Heidevolk - Uit Oude Grond (2010)

Out of the hundreds of bands that play Folk/Viking/Pagan Metal, Heidevolk has been one of our favorites since their debut album “De Strijdlust is Geboren”. The band has a very ‘simple’ but yet effective way of making Folk Metal songs, they only need the addition of a violin to get the extra ‘folkish’ sound that other bands have when using countless extra instruments.

“Uit Oude Grond” is the band’s third full-length album and you can hear that they are running out of ideas. While Heidevolk’s music has always sounded formulaic (but effective) it’s finally getting a bit tired and old. Even halfway through this album you start to wonder if your CD player is skipping and re-playing the same tracks.

While we are not saying that Heidevolk is a bad band, if you have listened to the band’s older releases you will start to notice that they are very much alike and in this album they just re-hashed half the songs from the first half of the album.

The best element of this album, and all the band’s releases, is the clean male vocals. They provide that authentic ‘folkish’ feeling that other bands fail miserably at. The vocal arrangements are top notch and brilliantly highlighted in the final mix of this album. All the singing is done in Dutch giving that extra level of authenticity to the bands ideology.

Some of the tracks in this album feel very monotonic and stale, but there are still interesting moments and sections of songs that justify purchasing this release. But be prepared to get a sub-par release in comparison to their earlier (and better albums).

If you are starting to get into Folk Metal, then this release will prove to be valuable in your journey, since the band is top notch. But if you are expecting something more diverse and original, then look into the other Folk/Viking Metal bands that Napalm Records has to offer.

Release: April 6th, 2010

Country: Netherlands