In a distant Slavic land, a fire can be seen high upon the mountain. As one draws closer, the melody of a female angelic voice, a violin and tambourine can be heard faintly in the distance. You move closer to the sound, it intrigues you, stirs thoughts and emotions within your mind and soul. As you approach, the band Lysa Gora enchants you with their music and stories. You sit and talk about their music and other things….
Continue reading →We saw a huge amount of releases in 2022, as bands came out of the isolation of Covid-19 to record together again and show the world that you can’t silence the metal. Månegarm was one of those bands and what a release they gave us. “Ynglingaättens öde” was named Best Album of 2022 on folk-metal.nl and it is a pleasure to interview a band I have followed since 2015. Månegarm’s inception was in 1995, and has provided some awesome metal over the past twenty-eight years.
After five years since their much-acclaimed album ‘Vuur van Verzet’, Dutch folk metal collective Heidevolk return with their seventh studio album via Napalm Records, continuing to keep the pagan flame burning! Ever since their impressive 2005 debut, De strijdlust is geboren, Heidevolk has taken the heavy music scene by storm, conquering stages throughout the world with their very own brand of folk metal. With dual clean vocals, irresistibly catchy songs, traditional instruments and fast metal riffing all fueled by their folkloric fire and pagan pride, Heidevolk delivers for an uncompromising sound and musical adventure. Their new masterpiece, ‘Wederkeer’, makes no exception, and proves why the Arnhem-based five-piece is one of the best, unrivaled and most exciting bands of their genre and beyond!
Congratulations on your latest release “Reader of the Runes –Rapture”. My first experience with your music was back in 2015 when I found “Era” at my local record store. I picked it up and found the cover was intriguing. I also saw Jon Oliva was a guest vocalist on the song, “I am the monster”. Since then I have been following the band and the music and I find it a great honor to interview you.
Rating: 9/10 Release: 24 February 2023 Label: Napalm Recotds Finally after 5 long years, we have a new Heidevolk release! Hail the Gods! Starting off the album is “Hagalaz”, which features both singers, Daniël den Dorstighe and Jacco Bühnebeest. They each complement each other and pull together some great harmonies … Continue reading →
Thanks for agreeing to do the interview. Congratulations on your 2022 latest release “Njord” My first experience with your music was back in 2017 when I found “Fan Fryslâns ferline” online streaming. Since then I have been following the band and the music and I find it a great honor to interview you. I must admit, there is very little about the band itself posted on the internet.
Continue reading →The Real McKenzies – Interview
The Real McKenzies is a Canadian Celtic punk band founded in 1992 and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Paul McKenzie is the founding member and the band is credited as the cornerstone of the Celtic punk movement. In addition to writing and performing original music, The Real McKenzies perform traditional Scottish songs, often infusing them with a punk-influenced sound. They have shared stages with many other bands inside and outside of their genre including Rancid, Shane MacGowan, NOFX, Flogging Molly, The Misfits, Metallica just to name a few. They are hard working as a band in studio and out of the studio, constantly touring and sharing their music with others (as well as a drink or two, three, four!)
Continue reading →Rating: 7.5/10 Release: 16 November 2022 Label: Independent Spellblast fans, the Truth Is Out There! Gone are the old west references, this album gives us more. The songs tell a story, using lyrics and various effects to enhance the back story. The concept of ‘Classified –V’ reminds me of Iced Earth’s ‘Horror Show’, whereas … Continue reading →
Rating: 9/10 Release: 18 November 2022 Label: Lupus Lounge Viking/Black Metal act Fortið (Icelandic for ‘past’) has given us a two track EP bringing forth more darkness from the shores of Iceland. The band has evolved both musically and lyrically since conception, taking a different musical direction similar to Enslaved … Continue reading →
Italian folk/power metal SpellBlast hails from Bergamo, an Italian city northeast of Milan, in the Lombardy region. Born in 1999, they have released four full length albums with a new album ‘Classified – V’ due out soon. ‘Horns of Silence’, their debut album, was released in 2006 and involved some folk influences with lyrical themes inspired by fantasy tales and J.R.R. Tolkien references. In 2010, ‘Battlecry’ was released with themes involving ancient Norse mythology. ‘Nineteen’ was released in 2014, and the band took to executing a crowdfunding campaign, thus creating a concept album based on the Stephen King book ‘The Dark Tower’ saga. The album took previous folk themes and morphed them into more of an “old west” direction. The last album, released in 2018 titled ‘Of Gold and Guns’ brought us another concept album. The band chose to keep the old west direction, but using legends and references to figures that helped shape the old west in the United States. Spellblast has had some notable guests on some of their releases, such as, Elvenking’s singer, Damnagoras, as well as Fabio Lione from fellow Italian power metal band Rhapsody of Fire.
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