The Rock Blogger

Klabautamann. Merkur. 2009. 4 stars.

Merkur is a highly stylized piece of black metal that boasts lush instrumentation and long. winding interludes. Between walls of distorted tremolo riffing flow gentle and clean arpeggios, blending melodious textures with icy aggression.

The versatile guitar work is guided by subtle percussive touches that keep the expanding song structures wound together. The transitions between progressive dynamics and raw release are seamless, rounding out a singular and detailed presentation. While the ravaged vocals stand dubiously between singing and rasping, they manage not to overwhelm the band’s organic aesthetic.

Klabautmann have succeeded in creating a black metal album full of diversity without sacrificing the wintry core of their sound. The shifting soft-loud (bordering on post-rock) dynamics work extremely well, giving Merkur a pleasantly hypnotic pull. Fans of early Ulver, Fluerety, Alcest or any of the budding “post-black” bands should definitely give this a listen.

Drudkh. Microcosmos . 2009. 4.5 stars .

Fierce black metal with folk-tinged melodies from the forests of Ukraine. With stronger, tighter song-writing, Drudkh’s conservative approach strikes a inspired balance between aggressive, textured guitar work and a deep organic atmosphere. Those familiar with the band know that Drudkh’s musicianship can be eclectic in all the right places, as acoustic guitars and traditional instruments weave between sinewy bass lines and rolling percussion ("Distant Cries of Cranes").The effect is absorbing, as songs morph from dense blasts of unbridled rage (the opening riffs of "Decadence") to expansive, meditative passages ("Ars Poetica"). This music progresses like some wanderer in the mountains, torn and weather beaten in the struggle, but enraptured by his surroundings upon reaching the summit.

Microcosmos is heavy in every sense of the word. In both style and substance, the album recalls struggles of an almost universal order (hence the title), pushing the individual to purge their self-concern in light of higher and more mysterious powers. Seen in light of their previous work, Microcosmos encapsualtes the best aesthetic touches Drudkh has developed over the years, condensing folkloric atmosphere, climatic guitar solos and passionate vocals into a poetic whole. Recommended.

So much to do, so many albums to listen to.
Here’s a quick guide to some outstanding examples of folk and viking metal.
The genres typically features ancestral and pagan themes, acoustic passages and aggressive riffs and percussion.

I know its not an extensive list, so I encourage everyone to leave suggestions for additions in the comments

Bathory. Blood Fire Death

A pioneering album that took thrash metal musicianship to new heights. Sweden’s Bathory has had an extensive influence on many black metal scenes across the world.

Blood Fire Death

Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

One of the most revered folk metal acts active today. The work of Finland’s Moonsorrow is notoriously epic, with incredibly long songs, stellar musicianship and inspired vocal performances. This is one their most acclaimed albums.

Ensiferum - Ensiferum

Fast paced and memorable riffs are the central draws here on this infectious album. Melodic and heroic songs.

Borknagar. S/T

Raw, brutal and frosty folk metal that is heavily influenced by black metal aesthetics. They never were as fierce after this album.

Wolfchant. A Pagan Storm

Fast, melodic folk metal in the same vein as Ensiferum.

Primordial. To the Nameless Dead

Epic Celtic metal from Ireland that has made waves in the last few years. Great, bellowing vocals and impassioned performances make this album unmissable.

Falkenbach Heralding the Fireblade

A solid release that features a good mix of blast beats and symphonic keyboards. Vratyas Vakyas’ voice is awesome, especially on the opening track.

Agalloch. Pale Folklore

Easily my favorite band on this list. Oregon’s Agalloch deservedly boast a large cult following, drawing in stylistic elements from black metal, folk, doom metal and post rock. This is what started it all.

Myrkgrav. Trollskau

Norwegian band that incorporates black metal aesthetics along with folk-inspired vocals. The occasional use of female vocals effectively adds another dimension to their sound.

Empyrium. Songs of Moors and Misty Fields

Beautiful folk metal that borders on neofolk given its neoclassical influence. A sorrowful and atmospheric release.

Where is the fighting man?
I am he

Dalriada. Kikelet . 2007. 4.5 stars.

Hungary’s Dalriada are an epic folk metal band that incorporate majestic melodies and beautiful female vocals into their sound. Symphonic keyboards, power metal riffs and steady drumming flow together seamlessly, producing one of the most memorable albums of its kind. Its an impassioned work that rivals the heroic intensity of like-minded bands Moonsorrow or Ensiferum. Laura Binder’s voice carries the same soaring lift as her male counterparts and holds its own against the melodic guitar work. Her performance is inspired and proud, carrying the torch for this unique album. Its refreshing to hear female vocals fronting a folk metal act with such vigor.

Kikelet is immediately satisfying and conveys a triumphant spirit. A hidden gem deserving of more attention, especially for Binder’s stirring vocals. Highly recommended.

“Kikelet”

Tenhi - Kausienranta

This is from the 3 disc Tenhi compilation “The Folk Aesthetic: 1996-2006″, released last year.
Some of the best neofolk I’ve heard, if not the best.
I think Kauan is their landmark album, although they’re all stunning examples.

Agalloch - Falling Snow

The water pours its embracing arms around the stone
Decay drips from the unquiet void where the ice forms, where life ends
The stone is by the crimson flood, swallowed
The red tide beyond the ebon wound, contorted
My sacrifice bids farewell in this river of memory… a wave to end all time
Red birds escape from my wounds and return as falling snow
To sweep the landscape; a wind haunted, wings without bodies
The snow, the bitter snowfall
You wish to die in her pale arms, crystalline, to become an ode to silence
In the soul of a mountain of birds, fallen
The cascading pallor of ghostless feather
The snow has fallen and raised this white mountain on which you will die and fade away in silence

Photo by Sorina Dragusanu

The autumn chill is setting in and the long nights are slowly creeping over. Orange and brown strewn across the cracked road, menacing grey clouds lurk over the river. A strange quiet is beginning to fall as the sounds outside become more isolated, more distant. In my head are the soft lumbering tones of seclusion, a beautiful resignation.

Nest - The Silvershade Lynx

Agalloch - The Lodge

Ulver - Høyfjeldsbilde

Falkenbach. Heralding the Fire Blade. 2005. 4 stars.

A rather majestic viking metal album from Germany that is full of adventurous sentiment and powerful musicianship. Some stylistic elements from folk metal and black metal blend together nicely, as sweeping symphonic tones meet battle-ready drumming and aggressive. thrashing riffs. The vocals are quite good as well, switching between bellowing, cleanly song odes to conquest (”Heathen’s Foray” to snarling, vitriolic rasps. The contrast is lively and inspired, darting across that fine line between heroism and inconsolable madness.

Heralding the Fire Blade is an impressive showcase for Vratyas Vakyas’ multi-instrumental abilities and his keen ear for melody. Its hard to believe that such a well produced and composed record was put togehter by a one man show, but here it is, in all its shore-storming glory. While this is probably my favorite Viking Metal album I’ve come across so far, it still suffers from some of the common ailments of the genre, like some overlong songs and repetiitve vocals. Luckily, the shfiting of aesthetics, from traditional folk sounds to modern black metal, keeps things interesting. Heralding the Fire Blade has a strong gravity to it, and it draws you into its landscape quite violently. Entertaining and epic, a victirious, ocean-charging campaign.

Falkenbach - “Laeknishendr”

Equilibrium. Sagas . 2008. 3.5 stars .

Sagas is probably the most over-the-top metal album you’ll come across this year, with blaring synths, pan flutes, and even accordions rounding out epic tales about viking conquests and battles. Even with the snarling black metal vocals and blistering drum patterns, Equilibrium’s sound is not as much dark as it is adventurous. Feverish pacing, soaring melodies and wild musicianship make this a surprisingly fun, if not downright silly, soundtrack for your daily pillaging. With so many musical elements layered against each other in every song, its remarkable that things sound as fluid as they do. Thankfully, the band’s performance is as virtuosos as it is raucous, barely letting up in intensity across these 13 tracks.

While Sagas may seem too busy or ham-fisted in its attempts to be epic, its speed and eclectic instrumentation is certainly daring and refreshing in a genre vastly populated by the glum and the suicidal. It may not have the viciousness of Bathory’s groundbreaking Viking albums, or even the incredible scope of Moonsorrow’s work, Sagas still stands as a unique, and strangely satisfying effort. So, if you can stomach the unrepentant saccharine flavor, Sagas has plenty to offer.

Equilibrium - “Wurzelbert”