Those who follow this webzine know I cover folk metal about as often as I cover deathcore and nu metal, which is essentially never. That said, unlike my views on deathcore and nu metal, I’ve matured enough to the point where I recognize folk metal’s role in the grand scheme of the metal universe. I think the problem was the rampant popularity of pseudo-novelties like Turisas, Alestorm, and Trollfest when I was getting deep into this music roughly 15 years ago. As a result, I and many others largely shrugged folk metal off as a brainless, drunken, obnoxious amalgamation to be strictly reserved for the euro fest circuit.
As I grew older, I came to the realization that folk metal was much more than simply this. For one, there were early ’70s pioneers like Jethro Tull and Wishbone Ash, who fused European folk music with hard rocking guitars and progressive songwriting. From there followed Bathory, whose viking era features many moments that can be categorized as early folk metal. Come the early ’90s, Sabbat offshoot Skyclad helped establish the genre properly, which would then bleed its way into genres as far reaching as traditional metal (The Lord Weird Slough Feg) and black metal (Ulver). This leads us to the subject of today’s review, Grendel’s Sÿster and their latest album, Katabasis into the Abaton.
In an era where folk metal is characterized by those clichés I mentioned in the first paragraph, Grendel’s Sÿster takes the genre and strips it down to its very core. The “folk” part of their folk metal brew is derived from Tull and Ash, as well as classic ’70s progressive folk outfits like Renaissance and Curved Air. Meanwhile, the “metal” part of the equation varies from song to song, making for quite the dynamic listen. Cuts like the opening “Boar’s Tusk Helmet” and “In Praise of Mugwort” really channel this “If folk metal existed in the ’70s” aura, nailing the sound and spirit of the day. From there, things get anything but predictable.
Whether it by high speed folk metal (“Night Owl’s Beak”), monolithic epic doom (“The Fire That Lights Itself”), or the obligatory acoustic prog-folk palette cleanse (“Golden Key (Won’t Fit)”), Grendel’s Sÿster runs the gamut of all things old school and true, with a healthy dose of dynamic musicianship to boot. By no means would I call them showy on their individual instruments, but the guitarwork is super impressive, laying down the law with a steady balance of rocking riffage and twin melodies. Frontwoman Caro’s vocal delivery is indeed an acquired taste, but fits the singular nature of the music and lyrics, the latter largely centered around folk tales of yore.
If all folk metal were tailored in the vein of Grendel’s Sÿster, I don’t think the genre would have nearly as bad a rap. Some might even argue this is less folk metal “proper” and more a folksy spin on traditional metal or hard rock, but hey, I’ll leave that up to the genre police in the comments. Whatever Katabasis into the Abaton is, it’s a truly unique outing in an era where metal is starting to sound far too robotic, mechanic, and identical. Folk all that!
7 out of 10
Label: Cruz del Sur Music
Genre: Folk Metal
For fans of: Tanith, Skyclad, Jethro Tull