Make a recommendation to a fellow member of The North

If you think one of your clan-mates might really dig something you can make a recommendation to them here.

Agalloch's The Mantle - Folk Black Metal, needs to be heard for The North members.

Ensiferum - Ensiferum - When I think of folk/viking metal I think of this

Eluveitie - Celtic Metal. Ategnatos may very well be my favorite folk metal if not metal album of 2019.

Equillibrium (pre-2014) - Rekreator is quite possibly my favorite metal album of all time. (Sagas is a close second, Rekreator just grabs me more personally) Symphonic Folk Metal at the absolute best.  New album is horrific, don't waste your time with it. 

I'll be checking out Equilibrium sometime today probably, since the only stuff I've heard from them has been Waldschrein and onward. I'm glad we can both agree that their new 2019 album is absolute garbage. 

Equillibrium (pre-2014) - Rekreator is quite possibly my favorite metal album of all time. (Sagas is a close second, Rekreator just grabs me more personally) Symphonic Folk Metal at the absolute best.  New album is horrific, don't waste your time with it. 

I actually enjoyed Sagas more, but Rekreator is still a great album. I think I liked the folkier and more varied style of Sagas, whereas Rekreator felt safer and more straight up metal focused. There were more standout and memorable moments on Sagas for me personally. They're definitely two of the best examples of straight up Folk Metal I've heard though, can't believe I didn't go back and check out older Equilibrium sooner. 

Xephyr, if you haven't already checked out Primordial's "To The Nameless Dead" album from 2007 then I'd strongly urge you to do so ASAP.

The vocal style and riff structure is very unique and smooth! I don't instantly dig it as much as you did judging by your other post giving it a 4.5, but this could easily grow on me. It's just so clean! It really gives off that Irish folk vibe without necessarily using other string instruments or something like bagpipes to force it, which is cool.

I'm keen to hear how would you genre tag it Xephyr.

If I didn't look at the tags I would have said a very progressive sort of Melodic Black Metal. The raw and messy guitar tone and lack of chug throws it out of Melodic Death Metal, but the lack of consistent double-bass and slower than average blast-beats and tempos means it's not fully Black Metal either. "As Rome Burns" dips into the more sweeping Viking/Folk Metal feel, but it never quite gets there either. Even though I'm not great at discerning genres yet, I would've settled on some strange hybrid child of Black, Viking, and Progressive. 

But of course since I saw it was tagged as Folk by a majority of people I can definitely see where they're coming from. 

Well the band actually sent me a message this morning that should clear things up a bit:

"It's not really folk metal. We have many friends and fans in that scene but we came from 2nd wave Black Metal and the old early 90s pagan/black (enslaved/hades/in the woods etc.) era. Folk metal adopted us! and that's fine...…

We are maybe the dark side to folk metals 'moon'.....or however you want to phrase it."

Paysage d'Hiver - "Im Wald" (2020)

Ben, Sonny & Vinny, you simply have to hear this. Particularly the second hour which is absolutely sublime.

Paysage d'Hiver - "Im Wald" (2020)

Ben, Sonny & Vinny, you simply have to hear this. Particularly the second hour which is absolutely sublime.

Yep this is on my bank holiday weekend to do list.  Cheers.

What did you end up thinking of "Im Wald" Vinny?

Ben, I notice you haven't rated this one. Can I assume that you're already all over it?

What did you end up thinking of "Im Wald" Vinny?

Still on my Trello board under ‘need to review” list.  Been out doing lots of yard work and also some weightlifting so have been listening to lots of fist pumping stuff this past week to keep me motivated.  Today’s wet weather means BM may stray onto rotation.

Ben, I notice you haven't rated this one. Can I assume that you're already all over it?

Yep. I consider myself a fan of the most recent two albums by Mgla, but all the listening so far has been while doing other things (such as adding albums to Metal Academy). I really need to sit down and focus on them before giving them a rating.

Kaatayra - Só quem viu o relâmpago à sua direita sabe & Toda história pela frente

Shining - "V - Halmstad (Niklas Angående Niklas)" (2007)

It may not be your usual bag Xephyr but I'd be interested to hear what you have to say about this one.

Deathspell Omega - "Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum: Chaining the Katechon" E.P. (2008)

I noticed you haven't rated this release Ben. I'm sure it'll be right up your alley.

Fen - Winter

The first major snowfall of 2021 has covered my little piece of the world in a cloak of white. And so, the first of two traditions has taken place. Fen's Winter is a marvel of the atmospheric black metal variety and a drastic change from the type of black metal that I typically listen to and enjoy. This maintains much of the classic chills of a Darkthrone, Paysage D'Hiver, or Ulver record, with an obvious shoegaze flare. Daniel, Ben, Sonny, don't be alarmed by the length; it's worth the adventure.

Thanks for the heads up saxy. I have a long drive to make tomorrow so this could be just what I'm looking for.

You'll be pleased to know that I really enjoyed "Winter" saxy. It made a great accompaniment for four hours of driving yesterday & was whacked on again at 5:30 AM this morning while I was lying in bed. I'd suggest that it's not as cold & frostbitten as the artists you mentioned as it takes more of a glistening & at times quite beautiful approach that reminds me a lot more of bands like Agalloch, Altar Of Plagues & Falls Of Rauros. Many of the riffs & melodies possess a positive atmosphere but are still obviously black metal as opposed to the more overtly gazey artists out there. The post-metal component is substantial & is really well done, as is the clean production which suits what Fen were trying to achieve very nicely. If I'm being picky then I'd probably say that the album is about 15 minutes too long but I've gone with a very solid 4/5 rating nonetheless.

Sonny?  I would assume you are all over this black/doom outift?  I have been playing it this past week after it came up as a suggestion after me battering the latest Yith album.

I am familiar with it Vinny, but I haven't heard it for a while (at least a couple of years). Just spun it up again to refresh my memory and yes, this is as caustic a bit of blackened sludge as I remember it being. That old blackened doom vibe really takes a lot of beating in the nihilistic hopelessness stakes doesn't it?