Music of 2009 - Part V

6. Arkona – Goi, Rode, Goi!

I had no idea what storm awaited me when I began listening to this record. But I can say this – this record brings the pain and doesn’t stop until you submit to the beast that is Arkona. Playing a more brutal style of folk metal, this band hails from the heart of Russia and the influence of their home land is forever present in their music. Singing of forgotten Gods and pagan rituals, front woman Masha serenades us with angelic hymns and transitions to one of the most brutal growls in metal today, (Angela Gossow has nothing on this woman!) Differing from their folk contemporaries Ensiferum, Arkona are not above using traditional instrumentation in their music. The list ranges from violins and flutes to accordions and hurdy-gurdy’s, and there’s even some Lai-Lai-Lai’s in there for good measure. You need to experience this band. Period. Folk metal record of the year!

Music of 2009 - Part III

8. Ensiferum - From Afar

These Finnish boys (and girl) once again give us something that is a bit of a rarity these days. A folk metal record that stays fresh from start to finish, (no pun intended). If you’re looking for a new outlandish instrument to take up you will be sorely disappointed. Ensiferum prefer to keep a very back-to-basics sound to their music - guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards. And where some bands in the genre have begun to grow stale with uninspired and over the top songs, Ensiferum’s Kalevala-inspired lyrics and soaring chorus’s stand out as being a notch above the rest, not to mention an epic banjo solo. With this record the band has cemented themselves as the reigning kings of folk metal.