Thrawsunblat: Great Brunswick Forest (2018)

Okay, this one is a little bit different.  It is not at all what I expected it to be.  Not that that is always a bad thing.  In fact, despite just how different this one is, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Thrawsunblat features three former members of Woods of Ypres, so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect when I bought it.  Not even close.

First of all, Thrawsunblat is an anagram of "narwhal butt".  That is completely meaningless, but I figured I would point it out.

Now on to the music.  Woods of Ypres is a thoroughly depressing doom metal band and Thrawsunblat was described as a melodic black/folk metal band.  I do not know what the other Thrawsunblat albums sound like, but this one is much closer to folk rock.  For starters most of the songs are entirely acoustic, with guitar, bass, drums and even fiddle.  Even those songs that do feature some electric guitar, are primarily acoustic.  That being said, the music is clearly black/folk metal at its foundation.  There are obvious tremolo riffs, just played by an acoustic guitar.  And most of the songs are downright catchy.  The vocals are clean and while not conventionally well-performed, they really do match the music.

This is not the most metal of releases, but it does have a few moments.  The best song on the album is "Via Canadensis", with an absolutely infectious riff and is one of the few songs featuring distortion.  Other highlights include "Song of the Summit" and "Dark Sky Sanctuary".

Sometimes something entirely different is a good thing.  The metal foundation is pretty obvious here, but most of the music is acoustic.  That being said, I find myself circling back to this album frequently.  It surprised me twice, the first time upon hearing how far from my expectations it was, and the second by how much I enjoyed it.

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.

Kroda: До небокраю життя... (2005)

Nope.  No idea what that says.  Kroda, like Drudkh and Nokturnal Mortum, is a pagan black metal band from Ukraine.  And here comes the standard disclaimer: like the other two, there have been alleged ties with the NS scene with Kroda.  The band itself does not appear to be an NS band, but they have been on labels associated with the scene such as Ancient Nation Productions, which was also the label that released albums by Astrofaes and Hate Forest and is a member of the Pagan Front, a loose association of labels and bands that have NS leanings.  So yes, the ties appear to be real, but the band itself has little to do with the NS ideology and is much more of a pagan/folk black metal band with lyrical content about history and nature.

The album definitely starts off in an odd way.  After an intro track that mostly features the sound of a crackling fire, the first real track "Долі шляхи" kicks in.  It starts off with a blaring horn sound that sounds like a low-budget movie about an African safari (apparently it is a Ukrainian folk instrument called a trembita) and follows that up with copious amounts of jaw harp.  That's right, jaw harp (technically it's called a drymba).  The thing that goes "boing boing boing".  But once the song settles in, it is amazing.  And that is basically true of most of the rest of the album.

Kroda does a fantastic job of combining their brand of pagan black metal with traditional Ukrainian folk instruments and melodies.  I mentioned the drymba and the trembita, but there is also a lot of use of a sopilka, which is more like a flute.  The sopilka is used frequently through several songs.  Kroda never lets the folk elements overpower the metal and takes a much more serious approach to the folk elements.  Groups like Finntroll and Korpiklaani definitely sound like they are having fun, but the music can be a goofy at times.  That is not the case with Kroda.

This is a fine example of folk metal done right.  The band blends the disparate musical influences seemlessly and crafts a terrific album.  If only all folk metal bands took their craft this seriously.

Kampfar: Ofidians Manifest (2019)

Kampfar is yet another one of those black metal bands that I have heard good things about for a very long time, yet never got around to checking them out (like Shining and Drudkh).  They have been around since the mid 1990's and have released eight full-length albums, yet this is the first album I have heard.  Part of that may have been due to the language barrier.  Otherwise, it is likely they just were not completely on my radar.  As a result of this discovery of the band, I am hearing them fresh and do not have the reference points in the band's career to compare this.

In a couple of ways, this release reminds me of Theogonia by Rotting Christ.  First of all, musically.  Kampfar combines traditional Norwegian black metal with pagan and folk influences, including chanted vocals.  Now obviously the pagan and folk influences on this Kampfar release differ in origin to the Rotting Christ album.  Kampfar, being Norwegian, would obviously have different folk music to pull influence from than the Greek band Rotting Christ.  The folk elements complement the otherwise dark and grim black metal riffing quite well, making this a very intriguing listen.

The second way in which this album reminds me of Theogonia is due to my own personal experience with it.  Like Theogonia for Rotting Christ, this is my first experience with Kampfar and is their newest release.  I had the same response to this album, being one of awe and amazement, for the most part.  The album does tend to drag a little bit toward the end.  And so time will tell if I get into Kampfar as much as I did Rotting Christ.

I found myself extremely impressed by this release by Kampfar.  It is a terrific example of taking disparate influences like black metal and traditional folk music and combining them into something beautiful and powerful.  Obviously many bands have been doing this for quite some time, and of course Kampfar is one of them, but they still make it sound new and fresh.

Atlas Pain: What the Oak Left (2017)

Folk metal is an odd genre.  I doubt I am saying anything new.  Obviously there are a lot of different types of folk metal, depending on the region the band is pulling influence from, and the metal can be different depending on if the band is using melodeath, black, or power metal.  There are also varying degrees of what percentage the split is between the folk elements and the metal elements.  The best folk metal bands strike a healthy balance between the styles, usually without the folk elements completely overwhelming the metal riffs, while being more than just window dressing.  It is certainly not an easy balance to strike.

Here we have the debut full-length from Italian folk metal band Atlas Pain.  The band was formed in 2013 by Samuele Faulisi, who sings and plays the guitar and keyboard for the band.  Atlas Pain has previously released a demo and an EP.  As a fledgling folk metal band, it would be too much to expect Atlas Pain to be able to strike the right balance between folk and metal, and they do seem to struggle with it at times.  Honestly the keyboards sound somewhat out of place at times and really detract from the guitar work.  It is also difficult to tell what kind of regional folk elements the band is going for.  At times, it is pretty clearly Celtic folk, but other times the band sounds like they are striving to be more of a straight melodeath band.  It is this distinct lack of a cohesive identity that makes this album limited in its effect and longevity.

The other issue is that some of the songs veer very far into cheesy territory, making songs almost unlistenable.  The major culprits here are "Till the Dawn Comes" and "The Sword" which utilize a lot of bouncy, lilting keyboard melodies and sing-song choruses that come off far too upbeat.  It does not bother me when bands sound like they are having fun, I do enjoy Finntroll and Korpiklaani on occasion, but apart from the harsh vocals, these songs almost sound like they would be at home on a Disney soundtrack.  That is probably an overstatement, but they are ridiculously upbeat.

The album is not really bad.  The musicians are all competent, and the harsh vocals are reasonably impressive, though it would be nice to change things up a bit more.  I enjoy most of the lead guitar melodies and wish those would have taken center stage over the keyboard melodies.  Some of the songs are quite good.  It is actually kind of a fun listen, the biggest problem is that it is mostly forgettable.  The band seems to be striving to create the next Wintersun album.  Unfortunately, they just do not have that ability, yet.  Time will tell, the talent is certainly there.  The results just are not.

Lovijatar: Pimean Tuoja (2013)

Huh.  Of all of the subgenres of metal to combine into a new sound, I would never have expected stoner doom and folk metal to be entwined.  What's next?  Actually, I can't even think of a more unlikely combination.  Thrash metal and funeral doom I suppose.  That is now going to be the genre of my one-man band.  I will call it Speed Reaper.

Before I get to composing though, we need to talk about Lovijatar.  The name comes from Finnish mythology, as might be guessed.  Lovijatar is the blind daughter of Tuoni, the Finnish god of death.  The band is made up of members of Battlelore, a band for whom I am familiar, and Elephant Bell, a band for whom I am not.  Lovijatar is a true combination of those two bands' sounds apparently as Battlelore comprises the folk metal influence and Elephant Bell the stoner doom influence.

The riffs are thick and meaty with a lot of bass.  The stoner doom influence is very evident in the guitar riffs.  The folk metal influence permeates everything else, from the lyrics and vocals to the interludes to the extra instrumentation that is sometimes present.  Some of the melodies are also clearly folk-influenced, at least those that are not driven by the heavy stoner doom riffs.

The songs on this album are shockingly catchy and infectious.  I found myself tapping my foot along with it quite frequently.  The musicianship is incredible and the vocals really drive the album, the dual vocals on "Uhrilehto" in particular.  Some of the songs are much softer and far more folk-influenced, but then something like the High on Fire-esque riff in "Kulje Kuu Pala Paiva" happens, dragging it clearly back into the metallic.

I really enjoyed this album.  Apparently stoner doom and folk metal mix quite well when done by musicians of this caliber.

Vorna: Ajastaika (2013)

Kicking things off in a manner lifted from Black Sabbath's self-titled epic is "Taakse jaa".  Every self-respecting metalhead knows the beginning.  The pounding rain and the church bells.  But instead of leading into the pioneer's dark masterpiece, we get a swirling black metal riff.  That eventually leads into some Finnish folk elements, and that is where we stay for the rest of the release.

It has been quite awhile since I have heard a truly worthwhile folk metal release.  When I first discovered the genre it was pretty exciting and every band offered something new and different.  But I have been a bit jaded by the genre for a little while.  I think it occurred when Eluveitie steadfastly refused to switch up their formula on subsequent albums after Slania.  I realized too much folk metal sounds exactly the same.  Luckily, Vorna offers something, while not exactly unique, certainly interesting.

That something is the absolutely epic atmosphere of Vorna.  The music is lush and textured, with a lot of stuff musically going on beyond just the guitar riffs.  Vorna's songs are very melodic and this melody contributes to the epic sound of the band.  The band utilizes organs and keyboards along with the riffs that sound incredible.  The vocals are usually delivered in a gravelly growl and they fit the music well.

As I said, it has been awhile since I have heard a really good folk metal album.  This album is one such really good folk metal release.

FMA Reviews: Ensiferum: Unsung Heroes

Originally reviewed here.

Ensiferum were kind of at the forefront of the whole folk metal wave of the 21st century. They took a sound that had been experimented with and twisted it and perfected it. Prior to Ensiferum breaking through there were very few bands that could be considered folk metal bands. Not to say that they were the first, but they definitely helped bring about the wave of bands that emerged in the years to come.

Folk metal has never been one of my favorite genres. I certainly enjoy some bands, but I typically do not go out of my way to seek out new bands unless they are doing something that interests me. Despite this, I have found that I generally enjoyed Ensiferum in their early days, but I have not liked much of their material after Jari Mäenpää left the band. He seemed to be the major element that drew me to Ensiferum's work. This is the first album I have heard from Ensiferum in quite awhile. Unfortunately it may be a while before I check them out again.

Folk metal is supposed to be lively and exciting. At least the type that Ensiferum plays. But most of this album comes across as somewhat boring and uninspired. There are some decent tracks on here, but it just does not move me the way that folk metal should. Many of the songs are incredibly slow and those that are faster-paced do not really add anything that Ensiferum or any of the litany of other folk metal bands have not done before, and much better I might add. It is just stale and lifeless for the most part.

All of the individual elements are basically okay. The instrumentation sounds good, the vocals are impressive, and the production is definitely slick. Ultimately it is all about the songwriting. It is just somewhat lackluster. The other problem is that it just drags on and on. Particularly final track "Passion, Proof, Power" which does not feature any of those things and changes gears three times completely before mercifully ending.

Ultimately this is just flat. There is nothing really bad about it. It just does not stand out at all. Jari left the band several years ago to form Wintersun. This seemed to have killed Ensiferum.

Cataloguing My Metal Collection Pt. 114

ARTIST:  Amorphis
ORIGIN:  Helsinki, Finland
TITLE:  Elegy
LABEL:  Relapse Records
YEAR:  1996
GENRE:  Folk/Death Metal
FAVORITE SONG:  "Against Widows"
NOTES:  I bought this one shortly before a family vacation.  It was due to my love of Tuonela that I bought this one.  I will say that this album is quite a bit different from that one, mostly due to the fact that it came out earlier and had more death metal elements, particularly in the vocal style.  The folk melodies used throughout the album are the real attraction.

Agalloch: Ashes Against the Grain

Believe it or not, up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard Agalloch.  I had heard of them, but I never really checked them out.  I am not really sure why.  Perhaps it is due to the band's well-regarded status in the more hipster-oriented metal circles.  Alongside groups like Neurosis and Isis, Agalloch was one of the bands that made it okay for hipsters to enjoy metal.  Or maybe it was just that I never got around to it.  Whatever the reason, when I was recently at the used music store and picking up a couple of W.A.S.P. albums, I also decided to get my first Agalloch album.

The music on this album is very rich and textured.  I read an interview with the band recently in which they stated that they were heavily influenced by films, yes the hipster flag went up when I read that.  I would agree very strongly that Agalloch's sound is very cinematic.  The band would be able to easily make the transition to fully instrumental band.  It is extremely dramatic and does sound like something that would be playing in the background of some artsy film involving the forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Agalloch's music is clearly based in black metal.  But to call them a black metal band would be a gross oversimplification.  There is so much more going on here and the band definitely does not sound like a stereotypical black metal band.  For the most obvious reason, their music actually borders on the beautiful.  Agalloch have smoothed out the rough edges, improved the production value, and added layer upon layer of melody.  They have also allowed for the influence of folk music to shine through in parts.  The result is impressive, if not terribly aggressive.

I mentioned that they would be able to make the transition to an instrumental band earlier.  It is not as if the vocals are bad in any way.  The clean vocals fit the music quite well, and the raspier black metal vocals also sound surprisingly good.  I just think that this band could go that route without any real problem.  There are hardly any vocals on this album as it is.  Agalloch lets their music do the talking most of the time anyway.

FMA Reviews: Varg: Guten Tag

Originally reviewed here.

Okay this one threw me too. I decided after some bad experiences that I needed to investigate bands before listening to them. Just to get some kind of an idea of what I am in for. So I checked out the ever-reliable Encyclopedia Metallum for some information about this band. I saw that they were listed as a pagan metal band with lyrical themes about Norse mythology and fantasy. I suppose that may have been true at one time, but it is definitely no longer the case.

My first clue was the album cover. It does not look like the kind of moody landscape picture you would normally expect out of a pagan metal band. It looks more like something that a dirty hard rock band would use. So already things are a little strange.

No, this is something else. While the melodies are somewhat folk-inflected, the riffs have an almost NWOBHM quality to them. These are definitely more traditional metal-based riffs. The vocals are more of a black metal-esque raspy growl. The songs are mostly faster-paced and energetic. Not the kind of sullen, atmospheric quality you would expect in a pagan metal band.

So we have established that this is not a pagan metal band. But enough about that. This is a really fun album. The lyrics are mostly in German so I have no idea what they are saying, but it still sounds as if Varg is having a good time creating this album. As I previously mentioned, some of the guitar melodies do have a folk-like lilt to them. And the guitar melodies are surprisingly upbeat for the most part. The happy sound of the melodies does not really match the hateful vocals, so it kind of comes off a little unbalanced, but for some reason it just works.

As the album goes on, more and more folk elements seem to become present, although this is by no means just a folk metal band. The band may use folk melodies, but their foundation is definitely in traditional metal.

Wintersun: Time I

Wintersun's long-awaited follow-up to their highly acclaimed self-titled release is probably the most hyped album of the year.  Every year for the last few years there have been rumors that it was finally going to be released.  There have even been release dates set in the past when Wintersun's new album was going to be out.  And each year there has been nothing.  Well no longer.  Wintersun has finally released Time I, eight years after the self-titled album.

With that much time and hype could the album possibly live up to its expectations?  Well sadly, no.  The album definitely is a victim of its own lofty expectations.  That is not to suggest that the album is really bad in any way, in fact it is a very good release in its own right.  But all of the build-up over the years had fans of the band frothing at the mouth for the Finnish band to finally release this album that it could not possibly succeed.

Well enough of all of that.  Wintersun is the project of Jari Mäenpää who created the band originally as a side project while he was still in folk metal stalwarts Ensiferum.  He chose to leave Ensiferum while working on the first album because the schedules clashed.  Wintersun is Mäenpää's project.  He recorded most of the instruments on the debut album.  He has since brought in other musicians but still retains much of the creative control.

This is a fairly short album, made up of only five tracks, but the songs are epic in both length and sound.  Wintersun's music is difficult to categorize.  Elements of melodic death metal, black metal, folk metal, symphonic metal, and a variety of other styles all mix together. Mäenpää himself describes it as "Extreme Majestic Technical Epic Melodic Metal", which seems as apt a description as anything else really.

The songs flow well together.  The compositions are seemless.  There are faster-paced parts which are offset by serene and tranquil segments.  The vocals run the gamut from soulful crooning to harsher rasping shrieks.  There is a lot of influence from folk music from other countries, most notably Japan.  The use of symphonic and orchestral elements fits in well with the more aggressive metallic approach.  As stated, the songs flow together remarkably well.  The prior album was a collection of individual songs, while this album is a much more complete and cohesive piece of music.

All of this suggests that this album is a well-crafted and impressive release.  And it certainly is.  Unfortunately it is somewhat anti-climactic.  There is not a lot here that was not present on Wintersun's prior album.  There are some experimentations with other cultural folk music but there is nothing here that is mind-blowingly original.  With as much time as has passed between albums, there was some hope that the new album would be incredible.  It is very good, just not as good as it should have been.

FMA Reviews: Skálmöld: Börn Loka

Originally reviewed here.

Well with the opening track on this one I was once again a little nervous that I was going to strongly dislike another album from Napalm Records. The first track is extremely cheesy and sounds like the kind of overly-wrought opening anthem that Manowar would put out. But just when I was getting prepared for some ridiculous Manowar-covering-Bathory ludicrousness, the opening of the second track started.

"Sleipnir" kicks things into high gear with a galloping riff and leads into the harsh vocal style. Everything is still kind of upbeat and sunny but at least it is not as over-the-top as the opening intro lead me to believe it would be. Of course then it went all happy and flowery again on the next track. Many of the rest of the songs continue with this more happy-sounding style.

I think the problem that I have here is that I was expecting Viking metal. This is much more akin to groups like Finntroll and Korpiklaani than it is to Einherjer, Enslaved, Thyrfing, or any of the other Viking hordes. This is much more a bouncy folk metal album with some thrash metal riffs thrown in than a serious and solemn viking metal album anchored in black metal coldness. There are a lot of keyboard melodies shining through along with some moments of almost choir-like group vocals in addition to the bounciness of the riffs. Not even the harsh vocals are able to convey enough darkness to overshadow the light.

Once I got past the issue with what kind of music this was, this was a very enjoyable release. My expectations may have been for something serious, but after that was over with I was able to let loose a little bit and revel in the music which the band clearly had a blast playing. Now I need a beer.

FMA Reviews: Finsterforst: Rastlos

Originally reviewed here.

Folk metal has been one of the latest genres I have really gotten into. Finntroll was the first folk metal band I heard and I soon realized that not all folk metal sounded like that. While I still like the fun, beer-drinking music that Finntroll specializes in, I gravitate more towards darker and more serious-sounding folk metal. Finsterforst, whose name means "dark forest" in German, seemed like it would be likely to be up my alley in that respect.

I will admit this one was a little bit daunting when looking at the track lengths. This band writes some very long songs, including the 22 minute opus "Flammenrausch". But long songs can be very entertaining when they are well-written and variable enough to keep things interesting. Luckily, this is what Finsterforst does here. There are five tracks that break the ten minute barrier, but it does not feel like that.

The music is, in a word, epic. It is extremely dramatic with impressive guitar riffs and melodies. Even the accordion sounds great in this music. Finsterforst does a great job of molding the folk elements with the metallic elements. The vocals are typically delivered in a harsh snarl which is to be expected from this type of metal.

The only real issue I have with this album is that it does not do much to stand out from the pack. Other than the ridiculously long songs, there is not much to say that Finsterforst does that is appreciably better than most other folk metal bands. The music is certainly interesting, but that does not mean that I would be clamoring for Finsterforst over a group like Thyrfing or Moonsorrow.