Writer's block is a bitch. Urgh! Anyway, Welcome back to the Randomizer!
Before we get started on today's article, I would first like
to point out I have a little talk about Game of Thrones right at the end of
this article. WARNING: SPOILERS! If you'd like to read that first, your more then welcome to.
Though it might bring back unpleasant memories. Otherwise, carry on to the main
feature.
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So we haven't had a music-themed article for a good while,
since the 27 guestlist I wrote a couple months ago. Now would be a good time to
talk about a developing passion I have since my college days for a particular
type of music, and would like to talk about today to share with you all.
As some of you may know, I have a world-wide range of music
tastes ranging from Spice Girls (yes, Spice Girls) to Judas Priest (yes, Judas
Priest) to film soundtracks. And yes, Spice Girls and Judas Priest are in the
same sentence. Problem?
But mostly, I am a heavy metal/rock enthusiast. I enjoy all
sorts of great tunes from what I'm proclaiming as the "GODS OF
METAL!" such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ronnie James Dio
and Metallica; to European bands such as Within Temptation, Lordi, Helloween,
and one of my all time favourites Nightwish.
To allow smugness levels, I have a picture with Marco
Hietala and Jukka Nevalainen.
:D
Now here's where things get a bit off. Heavy Metal and Rock
music is obviously very different to the other main genres like Pop and Rap, in
terms of lyrics and music styles. But also unlike those two Heavy Metal has its
own peculiar family tree of sorts. If you type in Metal family tree into
google, you'll find some images of how from its early origins in the 60s, it
has become a diverse culture in o itself. Think London with all its diversity
of cultures from other cultures around the world, replace them with metal and I
think you can take it from there.
Sam Dunn for his documentary film Metal: A Headbangers Journey devised this tree and showed how the
classic rock/metal bands like my god Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Black
Sabbath had influenced future bands in their development of metal sounds,
turning them into their own sub-genre of heavy metal. Such sub-genres included are:
· Thrash Metal combining elements of really fast
shredding tracks and social issues that might even relate to todays world. The
most well known in this genre are the Big Four: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and
Anthax.
· The Big Four altogether
Metalcore: The Metal taste of today and not my
favourite genre. Combines screaming vocals (god!) with said fast riffs and
shreds. The most famous of these are Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine
and As I Lay Dying.
· Killswitch Engage
Symphonic Metal: Takes opera and power metal
elements in creating one of the best forms of metal I ever had the pleasure of
listening to. Such bands include Nightwish, Blind Guardian and Sonata Artica.
Blind Guardian
So where am I going with this? Well, as I mentioned there is
one sub-genre of heavy metal I have developed a passion for.
Folk Metal.
No, not any acoustic guitars lying around here like some
traditional folk bands dotted around, the bands in this genre make use of a
variety of different musical instruments. You have your electric guitars and
drums, but also tin whistles, hurdy gurdy, fiddle, and even bagpipes. My God I
want to listen to that! Bagpipes in a metal song. Actually I might have already
done so. If Metalcore is the emo child of the heavy metal family, then folk
metal is more than likely the hippy child.
Since I've managed to introduce myself to it, I have enjoyed
a number of folk metal bands that just a great appeal to listen to. There's
something I clearly love about it and I'm going to share it with you today.
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Once upon a time in the metal world far far away...............
Most people say the first folk metal album ever was released
in 1991 when Skyclad released their debut album, 'The Wayward Sons of Mother
Earth'. The album had the inclusion of a violin on certain tracks, with some
keyboard playing as well. It was well-received in the metal community and
opened up a new world of experimentation to play with.
A year later, the Irish band Cruachan was formed, becoming
one of the more famous pioneers of Folk Metal ever created. They had an early
success with their debut album 'Tuatha na Gael' in 1995. Unfortunately, the
final product was a failure in their eyes due to the poor sound and production.
Subsequently they didn't release another one until 2000.
In that mid-decade, a few other bands came into the fold of
the sub-genres early beginnings. Subway to Sally released their debut album in
1994, speaking in English and using Irish and Scottish influences into their
music. For their second album MCMXCV, they retorted to speaking in their native
German and developed their sound into a more apparent medieval style of folk
metal.
The actual explosion of Folk Metal took place in 2000, coming
from probably my favourite country for music: Finland and the band known as
Finntroll. Their debut album Midnattens Widunder was a fusion of black metal
with traditional Finnish polka music. The result was it apparently. Three bands
from the native Finland joined at the forefront of Folk Metal. Although let's
not discount Cruachan, they were knocking about around that same time so they
must have contributed something to the rise.
Now thirteen years have passed, the Folk Metal genre is
still alive and well in European countries, most prominently in Scandinavia. And
it shows no signs of slowing down yet, which is good. Finntroll have released
their sixth album Blodsvept this year and I might have only heard the one song
so far, but I have high hopes! Cruachan released their latest one a couple
years ago, and my opinion of it will shown below.
I'm glad to say I am becoming ever more a fan of this
particular genre. So I think now's a good time to talk about my experience with
Folk Metal, and what bands I have enjoyed listening to over the past few years.
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I decided to try and branch out my interest in music and
came upon my first taste of a very different kind of sub-genre. This was done
in the honoured way of typing in Celtic Metal in Youtube and I came upon Cruachan
and their song "Bloody Sunday". I instantly fell in love with this
song, with the combination of flute and guitar playing in the foreground. And
the lyrics are deep, talking about the conspiracy behind the Bloody Sunday
event of 1972. I really like the ending lyric:
"This tyranny will not go un-noticed, our day will come
again"
After that I started to listen to a few more songs from
their album Folk-Lore album, getting more and more interested with such songs
as 'Ossian's Return', a fast paced song that resembles more heavy metal, but
still has a flute somewhere; and one of my old favourites 'Ride On', which
oddly enough has Shane McGowan as a guest vocalist (and he sounds so rough,
though his screaming vocals are good).
Eventually (or maybe inevitably) I brought the Folk-Lore
album and I do not regret it. I think it is a good starting for anyone who
cares to take an interest in Folk Metal. There are a good number to listen to: Bloody Sunday, Ossian's Return, Ride On,
Susie Moran, and The Rocky Road to
Dublin. Some might take some getting like Exiles and The Children of Lir.
But Spancil Hil would sooo good, if it didn't have Shane McGowan being the
lead singer. Seriously, he fucking slurs all over the place.
Admittedly, it is the only Cruachan album I have, but I
would still give it a time and day to listen properly. But I think there is
some hope for me yet, and you too. Their recent album, Blood on the Black Robe
has some good songs, like I am Warrior
and the instrumental Brian Buru's March (which
has the BEST DRUMMING EVER EVEN THOUGH THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I'VE HEARD THIS
SONG :D). Actually you know I would
really buy this CD pretty soon!
(Listening to Pagan Hate)
Yep, definitely buying this album. That song just exploded!
Cruachan is a good band to start with if you're a beginner.
Now what other bands could I talk about....going from
Ireland for a second to Switzerland, and their folk metal export Eluveitie (El-u-vei-tie;
in case you're having difficulty with pronunciation).
I got into them around the same time as Cruachan, exploring
around on Youtube for other bands in that similar genre, and listened to their
song Inis Mona. From the off, this band is definitely more of a fusion then
Cruachan. All the instruments are gelled together very well and nothing is left
out. The lead singer is quite the fan of screaming vocals too, and it's not
horrible at all. But sometimes I'd like to imagine some singing during the
chorus that matches along with the music. Then again, it would lead to something
like Metalcore. No Metalcore thanks.
It was that song that did influence me to get the album
Slania that had the song included. Needless to say, I enjoy this album. It is a
purer fusion of folk instrumentation and heavy metal together as the songs feel
seamless throughout. There are some small acoustic songs that appear in the album,
Anagantios and Giamonios and they are well done indeed. Easily listenable and beautiful
in their sound. But they don't take much away from the overall of pounding
guitar riffs and drumming that mostly appears throughout the album.
What might throw some people off for a minute is that the eighth
track Slania's Song isn't spoken in English but in Gaulish, an extinct language
from ancient times. It's hard to get your tongue around a few times without
reading the lyrics, but practice makes perfect. Still it is a good song to
listen to and maybe you'll be singing along to it without realising your
singing in a different language.
(Ok I'm going on a tangent here and say if Gaulish is dead,
why is it on this album? The same goes with Latin and maybe a few more
languages around the world. If even one person speaks it, does that really
count as an extinct language? I don't think it means that. It these kind of
things that does annoy me, because if one sings the language, that could mean
for just about four minutes or more, the language become alive once more. At
least until the world blows up).
Like Cruachan, this is still the only Eluveitie album I have
as far. But also I have listened to a recent song called A Rose for Epona,
released last year for their album Helveitios. It is a good song too. Not their
best, but still good. I should really try to find the other songs to that CD in
a hope that I might consider buying it like Blood on the Black Robe. The same
goes with their other song Omnos. The flute playing is fantastic, but oddly I
did get a pop feel from it. I did not hear much of a guitar riff or drumming or
anything like that. It is a good song don't get me wrong, but it's not
something you'd expect from a folk metal band is it?
To wrap up, Slania is a good album to get, and it is such a
fantastic representation of Folk Metal. It contains a number of their best
works and brings you into a different world altogether. Inis Mona and Slania's
Song are the best songs to listen to as they get you properly If you have a
chance, get the CD that has the bonus track of Samon. It's an acoustic track of
the first song, but it is a bewildering listen. You will feel yourself becoming
quite relaxed and at peace for the minute and a half.
Listening to some of their other songs, I got the idea that
they are evolving their style ever more as the years pass. And sadly, it has
not done me much favours as of yet. But I will try to listen to more of these
pieces on Youtube before I pass a more reasonable judgement.
Eluveitie is a band I enjoy, but maybe not as much as
Cruachan. The latter edges it by a considerable margin.
Although after I heard of a certain Finnish folk metal band,
its going to be slightly debatable. No it's not Nightwish. It is the band that
started off the folk metal explosion in the first place: Finntroll.
This is a band I've only started listening to and don't
really know a lot, apart from the fact that their lyrics are based on trolls
and the mythology of trolls. Imagine if something like that played in Lord of
the Rings. Might have that sequence in Moria more epic. But after hearing at
least three of their songs, I would consider buying their albums. Like
Eluveitie, they make use of screaming vocals without the possibility of
developing laryngitis. But they have some clean vocals as well.
The title track of their first album Midnattens Widunder is a good track to listen to. The music is easy
to get into and fast-paced enough to create a mosh pit in your own room! Oddly
enough, the polka music appears quite sporadically around in places, but it's
not misplaced as the sound matches nicely with the guitar riffs. You might be
forgiven for thinking that this song doesn't have that much folk
instrumentation in it at all because you hardly hear it. It's hard not to
because all you really hear is the heavy metal so much more.
Blodsvept is their recent release and I'll be talking about
the same title track too. After some troll trawling, grunting and burping, the
song jumps out at you. It definitely has more of a heavy metal style, with some
folk instruments not coming in until 2 and a half minutes in the song. Then it
goes to back to screaming. Maybe it's possible to say their moving away from
their folk metal origins? Not just yet, until the whole album is heard. Despite
the lack thereof, it's still an enjoyable song to listen to.
Blodsvept
The last song I'll talk about, Under Dvargens Foot, is from their
fifth release Nifelvind. When I first started listen to it, it sounded like a
circus performance. Something that belongs in A Nightmare Before Christmas.
It's a strange song to say the least, and not to be repeated on a daily basis.
But there are some good moments. You can hear more of the folk tradition stuff
here than in the other songs and you can sort of dance to it but you might end embarrassing
yourself in front of everyone else.
Listening to these songs, I do get the impression that
Finntroll is NOT a folk metal band. Yes, there are some folk instruments lying
around in different songs. But you don't get that impression after hearing
them. Probably after reading up notes on their albums or even reading this would
you have an idea that they are folk metal. They just sounded more on par with
other heavy metal bands, with good music in tow, but hardly any folk stuff to
back themselves up with.
I'll admit this is only a beginning judgement and not a full
on one since I haven't heard a complete album from them yet. I suppose that's
the difference between listening to Finntroll and Cruachan/Eluveitie. I have less
to talk about the former then I do with the latter. However, remembering them
back in my mind I do enjoy listening to their music, because there is a certain
beauty to it all. So I would definitely like to hear one of their albums before
judging a book by its cover. At least until after Blood on the Black Robe ;).
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These three bands are just a crab's scuttle entry fee into
the realm of Folk Metal. And granted, you might be thrown back initially by the
music being so different compare to mainstream metal bands nowadays. And of
course you might not even like this sort of music for whatever reason. But I urge
you to at least have a listen to one of these three bands, or another one that
I haven't listed and hope you will joining this fanbase of metal subgenre.
Folk Metal is still something that is growing on me
throughout the future. It's something I still come back into every now and then
when I probably should try and expand my range into it. The music is good and
you get an idea about what these guys and girls write about and how they can connect
with certain audiences. Their lyrics can either be social issues that still run
deep or grow a new mythology.
All I can really say now is go onto YouTube, type in Folk
Metal or any one of the bands I've suggest and listen. And if I somehow managed
to inspire you on the way in creating your own folk metal band, thank you :)
.
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That's it for this week sadly. Booo. Oh well maybe my
writer's block will lighten up soon haha!
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Game of Thrones Mini-special:
So you decided to take a look, have you? You poor soul.
You may remember the prediction I made involving the episode
title called 'The Rains of Castamere' and how the series might use some
elements from the second part of the third book. Some of you might have guessed
what I was talking about. Others might not have understood what I was gibbering
on for.
Well low and behold, it came true. I knew it was coming, but
I could not shake off the fear of what was coming. And it was brutal. Fucking
brutal. Made more so from the impact of Tulisa's practically violent death. Thinking
back on it, that was the killer part for me, the one moment that made me gasp
out and hold my mouth. Everything else from Robb being shot by arrows to
Catelyn's one iota of happiness ripped out of her was shocking enough, but that
one moment will stay in my mind for a good while. They should have Game of
Thrones therapy sessions so everyone can have a good cry at the character's
demise. I hope Walder Frey dies very slowly and painfully.....and I'm not
exactly looking forward to 'An Adventure in Time in Space' special that's due
to be released this year L.
Susan Foreman would be horrified if she knew the truth of her grandfather. No wonder he ran away from Gallifrey!
What will happen now? Robb Stark is dead. Catelyn is dead. Tony
Stark is dead (Don't worry he gets reincarnated into Iron Man in Marvel's
Universe so it's all good). The Starks as a major household are finished. At
least for the time being. With the house's demise, The Lannisters have truly
become the dominant house in the whole of Westeros, save for Stannis Baratheon
and his army. And that war will undoubtedly continue in earnest.
But for now, I await the aftermath of the finale on Sunday
and see what the repercussions will be throughout the land, and spare a thought
for the victims of the Red Wedding. .....
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