Band/artist - Arathorn
Genre(s) - Black/folk metal
Origin - Germany
Album - Treue & Verrat
Year of release - 2008
There are hundreds of bands playing folk metal, decorating (or ruining) their metal with craploads of synths, accordeons, flutes and violins in what they hope is a somewhat accurate guess at what ancient European tribal folk music must have sounded like. Arathorn takes another approach. An acoustic guitar and main dude Sköll's hell of a clean voice is all that they need, for instance, in the first track. At times flutes and keyboards do make their appearance but most introvertedly. The calmness of the folk parts and that they mostly alternate with the black metal parts instead of also being imposed over them gives Treue & Verrat a refreshing and honest feeling. Some of the black metal parts are more inspired than others, and there are a few cosmetic flaws but on the whole there's much to enjoy and I think you should give this Nibelungenlied-themed album a chance.
- Am Tage der letzten Schlacht
- Siegfried von Xanthen
- Hagens Verrat
- Siegfrieds Tod
- Ragnarök
and it's Tolkien influenced! That always hooks me.
ReplyDeleteI liked the movies, but trudged heavily through 30 pages or so of Hobbit genealogy before deciding the LotR books was not my cuppa. It reminded me of the bible, and if I have to choose, well, I'd read the bible.
ReplyDeleteLoved The Hobbit, though. dunno what it is.