Metal Reviews

Does anyone here thinks Jaktens Tid is Finntroll's best album. I personally think it's their weakest (not including the acoustic one), surpassed even by Midnattens Widunder. Nattfodd is the best but what i really wanted is Finntroll to combine it with the Trollhammaren EP. Clocking at 50min. it would have been one of the best folk albums ever. I love Hemkomst and Skog and i feel Nattfodd is incomplete without them.

Agree. It's strange, but when I'm in mood to listen to Finntroll, I usually skip the full albums and go for Trollhammaren.

Well, I'm still stranged than speaking about folk metal, Skyclad is not the refering point for the discussion. Jonah's Ark is my favourite folk-metal album.

Falkenbach, Moonsorrow, Windir, Eluveitie, Aes Dana are among the best.

Folk? Dont get me wrong, it's awesome but folk?

Wyrd or the sample (which is not Wyrd)?


You need to check this sample out people. This is some quality folk-black right here. The link will only work for 7 days, so listen to it while it's free. The worst thing that can happen is that you don't like it!




This is quite nice. Reminds me about Tenhi with a little less complexity. Somehow I feel that it lacks some emotional punch. But that might just be because it's 2 min. samples.

I have Huldrafolk. Thats what is good. Im listening to the sample now.

How did I forget those bands!? Yeah two more great folk/viking bands. Falkenbach is perfect camping music and Windir is one of my favorite bands ever.

A lot of shit here is awesome but sepecially Eluveitie. God the new album is fucking amazing!

And Temnozor! NS but some amazing shit.

I haven't heard any Folkearth, but the lineup is Wtfxxorz??!!1

Hugin - Keyboards (Ravenclaw (Ltu), Uruk-Hai (Aut))
Athelstan - Electric Guitar, Bass, Drum Programming, Vocals (Forefather)
Wulfstan - Vocals (Forefather)
Magnus Wohlfart - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals (Yggdrasil (Swe), Broken Dagger, ex-Trymheim, Nae'blis, Anti-Christian Assault)
Jeremy Child - Drums (Yggdrasil (Swe), Broken Dagger)
Daniel Fredriksson - Medieval Lute, Mouth Harp (Mors Osculi, Otyg)
Simon Frodeberg - Bass
Kristofer Janiec - Violin
Michelle Maas - Vocals
Niklas Olausson - Vocals (Broken Dagger)
Daniel Pettersson - Keyed Fiddle
Ruslanas - Spoken Vocals (Ravenclaw (Ltu))
Tobias Andrelang - Bass
Achim Eberle - Percussion
Ralf Gruber - Drums & Percussion
Bernd Intveen - Electric Guitar
Sanine Stelzer - Bagpipes, Flute, Schalmey, Percussion
Marcus Van Langen - Acoustic Guitar, Saz, Bass, Percussion, Viking Flute, Vocals
Andre Groschopp - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals, Tin Whistle, Violin, Drums
Marios Koutsoukos - Vocals, Keyboars
Stefanos Koutsoukos - Bass
Nikos Nezeiritis - Acoustic Guitar
Hildr Valkyrie - Vocals, Keyboards (Hildr Valkyrie, Uruk-Hai (Aut), Beyond the Forests, Nocternity, Worship, Ego Drama)
Mark Riddick - Recorder, Percussion (Equimanthorn (US), Moonroot, The Soil Bleeds Black, Excrescent, Unburied (US), Unearthed)
Axel - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Vocals
Becky - Celtic Harp
Alessandro Caruso - Drums, Percussion
Francesca Crotti - Violin
Igor Saviola - Vocals
Raven - Celtic Harp
Ulven - Acoustic Guitar
Chrigel Glanzmann - Uilleann pipes, Tin Whistle, Bodhran (Eluveitie)
Michelle Maas - Vocals
Jonas Froberg - Keyed Fiddle

I got my legit copies of the two Ensiferum albums through this morning (to replace my CDRs). Among my favourite folk metal bands.

I'm still rather wary about Ensiferum and Finntroll. The odd song sounds good, but do they hold it together for a whole album? Seems like it's just party music...

IMO, Ensiferum certainly do. But not really with Finntroll, a lot of sub par songs on their records.

What I like about Ensiferum is that they play folkish music without going overboard with a million obscure folk instruments or an ocean of keyboards. I like bands that do that sort of thing, but its great to hear bands that keep the Metal in Folk Metal. Hearing those brilliant melodies played on an electric guitar is teh pwn.

+1
Although i like obscure folk instruments.

To me Ensiferum's self-titled is at cult status, Iron is far from it. I just didn't like the way they were heading with it and the keyboards in the beginning of Iron gives me the shudders. Sword Chant and Slayer Of Light are the only really great songs on that album. The rest just aren't to the standarts Ensiferum set with their debut.

Yeah thats an insane line up, great music though.
http://www.myspace.com/folkearth


Iron's a bit different but still great, IMO just as good as the s/t. But I don't think Ensiferum are folk metall. I consider Ensiferum to be Viking metal (with overtones of melodeath), theres not enough folk in there for me to consider it folk metal. Same can be said for a few of the bands here, Windir and Falkenbach for example. But the line between where viking metal ends and folk metal starts is a difficult one to judge. Turisas lyrically are viking metal, all the songs are about vikings yet the music is very folky. So are they viking or folk???

There doesn't really have to be a dividing line. Viking/Folk Metal is close enough.

Thats kind of the point i'm trying to make, too many gernes just confuse people. But saying that... i can't help but put bands into genres. Turisas are folk metal! lol.

I much prefer Nattfodd to Jakten's Tid. And actually, I really, really love Visor om Slutet. It's maybe even my favourite of theirs.

I only scanned this thread just now so I can't be 100% sure they haven't been mentioned, but how about Otyg? I remember Carnifex mentioning them a few times. I can't find samples online but I can try to upload a demo of theirs tomorrow perhaps. It's Swedish folk metal with clean vocals and authentic folk instruments.

Oh, and I'd take Wintersun over Ensiferum any day of the week. The thing I love most about folk music is it's capacity to combine virtuosity and anthemicism, which is coincidentally also on of my favourite things about metal. Wintersun really capture that spirit a lot more, IMO.

Yes, Astrofaes are a cool band, although not quite in the same league as Drudkh. Nice and icy cold music, but I don't think it has that much replay value.

I think that particular song has quite a bit of replay value. But I'll agree that Astrofaes can't possibly contend with Drudkh.

Yeah, it's more Avant-Garde/Experimental BM than being Folk!