Wolfchant Set to Release 'Bloodwinter'

One of Germany's best folk-metal bands, Wolfchant, is set to release their newest effort titled 'Bloodwinter' on January 13th. 

I was a little disappointed in their last album, 'Embraced By Fire', as it seemed to depart from the sound of the first several Wolfchant releases, perhaps being a bit too polished. However, if you're looking for epic, melodic folk metal I highly recommend 'Bloody Tales From Disgraced Lands', 'A Pagan Storm', 'Determined Damnation' or 'Call Of The Black Winds'. (I'm still trying to get my hands on a hard copy of 'A Pagan Storm'). I'm awaiting the release of 'Bloodwinter' with some excitement and the tiniest hint of apprehension, hopeful that it will live up the rest of Wolfchant's material. 

Wolfchant's official merchandise shop is offering a few different pre-order options, and these appear to be the best bet for getting your hands on a copy of 'Bloodwinter'. 

As a precursor to the album, Wolfchant has released a video for the title track. While the video isn't too interesting, the song itself is intriguing. 

Grimner - Frost Mot Eld Review

Track Listing

1. Res Er Mina Söner
2. Eldhjärta
3. Normännens Raseri
4. Enhärjarkväde
5. Midgård Brinner
6. Vargarnas Tid
7. Mörkets Hem
8. Etter och Flammor
9. Muspelheims Härskare
10. Frost Mot Eld

Sweden has over the years proven to be a hotbed for metal of all types. Some of the best folk metal comes from Sweden and emerging artist, Grimner, is no exception. Formed in 2008, with their first full length release ‘Blodshymner’ coming in 2014, Grimner are relative unknowns ready to burst onto the scene. Grimner offer everything one could want in a folk metal band, conveying a sense of paganism evident in both the music and the band’s imagery. With a sound similar to bands such as Finntroll and Månegarm, yet uniquely their own, Grimner have released one hell of an album. 

‘Frost Mot Eld’ is inspired by Ragnarök which, put in simplistic terms, is the end of world of the old Norse gods. With lyrics sung entirely in Swedish, and the perfect melding of clean and harsh vocals, Grimner have created a refreshing folk metal album. “Res Er Mina Söner” opens with a sense of calm before the storm, quickly bursting into a more up-tempo track backed by a memorable flute melody. In fact, flutes are evident throughout much of the album, adding a unique touch to many of the songs. The pieces of ‘Frost Mot Eld’ flow together seamlessly, at times light and uplifting and at other times brutal and harsh.  The Swedish bagpipes in “Vargarnas Tid” provide a background of melancholic darkness to the track evoking emotions of hope fading away. The pace changes multiple times throughout the album, much like the emotions brought forth by the lyrical content and careful use of various instruments and vocal techniques. 

The story woven throughout ‘Frost Mot Eld’ is one of battle, one of hope and lost hope, one of acceptance of fate, and one of finality. It is a journey that feels as though it were woven by the Norns, telling a narrative of the end of days set to some truly evocative, brooding, and at times, jovial, melodies. 

Best tracks: Vargarnas Tid, Eldjärta, Frost Mot Eld

Documentary Preview: 'Home of the Wind - A History of Moonsorrow'

Pagan & folk metal fans rejoice! A Moonsorrow documentary is currently in the works, funded largely by an Indiegogo campaign. While I'm not entirely a fan of crowdfunding campaigns, I think it's interesting to see some of these projects come to fruition that would likely not be possible otherwise. The one thing that irritates me regarding this documentary is that physical copies apparently will NOT be made available unless you support the Indiegogo campaign and choose to pledge the amount that offers a physical copy as one of the perks. Which, as a currently almost flat-broke metalhead, is a little annoying. Why not sell some physical copies through an official webstore for the band or somewhere similar once the project is complete? This would allow some fans who can't currently contribute to the crowdfunding campaign to have an opportunity to get ahold of a physical copy in the future. Personally, I hate the idea of only being able to potentially access a digital copy.

That being said:
This upcoming documentary has the full support of the band members of Moonsorrow, and the teaser clips look pretty promising. Some of the discussion surrounding paganism and Moonsorrow's influences are particularly relevant and intriguing.

Beautiful film poster by Kris Verwimp

For more visit the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/homeofthewind/?fref=ts

https://www.moshville.co.uk/news/2016/06/moonsorrow-documentary-home-of-the-wind-nears-crowdfunding-target/

http://www.andjusticeforart.com/2016/06/world-exclusive-unveiling-poster-for.html

Unleashed - 'Dawn Of The Nine' Review

Dawn Of The Nine:

1. A New Day Will Rise
2. They Came To Die
3. Defenders Of Midgard
4. Where Is Your God Now?
5. The Bolt Thrower
6. Let The Hammer Fly
7. Where Churches Once Burned
8. Land Of The Thousand Lakes
9. Dawn Of The Nine
10. Welcome The Son Of Thor!

Having finally found the time to sit down and listen to ‘Dawn of The Nine’ track by track in its entirety, I recommend that any death metal fan do the same. Unleashed certainly aren’t rewriting the book on the genre, but they are demonstrating why they continue to be a band at the forefront of the stripped down, old school, Swedish death sound. 

‘Dawn Of The Nine’ is the twelfth studio album from these masters. It doesn’t experiment with new directions, it doesn’t attempt to be more “mainstream” friendly, it doesn’t attempt to reach out to a new segment of fans like so many other bands I’ve loved have attempted to do in recent years. Instead, it continues to embrace what myself (and doubtlessly others) find appealing about the band. ‘Dawn Of The Nine’ is simple in a pure, unadulterated fashion that makes me want to drink beer, bang my fist on the table and headbang along. 

Johnny Hedlund’s vocals are menacingly distinct, snarling yet understandable. This album makes you feel like joining the viking hordes and fighting battles alongside them, burning churches and crushing the White Christ. The slower segments, which I was not fond of on the first couple listens, have grown on me and enhance the atmosphere woven throughout the album. Delving into the story, it’s antagonistic, as evidenced by tracks such as “Where Is Your God Now” and “Where Churches Once Burned”. Songs like these are relevant in so many different ways, and so many different interpretations. The outro to “Where Churches Once Burned” creates a gloomy atmosphere, enabling one to imagine the silence and calm of a coming dawn after watching flames lick a darkened sky. 

Speaking of a reawakening of Thor, and the rise of a mighty (mythologically) based return of Viking values, ‘Dawn Of The Nine’ does not disappoint on the promise of continuing where ‘Odalheim’ left off. It proves that Unleashed is still hungry, still uncompromising and still an exemplary choice when it comes to viking/pagan influenced death metal. 

My favorite tracks: Where Churches Once Burned, The Bolt Thrower, Dawn Of The Nine, Where Is Your God Now?

Paganfest EU Thoughts

With rumors circulating that North America will not be getting a Paganfest tour this year, it makes the European Paganfest lineup all that more bittersweet. For many folk metal fans, Paganfest quickly becomes the highlight of the concert year, bringing together some of the finest of the genre into one venue, on one night. The North American versions of Paganfest have always boasted pretty decent lineups, but they never quite seem to match the lineups offered in Europe. While some of it probably boils down to logistics, it still leaves many North American fans shaking their heads. With the possibility of no Paganfest in North America this year, the lineup announced for Europe will no doubt leave many disappointed. 

The announced lineup is as follows:

Wintersun

Turisas

Heidevolk

Obscurity

Frosttide

Special ‘extended show’ guests at some of the dates include:

Korpiklaani

Grailknights

Finterforst

Personally, I don’t really care about Wintersun. While they have tons of ‘fanboys’ and ‘fangirls’, I’ve never quite seen the superiority that is preached regarding this band. Plus, Jari’s constant whining has basically turned me away from the band. I’ve seen them live once, and that was enough. Unless of course they come through on a package tour where I want to see other bands.

I feel somewhat the same about Turisas. I loved ‘Battle Metal’ and ‘The Varangian Way’, but it fell off the rails after those two albums. I have seen them a couple of times, and they are an energetic live band, but I can’t get into the newer material. 

Heidevolk, on the other hand, is a band I could see time and time again. The one time I did see them, they blew every other band in the lineup out of the water. (Including both Ensiferum and Tyr). With a new album that promises to offer more of the sheer awesomeness one would expect, it would be nice to see them again.

Korpiklaani is another one that I could see live time and time again. They have always been good, and stayed true to what you would think Korpiklaani should sound like. Paganfest or not, at least I will likely have the opportunity to see them again this spring.

Both Frosttide and Finterforst are bands that I would like to see. While I’m not overly familiar with their material, I have enjoyed what I have listened to. I’ve never listened to either Obscurity or Grailknights, but chances are if they’re included in a Paganfest lineup, they’re at least worth watching or being introduced to. 

While the lineup in North America would likely be quite different, it would still be nice to get a Paganfest tour this year. This does not appear to be in the cards, leaving many supporters wondering. 

Favorite Pagan Metal Bands

        Without giving any precedence to the various arguments about what exactly constitutes folk, pagan and/or viking metal bands, the following is a list of my top ten favorites. I’m not a big fan of pointlessly debating the nuances of sub-genres, therefore these are what I consider pagan-themed metal bands. In no particular order (other than alphabetical), here are my top ten picks:

Amon Amarth

From: Sweden

Finntroll

From: Finland

Heidevolk

From: The Netherlands

Korpiklaani

From: Finland

Månegarm

From: Sweden

Moonsorrow

From: Finland

Thyrfing

From: Sweden

Unleashed

From: Sweden

Waylander

From: Ireland

Wolfchant

From: Germany

The musical influences and sounds between these bands are widely varied. There are also several other pagan-themed bands that I listen to on a semi-regular basis. Ensiferum and Turisas were left off this list due to some fantastic early albums and some not-so-great later ones. Bathory was left off for the simple reason that not all of their albums are pagan-themed.