a boozer. Continue reading

2010. Wow, man. 2010. We’re counting months now until we all die in 2012. So how do you think it’s going to happen? Do you think that terrorists will get a nuke and fuck up the world? Or do you think that a meteor will hit? Or should I wait until the end of 2011 to ask that question?

Well, either way, now that I’ve given your children nightmares that they will never get over, I’d like to say THANKS. Thanks to everyone for reading this blog of mine (and Steel Druhm’s—who gets a special thanks for writing for this blog of mine). Thanks for responding to posts, for donating to the website to help keep it afloat and thanks for your patience when I can be a little bit inconsistent due to having a life and not doing this for a living (and thanks to Mr. Steel Druhm especially, but also Lord Doom and the others who have helped pick up the slack). It’s really cool that you do that. That you get an RSS feed of reviews that we write. That you debate and that you feel as passionately about metal as we do even if we don’t all agree. That’s awesome.

Also, a big WTF to Southern Lord and Profound Lore for not sending me promos despite repeated requests. What’s an Angry Metal Guy gotta do to get some love from y’all? I’m not going to download your shit illegally to review it, but I’d like to review it! So send me promo already for fuck’s sake!

Lastly, I want to say a word first about the fact that 2010 saw the loss of two of my personal heroes: Ronnie James Dio and Peter Steele. Let’s not forget both of these metal icons who gave in their own very unique ways to the fabric of the thing that we all love. Metal will definitely not be the same with them gone.

In honor of 2010 being a pretty good year (aside from the untimely deaths), I’ve got to present my top 10. And more importantly I have to declare the Record o’ the Year! Continue reading

Equilibrium // Rekreatur
Rating: 2.0/5.0 — Happy but boring
Label: Nuclear Blast (EU | US)
Websites: equilibrium-metal.net | myspace.com/equilibrium
Release Dates: EU: 18.06.2010 | US: TBA

Equilibrium hit the world right in the face when Sagas was released a couple years ago and they really became a folk metal (pagan metal, viking metal, whatever the fuck you want to call it) sensation. And sensational is really how many people experienced that record. It was like a cross between Finntroll, Ensiferum, Turisas and Rhapsody of Fire: unceasingly melodic, over-the-top, ridiculously happy and engaging as hell. In 2010, now, this elite German act is returning with a follow-up to what is already considered to be a classic in the genre, with their third record entitled Rekreatur. How could it possibly live up to all the expectations? Continue reading

Helfahrt // Drifa
Rating: 2.0/5.0 — Bland like tofu on dry toast
Label: Trollzorn/SMP Records
Websites: helfahrt.com | myspace.com/helfahrt
Release Dates: 30.04.2010

Folk and pagan metal seem to be the new melodic death these days, where every band with a fiddle or flute and a fondness for Renaissance Faires can produce “epic” songs of long-forgotten lore and jump on the bandwagon that trails behind genre leaders like Finntroll and Moonsorrow. After the recent whirlwind success of fellow Germans, Equilibrium, I had high hopes for Helfahrt and their third full-length album Drifa. Yes, the band’s name reads “Hell Fart” in English (though the english translation is roughly “the journey to Helheim and the land of the dead”). Now that that’s out of the way we can continue. You in the back, stop sniggering!

From the get-go, Drifa is typical folk fare, with an acoustic guitar leading into an angular, distorted riff. Unfortunately, by the end of this first track you have heard almost every trick in Helfahrt‘s book (I said, no laughing!). The band’s fondness for half-time riffs and traditional black metal tremolo guitars over blast beats is all too apparent, and there is certainly no reinvention of the wheel going on here.

This trend continues over the next two tracks, with a predictable formula of tremolo riffs driven by the kick drum breaking into half time and then rising up again. Unfortunately these dynamics (or lack thereof) are not enough to keep a listener’s attention and by the fourth song I was bored. Thankfully “Abscheid” mixes it up a little bit with a short, but sweet, acoustic piece that prominenty features a mouth harp. The twanging and folkish chanting is pleasant and until now is the only real indication beyond lyrics that you are listening to a folk inspired album.

After “Abscheid” though, I tuned out. There is just not enough going on in the songs to grab my attention. Everything about the tracks is of a good quality; the production is solid, the vocals are strong (remining me a bit of Thyrfing in places) and the instruments cannot be faulted. There is, it should be noted, a distinct lack of guitar showmanship which I feel hurts the album a little since a good, strong solo to look forward to in a song might actually redeem the blur that makes up the remaining tracks. There is a brief moment that made me lift up my head and start nodding it a little with “Zu Asche”, that features a very catchy hook and conjures all the usual images of flagon waving and brave warriors (despite the absence of additional folkish instrumentation), even if the formula from the past six songs is followed by-the-book.

Sadly, Helfahrt feels like metal-by-numbers. Drifa is an acceptable metal album, there is no doubt about it, but there are hundreds of other bands that sound exactly like it and who quite possibly mix it up a little more. The band has not done anything horribly wrong in their latest offering – and fans of pagan-tinged black metal would do well to at least give them a chance – but they do not seem to have done much right either. There is nothing wrong with creating a formula and sticking to it, which is certainly the feeling that I get from Drifa; however Helfahrt‘s case it is a formula that is being done much more effectively by so many other bands. The pagan metal market is almost as saturated as death metal and black metal at the moment and it takes something special to stand out from the crowd; unfortunately Helfahrt does not seem to possess what their style so desperately needs.

Skyforger // Kurbads
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — A remarkable blend of elements
Label: Metal Blade
Websites: skyforger.lv | myspace.com/skyforgerofficial
Release Dates: EU: 23/26.04.2010 | US: 05.11.2010

Skyforger is Latvia’s answer to folk metal and they’ve been giving it a go for quite a while. Despite having been around since 1995, however, they’ve not produced a terribly huge discography. In fact, Kurbads is the first Skyforger album since 2003, when they self-released a folk album that was mightily well-received by their fanbase—even, apparently, more so their metal album from the same year Thunderforge. The band, for the record, has also been involved in a bit of controversy surrounding the use of, what the band calls a thundercross, and what the rest of us call a swastika in their logo. But it seems the band has worked very hard to distance themselves from any of the controversy surrounding this and should be approached from a non-political stance.

And pure folk metal Kurbads certainly is. Written with an eye towards ancient Latvian mythologies about men becoming heroes, every song on this record is basically about people standing up to the evil confronting them and defeating them. Think about it as the Baltic equivalent of the great national epics of Germany, Sweden, England or anywhere else for that matter. To back up this admirable and interesting concept the band has once again attacked the subject with their breed of doomy (or at least mid-paced) blackened folk metal. As I’ve been listening to this album I’ve had some issues placing exactly who the band sounds like, which is a thing to be admired, really, but I guess the best way to describe Skyforger‘s sound to newcomers is a blend of 80s thrash, Iron Maiden and Bathory with a healthy dose of folk melodies. It is a sound that is both familiar and comfortable, yet unique and interesting. Normally not a fan of mid-paced bands, Skyforger spoke to me on a completely different level.

This appeal has largely to do with the well-structured and interesting songwriting which combines all these different elements into a strong alloy. For example, the track “Black  Rider” mixes a Blind Guardian-esque riff, using bagpipes as lead instead of overly layered guitars, with an old school style Motörhead riff. While “The Nine-Headed” blends folk metal with Kreator-like German thrash and Iron Maiden‘s dual guitar leads. Each one of these songs offers a beautiful blending of these different metal styles and makes them cool, cohesive and crushing. My personal favorite song, and the one that convinced me that Kurbads was going to be a good record after all was definitely “Son of the Mare”, which starts out slow but turns into a speed metal track of amazing quality, with some of the most addictive melodies being carried by the bagpipes towards the end. This track set the standard for the album, which most of the record really lives up to.

Listening to Kurbads I’m really reminded of what it is about being a metalhead that I like so much. Sure, there seems to be a ridiculous amount of genrefication that’s gone on in the last few years. There are very few bands that are universally loved by metalheads in the same way that an Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath or a Metallica once were. But the ability of bands to take these various different genres, blend them together and get something new out of it is definitely something that is worth our admiration. Every metalhead has his or her own idea of what The Best Fucking Band Ever should sound like, and most of the time it’s not one band, but several. Skyforger has managed to mix all of these things together to write one of the more interesting folk metal albums you’ll hear these days and something I guarantee you doesn’t sound anything like Eluveitie, Turisas or Finntroll—and that’s what makes it awesome.

Svartsot // Mulmets Viser
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — Thoroughly enjoyable
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: svartsot.dk | myspace.com/svartsot
Release Dates: EU: 26.03.2010 | US: 04.06.2010

Given the whole history of medieval Scandinavia and where the vikings actually came from as a rule, it is surprising to me that there are not more bands from Denmark that have jumped onto this whole Viking Metal thing that has been swelling up in metal for the last decade or so. No, instead it was basically introduced by a Swede in the 1980s and has been carried on primarily by Swedes and Norwegians who do the style well. But it was not the Swedes that the Englishmen were so afraid of, but the Danes. There was even a law (and a word for it) where they called the money that was paid in tribute to the Vikings who were threatening to invade a certain area: “Danegeld”. It is true that (what would be modern day) Norwegians were involved in these raids, and so, too, were the Rus, or Swedish Vikings. But the Danes are the Vikings you learn about. “Sure,” you say, “but this point is pedantic and long-winded. You’re Angry Metal Guy not Angry History Nerd.” Good point. But my point is this: very little Danish viking metal exists. The only band I’ve heard of is Svartsot, who has just released their second album of folk influenced, medieval Scandinavian metal songs.

The world is better for the existence of Svartsot, however. Mulmets Viser is a really enjoyable collection of folk influenced, melodic death metal tracks by this Danish sextet. The style isn’t terribly unlike things you’ve probably heard before as a fan of folk metal, that’s for certain. Bands like Finntroll, Otyg and others would be sorely treated if they were not mentioned in a description of the sound. The band uses mandolins, whistles and accordions to make their particular brand of catchy as hell folk metal. Stylistically they lean towards death metal, and have a growl as the primary vocals on the record even at times when clean voices would seem more appropriate—but 99% of the time this works out convincingly.

While there are not lyrics included, or translations of the lyrics really, in the promo material there was a really fascinating piece with the liner notes from the album which I found to be fascinating and which shows the depth to which these guys are going when it comes to lyrics. Instead of focusing on the Ásatrú, like so many bands do, or writing wistfully about what a great country Denmark must have been in the ages of the past like some overrated black metal and folk metal bands have done, Svartsot instead writes about history for the most part, with a few simpler songs about masculinity thrown in for good measure. (This is metal afterall.) For this reason, the songs read a bit like a Scandinavian History course: covering the first Viking raid in recorded history (Lindisfarne in England in 793) to writing about King Æthelred II (the Unready) who paid the Danes 10,000 pounds of gold (i.e., the Danegeld) to not ransack his ass.

Honestly, this is one of the better folk metal records I’ve heard recently. The tracks are well-conceived, well-performed and caaatchy. Angry Metal Girlfriend did her fair share of silly, impression folk dancing while I was listening to this album so it should give you an idea of the feel of this music. But unlike bands like Metsatöll or Fejd, these guys are still more rooted in death metal, which makes the music still more aggressive and fun to listen to from an energetic stand point. You could drive to this music, listen to it while drinking with your buddies are just or just plain rock it out while doing something else. The word “visa” in Swedish (and I’m assuming in Danish as well) means basically “folk melody”, a simple melody which is catchy, simple and worth knowing by heart and singing when intoxicated. That pretty much describes Svartsot.

Metsatöll // Äio
Rating: 3.5/5.0 — Entertaining even though we haven’t a clue what’s going on—good sign!
Label: Spinefarm
Websites: metsatoll.ee | myspace.com/metsatoll
Release Dates: EU: 03.03.2010 | US: ?

That Metsatöll even exists is actually a great surprise. We had no idea! Seriously, not even a little bit of an idea. Turns out, they’ve been around for quite a while and given the very cool nature of the band’s 2010 release Äio, this Angry Metal Guy is definitely suggesting that you run out and buy every single one of their albums. Though, it’s hard to know whether or not Äio is a true masterpiece, because lyrically we’re in the dark. Still, it’s hard to argue with anyone who can make a recorder sound metal.

Metsatöll is an Estonian folk metal band that’s been putting out records for nearly a decade now. Apparently the word from which they derive their name is an archaic word for wolf and they work at keeping their language and thoughts nice and archaic for all of us who feel robbed for never having been ridden with lice or killed our food with a bow and arrow after several weeks of starving and the birth of our 14th child (but only 3rd one to live). Keeping in thematic consonance with this, the band blends flutes and bagpipes into their heavy metal, making a catchy blend of metal and folk that is catchy like the plague and sticky like plague honey.

The biggest issue with this record, honestly, is that for a non-native speaker it can get pretty frustrating. While the music is often quite simple and the band seems to be writing from the point of view that there will be lyrical focus, we non-Estonians (and Finns I guess—and anyone else who speaks Finno-Ugrek languages) have absolutely no clue what’s going on. What ends up happening is that an album that is an hour long and probably a lyrical masterpiece, turns into something that one might want to shut off after half that time because it’s tough to figure  out what’s going on. Unless you’re a big fan of folk music, are trying to learn Estonian via archaic language (thus making it harder on yourself), it’s entirely probable that you will just find this record frustrating.

But patience, my friends, is a virtue and for those willing to wade through something a little obtuse an exciting musical adventure awaits them. While the band does not adhere to any of the extreme influences that litter most modern folk metal and the tracks really never get much beyond a mid-paced chug, there is a lot of excellent heavy material, as well as beautiful folky moments. The track “Kune pole kodus, olen kaugel teel” is a fantastic folk song with a heavy bass vocalist that is reminiscent of Finntroll‘s forays into folk music (and the title is a blast to say). The title track is heavy, pounding and novel with great flute melodies and a good folk metal groove to it. And when Metsatöll breaks into the kind of vocal harmonies that litter the album, but are particularly visible on the opening sequence of “Nüüd tulge, mu kaimud”, it’s hard not to sit up and take notice at something that really just has a fascinating and novel sound. We were particularly taken with the track “Verjiää”, which is well worth the pay off of sitting through a few slow tracks for these great folk melodies and the beautiful composition.

If you’re a fan of music that’s not in your native language and you’re totally OK listening to it for the music, Metsatöll is the band for you. But like other bands of the genre, such as Fejd or Tarabas, it really does feel like something gets lost in translation. There is a sense that a non-native listener would have trouble following the band where they want to go. We hope that the non-Finnish/Estonian booklet comes with translations at least, so that listeners know what the hell they’re listening to. But even if you don’t: this record is worth a listen, because the music is novel, entrancing and well-crafted.

I am not a big festival fan. But I gotta say, the lineup for Metaltown 2010 looks pretty sweet, thus far. I think Angry Metal Guy might just try to get credentialed for this thing to do a shit ton of interviews, maybe a video or something…

Förra året slog Metaltown alla möjliga rekord när 22 000 besökare från hela Skandinavien invaderade Göteborg och vad som nu är en av Sveriges största festivaler. Efter utökat publikområde sålde biljetterna slut för andra året i rad och två fantastiska dagar på Frihamnspiren följde, med hela 32 band på tre scener.

Klara artister:

Rammstein (GER)
In Flames (S)
Bullet For My Valentine (UK)
Dark Tranquillity (S)
Kreator (GER)
Nile (US)
Sonic Syndicate (S)
Sabaton (S)
Finntroll (FIN)
Bleeding Through (US)
Cynic (US)
Dream Evil (S)
Raubtier (S)

That’s whose gonna be there so far… That might just be the highest percentage of bands I want to see on a festival ever except for Wacken, which is definitely not on the list this year, unfortunately.. Anyway, for those of you who get a chance to head to Sweden for festival season, that might be one worth checking out!