April 2020 Feature Release - The North Edition

It's now April which of course means that we'll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we're asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. Ben & I will certainly be contributing & we look forward to hearing your thoughts too.       

This month's feature release for The North is 2005's sole album from Paris-based Celtic metal outfit Heol Telwen entitled "An deiz ruz". It's major feature is the incorporation of flute as a primary instrument within the context of a black metal foundation. Does it work? Well that's for you tell us now, isn't it? So get stuck into it & don't be shy in sharing your feelings.

This was one of those albums that I wish I liked more, but there's just something about it that didn't click in the end. It's been a while since I've listened to some good, old-fashioned, Pagan Black Metal inspired Folk Metal, so An deiz ruz was definitely refreshing. It has a ton of things I like, from the acoustic but still heavy riffing to the flute and folk elements playing perfectly with the Black Metal harsh vocals, but I wasn't thrilled at the end of it. Maybe an hour of this is a bit too much, or maybe the constant flute on top of the riffing began to feel uninspired during the second half of the album, but this one is going to have to be one that I revisit. I love what's going on, but I think they decided to write too many similar songs for the entire album to be as exciting as the first half. While the flute can sound fantastic, it feels like more of a nuisance when it copies exactly what the lead guitar is doing, like in "Epona, Part 2". Some of the Celtic elements feel a bit overblown too, like they don't exactly fit, especially when the vocalist gets involved in the folky-tunes on tracks like "Son ar Everezh". 

3.5/5, but it has potential for me.