Metal Reviews

I think we have a few good folk metal fans: Ness, Frigid, me and maybe others (Pyroman? )

But what are the things that makes you listen to folk metal? Discuss!(Keep the forum alive ) Further more: what kind of folk metal has your preference: viking+folk, power+folk, etc.
Do you like other folk music besides folk metal?

Share some of your discoveries, and teach the heathens that folk can kick ass!

I have always liked some different kinds of folk metal and the only answer I can give as to why isnt a very technical or musical answer. It just puts me in a good mood. Even the slower, sadder folk music puts me in a good mood.

The main folk-metal bands I listen to are elvenking, ensiferum, falconer (if that is at all folk) and Eluveitie. If i am really in the mood for folk though I put on Tenhi.

Folk-musik is something connected with tales and epic stories about people and their lives. When i listen to a folky tune it kind of makes me feel my own life is sort of a tale. There's something great about that feeling.

I really like folk style metal, but most of the time I check something out and its got deathish vocals which kind of ruins it for me. I do enjoy some Ensiferum, Korpiklaani, Trollfest, and Finntroll, but I much prefer stuff like Elvenking and Falconer's Northwind.

All of it is awesome, right now the folk band I'm listening to most is probably still Eluveitie.

One of my favorite genres. I'd have to say I prefer the power side of folk metal more. Of course the mighty Elvenking is at the top of my list, but I have also been listening to Tuatha de Danann. Rad reviewed them over at MCDR, and they are pretty damn good. They sound like a mixture of Yes and Elvenking.

Folk metal=


I haven't heard much from power/folk except Elvenking who are ok. Viking metal is the stuff I listen to most: Thyrfing, Ensiferum, XIV Dark Centuries, Turisas, Equilibrium, Tyr, Runic, Einherjer, Manegarm (new album should out soon) etc. As pure folk goes i've been listening a lot of Cruachan, especially their Middle Kingdom album. I'm slowly working my way up. If anyone heard the rest how does it compare to The Middle Kingdom?

Korpiklaani and Finntroll are the best from the bunch thou. And their new albums are coming out real soon. This year i'll have lots of folk albums in my top 10.

I haven't heard The Middle Kingdom but i got Folk-Lore and it's some amazing stuff. A must have for any folk metal fan.

i have to disagree with whoever it was that said that folk always tells a story or tale that is 'epic'. This is often the case with folk influenced metal, but folk is much more than epic tales about halfnaked fuckwads waving broadswords at things that just have a fur or that spew fire. Folk mostly tells a story about a culture or the people of the culture. Since a couple of years folk has been put under the name 'World music'. i'm not a big fan of the name but i can understand why they have chosen that. After all, folk is different, depending who wrote it, where and when it was written. try comparing celtic irish folk to ensiferum.

A few things you might check out if you want some non metal folk:

The Pogues
The Dubliners
Runrig
Kadril(don't expect a easy listenable band. try out 'De andere Kust', pretty much the easiest folk they've made)
Laïs(also not for every folk fan)
Dropkick Murphys(for the few that don't know them)

also, do some of you consider country as a form of folk(or world music if you'd like)?

The Chieftains are pretty sweet to.

very true. I hate it though that the authentic irish/celtic folk songs have often never appeared on cd/cassette/vinyl. The quality of those songs is not to be underestimated. God, if i hear another 'The irish rover' cover i'm going to shove concrete celtic crosses up the arses of the ones who performed it.

I bought their best of the other day, it's basically a compilation of all the guest appearances they had... Can't find any of the old stuff though. Pain.

The Dubliners ist Krieg. I really should listen to more folk metal, as I enjoy Finntroll and Ensiferum.

I don't quite get what exactly it is you disagree with, but yeah i agree with you. Story about a culture or it's people sounds adequate to me. Thats kind of what i meant with 'lives of people'.

The main point of my post was that folk music has this cool perspective on things, a perspective that you can use to look at your own life, whatever situation you might be in and experience a sense of relief. I don't know i can't explain it better than that but it's the way i feel about a lot of folk music.

I think in old times people had to work harder to support themselves and their families and i think they looked at folk music as something with a distance to this, something relieving.

A folk metal thread and no one has mentioned Skyclad yet??? lol, you cazy fools . Wuthering Heights, Cruachan, Folkearth and battlelore (if you can call em folk metal) are all great bands to. Not so good one's but still worth a listen, Subway To Sally, Arkona, Trollfest, Mägo de Oz, Aes Dana, and Devil in the Kitchen.

Non- metal stuff

Troka
Mary Jane
Celtic Cross
JPP
Forseti
Gogol Bordello
Flogging Molly
The Bintangs
Blackmore's Night
Gae Bolg
Fairport Convention

^ all worth checking out if your intrested in different types of folk, quite a bit of variation in that list, from traditional to trance.



Could never get myself into these guys, not sure why coz i should really like em knowing my taste

I also like Folk especially mixed with extreme music.

Heh, I hadn't noticed you said that and was about to say something along the same lines, but did a "find" first.

That's it man, that's it! Wish I'd thought of that now. Anyway, I knew you like them.

There's a band I posted a link for in the alt forum a few weeks ago (but none of you wankers bothered to reply, sob) called Adjagas that I think are really cool. Its mostly acoustic yoik singing (that's the yadudadaduda stuff Jonne from Koripklaani does), very soft and relaxing. A couple of the songs sound a bit silly, and I think teh hipsters like them, but don't let that put you off.

When it coems to folk metal I like just about everything I hear to at least some degree. Ensiferum are probably my favourites. The stuff with the black-ish vocals seems to appeal to me more.

I have been listening to Tuatha de Danann lately too. GOt the album Trova di Danu a few weeks ago and it is real awesome and real original.

I bought their first three albums on the basis of this one. Hope they're close to being as good. Some of the ebst folk metal I've heard.