Helga – Wrapped In Mist Season of Mist Release Date: 24/11/2023 Running Time: 46:00 Review by Rory Bentley 8/10 I’ve had this record for a while now, mainly cos Season of Mist are top lads and lasses that give us stuff way before release, but I’ve only gone in on it properly recently because now that my mornings are an absolute pea-souper of fog and darkness at this time of year, some Nordic Folky stuff is exactly what I need. What I got with “Wrapped in Mist,” however, was more than I bargained for. After dry retching at the maddeningly insipid press notes I remembered my objective I settled ..read more

Verikalpa – Tunturihauta Scarlet Records Release Date: 21/01/2022 Running Time: 47:14 Review by Rory Bentley 7.5/10 There’s a scene in the extended Lord of The Rings where Legolas and Gimli are on the sesh after a victorious battle and they get into a drinking contest in a rowdy tavern environment. The dashing elf comes out on top after necking 20 pints, only feeling a slight tingle in his fingers. His gregarious dwarf wingman survives with a little less dignity and starts going off on one about swimming with hairy women before collapsing from the heroic volume of grog he’s ingested at the en ..read more

EMQ’s with ARGOROK Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Dresden, Germany based Melodic Death/Folk/Groove Metal project Argorok. Huge thanks to Bill for taking part. What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band? Our band name is Argorok. It’s a project that was in the making for quite a few years, initially starting out as some kind of Folk Metal project, but it died at some point. As I started recording and mixing a few years ago, I took the chance and turned it into a more Death Metal like studio project. You are still ab ..read more

Fredlös – Fredlös Threeman Release Date: 10/02/2023 Running Time: 60:00 Review by Rory Bentley 10/10 Alright let’s cut to the chase, you’ve seen the score at the top of the page and it’s now my job to justify it in writing. In my opinion all I should actually have to do is encourage you to push play on the link below while I stand back with my hands in the air and a smug ‘told you so’ look on my face, but if you absolutely insist on me waxing lyrical about this album then strap in my friends, because I have plenty to say. Once in a while an album comes along from a brand-new band that does exa ..read more

Ensiferum – Thalassic Metal Blade Records Release Date: 10/07/2020 Running Time: 43:46 Review by Beth Jones 10/10 Well hello metal followers! Tis Sunday here at Ever Metal base camp. The idiots of our nation have gone back to the pub and the entire of England now has a collective hangover to deal with, as well as intense stupidity! But here in our little corner of Wales, we’re still being sensible. So, what better way to get our Sunday morning metal worship underway, than with a hefty dose of Folk inspired Melodic Death Metal from stalwarts of the genre, Ensiferum, in the shape of their new ..read more

Primordial – How It Ends Metal Blade Release Date: 29/09/2023 Running Time: 65:55  Review by Chris Galea 7.5/10 Primordial are one of the mainstays of Irish Metal. Over the course of 32 years together the band has developed a unique way of fusing Black Metal, Doom, Folk and Traditional Metal, resulting in masterpieces such as “Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand” (2011) or “To The Nameless Dead” (2007). With this in mind, I jumped at the opportunity to review the band’s brand new and 10th album. It’s called “How It Ends” and ponders on the end of life as we know it. Predictably, therefore, t ..read more

EMQ’s With Opus Arise Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Canadian Folk/ Prog ensemble, Opus Arise. Huge thanks to their Guitarist/ String player, Shawn, for taking part.  What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band? I’m Shawn, Guitarist / String Player and founding member of Opus Arise. It’s an ensemble with folks who have a love for Prog, Metal, Classical and Video Game music. How did you come up with your band name? Just finding two words that who be kinda of a cool balance between the Classical and Metal ..read more

Cruachan – The Living And The Dead Despotz Records Release Date: 24/03/2023 Running Time: 51:55 Review by Chris Galea  10/10 Probably before Folk Metal was even a genre, somewhere near Dublin Cruachan were already giving traditional music a rougher, more Metal edge. That was 30 + years, 8 albums and several line-up changes ago. Multi-instrumentalist Keith Fay is the only original member still in the band and on album no. 9 the services of a number of session musicians are called upon to lay down these new songs. The album is called “The Living And The Dead” which at first glance seems to ..read more

EMQ’s With Norrsköld Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Swedish Melodic Black/ Folk Metal band, Norrsköld. Huge thanks to guitarist Henrik Bodin-Sköld for taking part. What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band? Henrik Bodin-Sköld, guitarist and main songwriter in Norrsköld. Norrsköld started out pretty much as a studio project by me in 2013. The overall ambition of the music was to combine “the best of worlds” considering melodic metal and black metal. A large part of the inspiration for the song writing came ..read more

Atorc – Under The Raven Banner Independent Release Date: 04/04/2019 Running Time: 42:06 Review by Sheri Bicheno 8/10 Hailing from Suffolk, Battle Hardened Folk Metal Warriors, Atorc were formed in 2012. Their latest offering “Under The Raven Banner” comes two years after their first release, EP “Seven Tales Of Swords And Ale.” They have been absolutely storming the UK, performing their tales and leaving audiences in sheer awe. First look into the debut album and ‘OOOOOH MY GOODNESS THAT BEAUTIFUL INTRO’! Once first track ‘Hrafnsmerki’ starts, you visualise a landscape of misty mountains and l ..read more