Korpiklaani and Eluveitie in Lincoln: October 4

I would not say that I am a huge folk metal fan.  I like some bands, but very few of them produce consistently great material from album to album.  That being said, I was kind of intrigued by the idea of seeing a couple of well-known folk metal bands in concerts.  So when I saw that Korpiklaani and Eluveitie were coming to my hometown, I decided to check them out. 

The venue was The Royal Grove, which apparently started doing concerts again fairly recently.  It was the site of a couple of nu-metal concerts I attended with my friend back in early college (Sevendust and Static-X), but I have not been there since.  It looked quite a bit different than I remembered.  For one thing, you could actually see the entire bar.  Back when I had attended the previous concerts, the bar still allowed smoking and it was so thick you could not see across the bar.  As a non-smoker myself, I hated that aspect, so this was much better.

The first band was a fairly new Canadian band called Gone in April.  The band is sort of a Nightwish knockoff but with more of a melodic death metal foundation.  The band utilized two singers, a male growler (who my wife made sure to mention looked like a creeper at times, sorry) and an operatic female singer.  The female singer also played the violin, which was a very interesting element to their sound.  Apparently she has also played live in Eluveitie, which is likely the connection that got the band on the bill.  What was really interesting though is that the bass player was none other than the legendary Steve DiGiorgio.  The songs were decent, especially the last two of the show.  I will probably check them out, especially since I love checking out the work of DiGiorgio.

There was originally supposed to be a local band called The Carbon Cycle that was going to open the show.  But instead of having a shorter concert, apparently Korpiklaani decided to take up the time slot.  I have never checked anything out by the Finnish folk metal band before, but may decide to change that soon because they put on an electrifying show during their 90 minute set.  Korpiklaani features an accordion and a violin prominently in their music and the two musicians were probably the stars of their set.  They even performed numerous solos, which is not something frequently seen at heavy metal concerts.  Korpiklaani was energetic and exciting to watch.  And of course the drinking songs like "Vodka" and "Beer Beer" were big hits.  My wife seemed to enjoy their show, other than its length, and also said that the singer looked like a cross between Thor and current Vince Neil.  It was probably the most upbeat performance at a metal show that I have seen.

Eluveitie was the headliner and the band I was the most familiar with by far.  Their brand of melodic death metal and Celtic folk influences is extremely well-done, most of the time.  I love their album Slania, though I have never been quite as impressed with any of their subsequent albums.  That being said, their show was incredible.  There were nine people on stage.  The band leader is the male vocalist and also played a mandolin and various wind instruments.  There were three female members playing various folk instruments and providing backing vocals.  One played a violin, another a harp and the last played something called a hurdy gurdy.  The harpist also took on lead vocals on a few songs and her voice was amazing, easily the highlights of Eluveitie's show.  They played a number of songs I expected, but did not play "Blood Stained Ground", which is still my favorite song by the band.  They did close out with "Inis Mona" which is another of my favorites.

It was an entertaining, if slightly long, concert.  My wife was unhappy with the length of it, but other than Korpiklaani's set, everything was right in line with what I would expect.  And honestly I quite enjoyed the lengthier Korpiklaani set because it gave me a chance to hear more of their material, which I have not had the chance to do before.  She was cold as well, which made her more miserable.  It was a different kind of concert than I am used to, but it was a lot of fun.  All three bands put on impressive performances.

Worst/Most Disappointing Albums of 2012

5.  BONDED BY BLOOD: THE AFTERMATH
Bonded by Blood was once one of the more impressive retro thrash metal bands out there.  Their last release was very good.  Unfortunately, they went through a change in vocalists and basically phoned in this album.  A shame.

4.  ELUVEITIE: HELVETIOS
When I first heard Eluveitie, I was blown away by them.  Their combination of melodic death metal an Celtic folk metal was extremely impressive.  But since then, Eluveitie has been trying desperately to remake that same album to increasingly lackluster results.  I am not sure I will give them another chance.

3.  SONATA ARCTICA: STONES GROW HER NAME
Like Eluveitie, Sonata Arctica was a band that I was so impressed by when I first heard them that I still check them out on new albums despite not being horribly impressed by anything they have put out since I first heard them.  This is their worst one yet.  It's basically modern rock at this point, there is very little power metal left.

2.  TIAMAT: THE SCARRED PEOPLE
I do not care for Tiamat's take on gothic rock.  But with seemingly each new release I hear something about the band incorporating some of their atmospheric death metal elements that the band did so well early on.  Each time it is false.  This time is no exception.

1.  THE SORROW: MISERY-ESCAPE
Run-of-the-mill metalcore with Christian lyrics.  Need I say more?

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Initial Impressions: Eluveitie: Helvetios

Well it's a good day to take a look at the newest album from Celtic folk metal/melodeath band Eluveitie. I figure green beer and Eluveitie probably go hand in hand.

Well my feelings on this one closely echo what Full Metal Attorney says here. That is, I feel like Eluveitie is treading water and is desperately trying to recapture the magic of Slania. This was manifested on their last album when they basically re-released Slania. This time around, it is clear that there is some differentiation from their landmark album, but not enough real growth. In fact, Eluveitie seems to prefer trying to pick up on some modern rock influences. Such attempts to make their music palatable to the unwashed masses is sure to meet with a cold shoulder from longtime fans.

The other major problem with the album is that a lot of the songs just sort of run together. I was shocked when I looked at my CD player and realized I was already on track 6. It only felt like I had been listening for about five minutes. There are a few standout tracks here and there, but a lot of the stuff is all too samey-sounding.

Eluveitie still does a decent job of mixing melodeath and Celtic folk music and some of the songs do still sound really good. Unfortunately, the band's material does not sound as fresh as it did on their breakthrough release. I may still continue to check out albums by them because I am a big fan of the Celtic folk metal, but they are not likely to ever blow me away as they did the first time I heard them. That is quite unfortunate.

Initial Impressions: Eluveitie: Everything Remains as it Never Was

I had very high hopes for this album. After releasing what I considered to be one of the best albums of 2008 (in fact it was #2 on my ranking of albums that year), my expectations were very high for this follow-up. The band teased us when they released a completely folk album in 2009, an album I did not check out. This was their return to their normal sound. Unfortunately, I came away disappointed upon hearing this. The band did not take a step back, let me make that clear. This is still an enjoyable album. It's just that they didn't take a step forward either.

Bands who release the same album time after time after time, often are difficult to have very strong feelings about one way or the other. Slayer and Six Feet Under are two such bands, and while I consider Slayer to be a great band, their material after Seasons in the Abyss is not nearly as high-quality. Essentially, Eluveitie released Slania again this year. And that's a disappointment because I already love Slania. Having another Slania diminishes my love of the first Slania and I do not want that to be the case. I wanted something more, or at the worst something worse so that I can say "Eluveitie may not be a good band, but that Slania was amazing". I just did not want something exactly like Slania.

Despite all that, this is still a very solid release. It is still a combination of Gothenburg-styled melodic death metal mixed with Celtic folk elements, including some very traditional Celtic instruments. Eluveitie members play the fiddle, bagpipes, tin and low whistles, mandola, flute, and hurdy-gurdy. These traditional instruments are often played along with the melodic death guitar riffs, adding a full Celtic feel to the entire song. There are still moments when the metal is the only sound heard, but the other instruments occupy a larger role overall this time around.

There are two vocalists in the band. One male providing mostly rough vocals which are not full-on death metal growls, but are definitely not clean either. There is also a female vocalist who shines through every once in awhile. She has a very pretty voice which lightens things up when she sings.

The riffs draw a lot of inspiration from the Gothenburg scene as mentioned earlier. Mostly, they sound a lot like Dark Tranquillity. Unfortunately, if the band were to strip away the folk elements, this band would just be a Gothenburg copycat, on this album anyway. It is the folk elements that help this band stand out. That's what makes this band different. Unfortunately, if they do not improve, the folk elements will not be enough to ensure them of a long career.

All of this sounds like I am very down on the album. It's true that I'm disappointed that it's virtually the same album. Hell the lead-in "Isara" to "Kingdom Come Undone" sounds exactly like "Anagantios" leading into "Bloodstained Ground". However, this is a decent release. It just will not make my Top 10 again this year. And that's disappointing.

Favorite New Bands of the 2000's Pt. 2: Eluveitie

Eluveitie, formed in 2002, is a Swiss band that plays melodic death metal interspersed with Celtic folk instruments and elements. It took me by surprise that the band was actually Swiss with the Celtic influences, but I don't claim to know much about European influences and cultural spread, so what the hell. The only thing I know is that this band is great.

Most folk metal bands are closer to black metal than other genres, not so in this case. Eluveitie has far more in common with groups like Dark Tranquillity and Amon Amarth than black metal bands.

The band uses traditional Celtic instrumentation mixed with their metal. For instance, various members play the bagpipes, the hurdy gurdy, bodhran, mandola, and pipes. The mix of these traditional influences sounds amazing next to the melodic death metal that makes up the majority of the band's sound. The lyrics are often done in the extinct language Gaulish to add to the traditional nature of the influences.

Thus far, I only own the album Slania, which to date is the band's best album. It's fast and extreme with moments of beauty and melody. The band will be releasing their new album in just a few days. Hopefully, I will be able to find it quickly.

Folk Metal

Folk metal has exploded over the last couple of years. Up until just a couple of years ago, one could count on one hand the number of folk metal bands that were making a major impact in the metal landscape. Skyclad and Ensiferum were arguably the first folk metal bands, although folk influences were present in the works of Amorphis, Moonspell, Rotting Christ, and Satyricon as well. Recently though, it seems like there is a new folk metal band popping up daily. Folk metal gets its name from bands who use traditional folk instrumentation and rhythms in their music. It can run the gamut from Celtic to Humppa to Russian depending only on where the band is from or draws its influences. Here are just a few bands that are flying the folk metal flag:

BORKNAGAR

Borknagar was the first folk metal band I had heard. The band plays a mix of black metal, viking metal, and folk metal. Most of the folk influences can be heard in the rhythms of the music. The vocals are typical black metal rasping, however there are clean vocals present as well. The band has gone through several different vocalists including Garm from Ulver, ICS Vortex from Dimmu Borgir, and currently Vintersorg from the self-named band. All of the vocalists have in common their ability to go from a rasp to a spine-tingling clean tone without any hesitation. The band has been blessed with these unique vocalists.

MELECHESH

Melechesh is probably my favorite of the bands I will discuss today. The band has developed an uncanny ability to take Middle Eastern rhythms and melodies and spin it into their black/death metal, creating a sound like no one else. Melechesh is originally from Jerusalem, Israel but create music based around Sumerian and Mesopotamian mythology. The band has been forced to relocate to The Netherlands to escape problems with the religious culture of their homeland. Melechesh has put together a couple of amazing albums that are personal favorites of mine.

FINNTROLL

Finntroll is the one of the first real folk metal bands I heard. I received their album Jaktens Tid in a Century Media Grab Bag. Pretty good use of money, actually. Finntroll combines Finnish humppa music (the folk music part of things) with black and melodic death metal influences. The lyrics are all in Swedish (bizarre as the band is from Finland, hence the name). Finntroll has had some extraordinarily bad luck with members. One singer left due to having a tumor on his vocal chords, another was fired from the band, and the original guitarist died after falling off a bridge (possible suicide). That being said, Finntroll's music is fun beer metal. The music has a good beat and is fast and surprisingly uplifting. The frequent folk parts make things bounce a little bit. The vocals are delivered mostly in a black metal style rasp, particularly with current singer Vreth, previously they were closer to death metal. Interesting stuff.

THE LORD WEIRD SLOUGH FEG

The name is strange enough. Thankfully they have recently shortened it to Slough Feg. The band is one of the most original-sounding bands in America today. Rising out of the San Francisco scene, Slough Feg combines classic rock, traditional metal, and Celtic music. The band essentially sounds like Thin Lizzy on steroids. The band essentially belongs to singer Mike Scalzi who has one of the more recognizable voices in metal. A great, underrated band.

ORPHANED LAND

Orphaned Land, like Melechesh, is from Israel. This band however does not play the same style of extreme blackened death metal as Melechesh, choosing instead to base their folk rhythms and melodies into progressive metal with occasional death and doom influences. Orphaned Land go so far as to create concept albums, their most memorable of which tells the story of Gilgamesh. It is seriously one of the most beautiful metal albums in existence. An amazing album that will take the listener's breath away.

CRUACHAN

When I first became aware of folk metal, I wanted to find bands that dealt with Celtic and Irish folk music. Cruachan is one of those bands. Cruachan focus more on their folk influences than their metal influences on the only album I have heard from them. There are actually only a couple of clearly metal songs on the album. However, the interplay between the male and female vocals and the Irish rhythms is amazing. A very good album, despite the relative lack of metal.

PRIMORDIAL

Primordial is similar to Cruachan in that they play Celtic/Irish folk metal, but this band is far more on the metal side of things. However, where Cruachan is often light-hearted and free, Primordial is dark and depressive. The band's metal influences come from black metal, and while the singer typically uses a clean vocal style, he will unleash an ear piercing scream once in awhile. They lyrics are sad, dealing with lost battles and loved ones perishing in them. The pain of the lyrics comes through in Nemtheanga's heart-wrenching vocal performance.

ELUVEITIE

Eluveitie is a band from Switzerland that plays melodic death metal mixed Celtic folk influences. Next to Melechesh, Eluveitie is probably my favorite folk metal band, due mostly to my interest in melodic death. The band uses traditional instrumentation such as bagpipes, whistles, and even the hurdy gurdy to play lilting melodies over the top of the Gothenburg style guitar riffs. Vocals are growled in classic At the Gates/In Flames fashion and the occasional non-metal track comes across beautifully with female clean vocals.

HOLLENTHON

Hollenthon is a very strange band. Coming out of Austria, the band plays a sort of symphonic/orchestral/folk/melodic death/black metal. It's tough to tell from one song to the next which style will dominate. Their music is very interesting and fun to listen to as they continue to keep the listener guessing. Hollenthon is a very good, underrated band that sounds like few others.

SKYCLAD

Skyclad was one of the first folk metal bands, if not the first. The band was formed by Martin Walkyier, formerly of the massively underrated UK thrash metal band Sabbat. Skyclad had the idea to combine folk elements from Scotland, England, and Ireland into traditional and thrash metal and fronted by the unmistakeable staccato shouting of vocalist Walkyier. The sound was new and exciting and influenced a ton of other bands after some time. However, until recently not many people noticed, which is a shame.

ENSIFERUM

Ensiferum formed in 1995 in Finland, the major breeding ground for folk metal. The band played viking/folk metal influenced mostly by later Bathory. The folk elements mostly come in the form of the rhythms as the instrumentation is typical for metal. The band plays quickly, allowing for a few acoustic interludes here and there. Ensiferum was at the forefront of the rise in interest in folk metal. Guitarist Jari Maenpaa left the band and formed Wintersun, another great band with only occasional folk influences.

ARKONA

There are two bands named Arkona from Russia. This band is the pagan/folk metal band fronted by Masha "Scream" Arhipova. The band plays using Russian folk melodies delivered in heavy guitar riffs. Masha has an amazing voice and can sing, scream, growl, and more. Arkona also incorporates flutes and bagpipes in their music.