Rating: 9.6/10Release: 15 November 2019Label: Ex Cathedra Records Winter is coming, and by the looks of things it will be of the ancient variety. Leah’s Ancient Winter issupposedly a departure from her usual celtic-infused Symphonic Metal into the realm of World Music. Firstly, it is important to establish that Ancient … Continue reading →
Rating: 7.2/10Release: 27 September 2019Label: Napalm Records As a genre, Power Metal has had a long history of detractors and critics. Even among the most vocal of these individuals there is usually the understanding that Power Metal is tailored around being fun. The elaborate guitar work, the sometimes poppy major … Continue reading →
By: JanoRaring: 7.7/10Release: August 30 2019Label: AFM Records For objectivity’s sake I will only be summarizing the general tone of Elvenking’s new album, in addition to the good and the bad. Before I start a bit of background: my first exposure to Elvenking’s music was with one of their very … Continue reading →
By: JanoRating: 8/10Release: 26 May 2019Label: Independent / Bandcamp Heather Wasteland’s back catalogue had a tendency to curve towards what the band describes as “Heretical Folk Art”. The pre-Christian folk motifs are indeed reminiscent of the ethos of the early pioneers of Folk Metal like Moonsorrow. With regards to the … Continue reading →
By: JanoRating: 7.4/10Release: 15 March 2019Label: Art Gates Records Creativity and ambition are almost universally a plus when it comes to writing an album. Wide ranges of musical influences are pretty much guaranteed to yield something that sounds completely new and original. If both the previous sentences are correct, it … Continue reading →
By: JanoRating: 8.8/10Release: 15th April 2019Label: Independent Ukrainian Death Metallers Midgard have somehow made Power Metal absolutely brutal. While there are definitely some Metal fans who might frown on the comparison of a folk influenced Death Metal band with Power Metal, there are certain musical elements that, while not exclusive … Continue reading →
By: JanoRating: 8.5/10Release: 9 April 2019Label: Independent One of the most common remarks I hear when speaking about relatively specific types of Metal is that there are too many different sub-genres. In many cases, not being specific enough with the name of a sub-genre would fail to do justice to … Continue reading →
By: JanoRating: 8.9/10Release: 18 January 2019Label: Underground Symphony Anyone who has delved deeper into Pirate Metal than Alestorm will no doubt be aware how musically divergent the bands falling into that category really are. Running Wild plays that distinctive type of Speed Metal that Power Metal evolved from. Bands playing … Continue reading →
By: JanoRating: 8/10Release: 19 February 2019Label: Heavy Metal Rock Brazilian Folk Metallers Tuatha De Danann have been working on a new EP since at least last year. Many readers may have already seen their lyric videos for “Your Wall Shall Fall”, and the eponymous “Tribe of Witching Souls”. Personally, I … Continue reading →
By: JanoRating: 8.7/10Release: 8 March 2019Label: Metalblade The time is close at hand for Faroese Folk Metallers Tyr to release their latest work entitled Hel. In the previous months, Tyr has released some of the usual precursory content to tease the album, including several of the songs for online streaming … Continue reading →
