Pagan Metal

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    Arkona - Stenka na Stenku (2011)

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    Few months before the release of their sixth full-length album, the Russian guys of the Pagan/Folk Metal Arkona decided to keep listeners a little taste of their new release with the EP “Stenka na Stenku”. In this release we have one song from the upcoming album, and five more previously unreleased tracks. The EP features just enough material to keep the band’s hordes of fans happy until their new full-length.

    Opening the EP we have “Stenka Na Stenku”, a very dynamic track that shows the wide spectrum of elements that comprise the band’s sound. Masha’s vocals are as excellent as always and the festive feeling to the song makes it a very catchy and effective Pagan/Folk Metal piece. The accordion-like keyboards are very well fitting in this awesome song.

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    Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand (2011)

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    Delivering their 7th full-length album in over 20 years of existence, Primordial reminds us why they are one of the greatest Celtic/Folk Black Metal bands of all time. With powerful guitars driven songs and intricate drum patterns, the band provides over 60 minutes of brilliant music that is up to par with their greatest albums of the 90’s.

    Pounding away with “No Grave Deep Enough”, the band provides their signature guitar work that becomes outstanding when paired with A.A. Nemtheanga vocals. This song has all the ‘classical’ Primordial elements and works wonderfully as an opening track. “Lain with the Wolf” provides the typical build-up sections that the band is known for, and the drum patterns in this song make it very diverse and interesting to listen to.

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    Cruachan – Blood on the Black Robe (2011)

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    Five years have passed since “The Morrigan's Call” and Cruachan shows no sign of slowing down, with “Blood on the Black Robe” the band makes a very solid return. As the current Celtic/Folk Metal scene is watered down with releases that sound like the “Braveheart” soundtrack, it is very nice to get one that focuses more on the guitars and aggressiveness of the music.

    I have always liked the band since their 1995 debut “Tuatha Na Gael”, and with every release they show more maturity and refinement in their sound, and now they return to the killer aggressive style from their earlier days. “Blood on the Black Robe” is no exception, the band exploits their guitar driven sound with catchy sections and effective use of Folk elements.

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    Kampfar – Mare (2011)

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    Making their return after 3 years, today we have Kampfar and their hellish brand of Pagan Black Metal. “Mare” marks one of the best efforts to date from this Norwegian outfit, and should not be taken lightly by both Pagan Metal and Black Metal fans alike.

    For over 45 minutes the band will surround you with their guitar driven music, something that we were hesitant about since they parted ways with Thomas, the original guitar player. The use of some keyboards for atmosphere is also another strong point of this very well crafted release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Wolfchant – Call of the Black Winds (2011)

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    In a time when Pagan/Folk Metal releases are a dime a dozen, it is very hard to go find something truly original and worth listening to. “Call of the Black Winds” is an example of an album that is half-way there, meaning that it is nothing ‘revolutionary’ but it has its moments.

    The band has been perfecting its formulaic approach to the genre and with “Call of the Black Winds” they show it. Every aspect of this release has been done by the band in the past, but this time around they get to do it a little bit better. For instance, the clean vocals are considerably better than last time and they actually fit the songs better in this release.

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    Windfaerer – Tribus (2010)

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    After their killer 2009 demo “Glorybound”, today we have Windfaerer and their dominating Pagan/Folk Metal sound. Windfaerer is probably the USA’s most credible (and good) act of these genres, and with “Tribus” they should get the spotlight needed to make some noise in the international scene.

    Featuring around 42 minutes of catchy guitar riffs, powerful drumming, and intense violin action, the band greatly improves on their sound since their “Glorybound” demo. While you can not avoid the typical pitfalls of the genre, “Tribus” is fresh enough to keep the listener engaged and waiting for what’s next, something that plenty of Pagan/Folk Metal releases fail miserably at.

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    Stribog - U Okovima Vjecnosti (2010)

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    Directly from Croatia today we have Stribog, a very impressive Folk/Pagan Metal band. The band’s first full-length album “U Okovima Vjecnosti” showcases a perfect balance of aggressive Metal sections and ethereal Folk passages that not every band can pull off so gracefully. There is no shortage of epic songs in this album that have high replay value.

    Since the first song “Ancestral Skies Of Gold” you know you are for a special ethereal ride with the combination of Folk elements, melodic distorted guitars and angelic female vocals. The band’s songs vary between melodic Folk passages and very aggressive (but melodic) Black Metal-like sections, the intertwining of these two genres is done very well and most of the transitions in this release are done seamlessly.

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    Žrec – Žertva (2008)

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    Featuring 3 members of Moravská Zima, a Czech Black Metal band, today we have Žrec and their latest album “Žertva”. Žrec plays a mixture of Folk and Pagan Metal that focuses more on the Folk side of things. We particularly love bands like Žrec that play Folk Metal where you can easily identify the region they are from if you pay close attention.

    Žrec does a great job in crafting catchy and effective tunes that will resonate in your head for quite a while after listening to this solid release. We particularly enjoy that while Žrec has the traditional folk elements with the violin, flute, and pipes, they still show a broad diversity within the songs allowing them to never get old and tired, like many Folk Metal albums get after 5 minutes.

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    Dyrathor - Sacred Walcraft of Hel (2010)

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    When a band is pretentious enough to claim they have their own genre they usually fail at life miserably and their music plain sucks. Well, this is not the case with Dyrathor, the band claims to play “Northern Storm Metal” a thing we find to be ridiculous, but they do play a very Pagan Metal.

    Hailing from Germany, Dyrathor has a very good style and they do not sound (a lot) like the seas of bands playing a combination of these genres. The band’s aggressive edge allows them to not sound super ‘pretty’ (i.e soft) and makes their use of Folk elements/Keyboards more effective.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Trollech – Jasmuz (2010)

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    All the way from the Czech Republic, today we get Trollech presenting their latest release “Jasmuz”. The band self-labels their music style as “Forest Pagan Black Metal” but we prefer Pagan Metal to sound less pretentious. We review quite a few Pagan/Viking Metal albums every year, and this 2010 we have to say the best so far is Trollech’s “Jasmuz”.

    “Jasmuz” like we mentioned is a very solid release that features every single element that makes a great Pagan Metal album. But it’s an extra element in this release that made us deduct several points from our score, some terrible vocals that sound like a troll getting raped by a bear, or something like that. In the first song “Moudrost Kovare” they stick out like a sweater on the beach. And most people will stop listening to this album after they hear them.

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