Rating: 8/10 Release: 14 March 2025 Label: Napalm Records Manntra started life in 2011 as a relatively straightforward Industrial Metal band, but in the ensuing decade and a half, their sound has slowly but surely evolved to the unique style they have today. By introducing the more melodic elements of Power and Folk … Continue reading →
Rating: 9/10 Release: 11 April 2025 Label: Reaper Entertainment taly’s premier Folk-influenced Power Metal outfit, Elvenking, are now on their twelfth album and this is the third, and I assume, final part of their Reader of the Runes series. While I’m not and never have been a fan of Power Metal in general, I … Continue reading →
Eluveitie at Pustervik, Gothenburg, January 24th 2025. It’s been five long years since the mighty Eluveitie graced the beautiful city of Gothenburg, Sweden with their presence, the last time being in 2020 and pre-pandemic, a time almost unimaginable after those strange few years. The long wait was finally over and I know it’s a well-worn cliché, … Continue reading →
Rating: 9/10 Release: 10 February 2023 Label: Threeman Recordings Fredlös are a new Folk Metal band from the small Swedish town of Norrtälje and feature among its ranks, none other than former Entombed guitarist, Alex Hellid. With that elephant removed from the room, I’m sure you are more interested in … Continue reading →
Rating: 9.5/10 Release: 21 October 2022 Label: Independent / Bandcamp Somewhat surprising, but it is unquestionably worth the wait. Bringing to mind such Pagan Folk Metal heavyweights as Obtest, Skyforger and Metsatöll, this is a definite statement of intent from this young (ish) five-piece. When I pressed play on my … Continue reading →
Rating: 9/10 Release: 23 September 2022 Label: Independent At its heart Alvenrad’s sound is a bombastic take on melodic blackened folk metal, but they enrich and elevate it with innovative prog flourishes, orchestral strings, wind instruments and vocals ranging from rasping black metal to soaring clean singing and choral chants. … Continue reading →
Rating: 8/10 Release: 24 June 2022 Label: Independent first came across Hordak way back in 2006 on their “The Last European Wolves” album and have followed them, sporadically, ever since, so I knew what to expect from their new offering. Or so I thought. The opening track is a blend … Continue reading →
After two years of being postponed, for obvious reasons, the Folk Metal faithful were finally able to descend on the small Swedish town of Norrtälje for the second installment of Månegarm Open Air. Thankfully the line-up from the planned 2020 festival remained mostly unchanged as the majority of the bands, … Continue reading →
Rating: 9/10 Release: 12 August 2022 Label: NoCut Entertainment As soon as you press play, you’re met with the keyboard intro of Volhov, which wouldn’t be out of place on a modern Melodic Death Metal album. I have to admit that this threw me a little at first, but as … Continue reading →
Rating: 7.5/10 Release: 27 May 2022 Label: Napalm Records Let’s start by addressing the (pink) elephant in the room… This is not the album I expected Trollfest to make in 2022. After all, they’ve spent the best part of two decades releasing seven albums of high octane, fast and furious … Continue reading →
