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#probably folklore but I haven’t listen to very much of either whoops
asgardian--angels · 3 years
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Recommend some good folk metal music please
:D i never thought i’d see the day when someone actually wants to know more about the music i listen to *cracks knuckles* my time has come
I apologize in advance for this novel. Feel free to skip to the recommended tracks lol.
Most folk metal comes out of northern Europe (Finland, heavily) though you can find it all over the world (Hu Band comes to mind but I mean, it’s on every continent). I am one of those people with like, a small handful of favorite bands that I listen to mercilessly so I am sure that I am only representing a miniscule percentage of what’s available out there. What’s great is that folk metal is much more versatile than many other genres in its sound; the essence of folk metal is simply to 1) utilize traditional (or rather, in the sense of a metal band, non-traditional) instruments such as violin, accordion, brass ensemble, bagpipes, what have you, and 2) have lyrical themes which revolve around regional folklore, mythology, cultural heritage, or place (what I particularly like is a frequent reverence and respect for nature). Other genres of metal (death, black) have the second element but not the first, and tend to incorporate darker overall tones and consistently harsher or lo-fi vocal styles and sounds. Folk metal can be a gateway genre into metal and can often be quite hopepunk (if you will). Because of these criteria, the actual sound of folk metal can range from sea shanties to ‘spooky walk in the midnight woods’ to scathing social commentary to SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SH
Basically you can find a range of styles within the genre that fit what you’re looking for, from those that have an orchestral, ballad feel, to things that border on death metal but have a hurdy-gurdy in there. There’s also a much higher percentage of female-led folk metal bands than other metal genres.
I’ll go through my top picks.
Turisas. These motherfuckers. My boys.
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Turisas is based in Finland, but sing primarily in English (with occasional Finnish, a smidge of Greek and Swedish too). Four albums out to date, fifth in progress. Sound is absolutely fucking bonkers god tier shit, if I may say so myself. Every single song sounds like you’ve been transported into an Iliad metal musical. Heavy use of a full orchestra and choir, along with sick violin and accordion solos. Their lyrical themes focus heavily on ancient Greco-Roman and Viking military history - but before you raise any red flags, rest assured they’re liberal as fuck and trust me the tea is scalding when Mathias feels like making a Point about Then and Now. No seriously, I don’t know how to express the beauty and depth of his songwriting - Mathias Nygård is an incredibly talented composer, musician, and songwriter (nay, POET), and an extremely intelligent and down to earth guy. There are plenty of bands that are happy to write Viking songs about pillaging and glorious death in battle and all that (Alestorm comes to mind), those are a dime a dozen. Turisas makes history come to life in a way that transports you back in time and thrusts you into the living breathing world of the past. They deal with the horrors and tragedy of war from both sides, consequences and motivations, fears and pride and loss, home and family, despair and hope. They write songs about people, big and small, and their role in weaving the great tapestry of history. And the best part is that it’s informed - Mathias does his damn research and the tales he tells are rooted in fact. He brings them to life so we can experience what it must have been like for those real living people, with the goal of forcing us to confront our own selves in them. He’s a modern Homer, I shit you not. 
Did I mention there’s a song about pirates that’s actually really complex and nuanced, about how the hypocrisy and vile colonialist deeds of emperors makes them no different than the criminals they persecute?
Or that they do a badass cover of Rasputin?? yeah?????
Anyway enough gushing. Their second and third albums (The Varangian Way, Stand Up And Fight) are consecutive concept albums that follow the story of the Varangian Guard (the legendary Viking battalion that defended Alexander the Great) so the songs are actually chronologically linked to tell this epic tale. It’s a fucking listen, lads. The Varangian Way is probably my favorite album. But all their albums are top notch. 
My favorite songs: End of An Empire (this one comes for 2020 hard), Piece by Piece (AKA die fascists 2k20), Cursed Be Iron, Among Ancestors, Greek Fire, Miklagard Overture (you gotta earn this song tho, it’s the finale)
Good first listen picks/hits: Battle Metal, To Holmgard and Beyond, March of the Varangian Guard, Ten More Miles, One More
Finntroll. These other motherfuckers. My other boys.
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Another big name in the Finnish folk metal scene. As you can see, their band revolves both aesthetically and musically around Scandinavian troll folklore. Yall weird elf-fuckers who like the really big ears? Here you go. Look at those ears. They’re good friends with Turisas. Both love their facepaint.
Musical style leans much more towards black and death metal influenced, with a heavier, fuller sound and growling vocals. But it’s an incredibly rich and creative aural tapestry, with layers of masterfully executed sound that’s a real delight to lose yourself in. Use of fiddle, brass, keyboard, accordion, and banjo, and strong folk melodies make their sound unmistakable and unique. They are known for their ‘black humppa’ beat, which basically gives the effect of feeling the primal need to stomp around loudly to their music. It’s great cardio. They also utilize orchestra in some great intro tracks. They know their stuff.
The majority of their songs are sung in Swedish (they do some English cover songs which are FANTASTIC holy SHIT), but don’t let that stop you. The mood and power and emotion of their music transcend language, and you can be sure the lyrics are about either trolls, witches, the dark woods, spirits, or something of that ilk. I think Swedish as a language works very well with this kind of music, and honestly having it in English would lose something. 
They have been around a long time and so have many albums, but I personally have only listened to the last three which feature their current singer, Mathias Lillmåns, whom I adore. Those albums are Nifelvind, Blodsvept, and their recent release Vredesvävd (that i’ve had on repeat since I got it three weeks ago). I’m sure their other ones are great too, I just can’t make a personal recommendation since I haven’t heard them. 
My favorite songs: Galgasång, Tiden Utan Tid, Ylaren, Skogsdotter, Två Ormar, Ett Norrskensdåd, Skövlarens Död
Good first listen picks/hits: Forsen, Under Bergets Rot, Häxbrygd, Trollhammaren (older song), Solsagan
I’ll go through these other ones a little faster, I haven’t heard quite as much from them but I do love them.
Korpiklaani. 
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Great, full folk sound, utilizes a lot of folk instruments including some less commonly seen ones like hurdy gurdy. Songs are mostly in Finnish but plenty in English too. Jonne Järvelä has a really unique voice that grows on you, but it’s not for everyone. The band started as Sami folk, and Jonne is trained in Sami yoik singing, which makes an appearance in a few songs. I prefer the Finnish tracks, as a lot of the English ones are drinking songs lmao. But again, really well-executed music with layers of sound that keeps you hooked. I haven’t heard enough of their discography to really recommend enough to cover everything. 
Song picks: Minä Näin Vedessä Neidon, Metsälle, Ämmänhauta, Lempo
Moonsorrow.
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Definitely a darker, black-folk band. Probably not a great pick if you aren’t accustomed to black metal - very long tracks (8-15 mins is standard), growling/shrieking vocals, a ‘thinner’ but encompassing wall of sound usual of black metal, but with the benefit of wonderfully entrancing dark folk elements and chants. It’s done really really well. Sung almost entirely in Finnish (apart from cover tracks). Lyrically, focuses on themes of Norse mythology, man vs nature and similar elements. Definitely one of those bands whose music gets you into a zone. I can lose serious time just putting a whole album on and letting my mind wander elsewhere. My favorite album is Jumalten Aika. 
Song picks: Ruttolehto Sis. Päivättömän Päivän Kansa (my fucking FAVORITE), Suden Tunti (well known hit), and also uhh check out their cover of Non Serviam cause it’s a fucking banger
Other bands that I like what I’ve heard but really can’t say much about them, whoops - Tyr (from the Faroe Islands, great stuff, Faroese is a baller language), Ensiferum, Nightwish (female-led).... I’m open to suggestions. Like I said, there are folk metal bands all over the world, and each is intrinsically linked to a sense of place and cultural identity that makes them unique. I’d love to hear about more tbh. 
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dream-of-wanting-me · 4 years
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(Whoops I tried to click "ask" but the mouse hit "Unfollow" instead, that's why there's a note of me following your blog again :D) So yeah, to the "not from the US" ask set: 4, 5, 6, 13, 14, 16, 18, 26 and 28. I'm apparently feeling very curious today!
4. favourite dish specific for your country? Probably mussaka - diced potatoes and minced meat, egg and yoghurt topping. But I like tarator too - a cold coup from yoghurt, cucumbers, garlic, ground walnuts and dill.
5. favourite song in your native language? Probably Bulgarian Rose, the one I sent you with my first email. I bet the regime was fond of it because it’s patriotic: “good evening young friend, good evening comrade, we have the Balkan Mountain, the sea, and lots of people with flowers in their hair” :P But it just sound so... sweet.
6. most hated song in your native language? I can’t think of any. I listened to one of our 90s chalga hits a few days ago and I had fun, I can’t even say I disliked it. I mean... Nelina is cute and she sings well. Most of our chalga singers were formally trained for folklore, which is tough. The vibratos are crazy, you need mighty lungs, it’s as serious as opera training. So chalga is about beautiful ladies with amazing voices singing silly songs, this one is abut being chased by a white Mercedes, a guy who wants to be your sugar daddy. And she’s like “My love is not for sale”
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13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders? If we want to make you feel very welcome, we’ll give you a rose and some bread. You tear a piece and dip it in ‘colorful salt’ - a mix of spices with salt. And then, when you get on the bus, you get pick-pocketed. Welcome to Bulgaria, comrade.
14. do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV? TV series usually cast the same 25 actors and the plots are boring. But I’m glad that we have an industry like that, finally. One day we’ll make a great TV series. As for movies... I’ve never been super impressed... our new cinema is boring, and the movies from communist times are depressed. People were trying to be as sad as possible because they weren’t allowed to criticize the regime. Some serious hopelessness in those movies.
16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with? People say that we shake our heads to say ‘yes’ and nod to say ‘no’. Obviously someone either blind or too drunk came up with this, and then it became popular. Watch our heads before you speak. The fact that we make a move that’s different than yours doesn’t mean that it’s the opposite. One I agree with... we’re warm and welcoming. We’ll feed you well, perhaps too well, with real fruits and vegetables, we’ll tell you stories and legends, we’ll get you drunk, we’ll teach you a dance and a few swearwords. Then we’ll feed you again. And we’re good-looking.
18. do you speak with a dialect of your native language? I speak the eastern, ‘soft’ dialect, which is closest to ‘dictionary’ Bulgarian. And by soft and hard I mean that soft is ‘miaw’ and hard is ‘mao’. Here the bread is ‘hlyap’ and in Sofia, in the west, it’s ‘lep’. Milk is ‘mlyako’ and in Sofia it’s ‘mleko’.
26. does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? what do you think about the portrayal? Happily it doesn’t. But it’s stupid enough when they fail at Russian representation. You have real Russians in the US, for Satan’s sake. Find them and cast them for your movies. But when I say that, I forget that so many Americans are racists and nationalists.
28. does your country have a lot of lakes, mountains, rivers? do you have favourites? We have 5 high mountains that are great for tourism. We hosted a few ski championships in Bansko in the last decade. Lots of rivers too. But I haven’t done much travelling in my own country. I remember that Bansko was nice. But the dialect was hard to understand :)
We have a group of lakes high in the Rila mountain called The Seven Rila Lakes. They have cute names like ‘Kidney’, ‘Tear’ and ‘Eye’. We’re trying to keep them clean, but the tourists don’t follow the regulations.
Aaaand I just listened to White Mercedes 5 times while answering this ask.
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