O An Thar

Time for another band that I will be seeing Sunday night. O An Thar is a heavy symphonic folk metal act in the vein of groups like Midnatsoll. They find a nice mix between a more mainstream symphonic metal sound and a more developed folk metal concept. The guitar work in their music is rather heavy and provides a backdrop for the folk instruments and vocals. In some ways you could compare the guitar playing here to that of Elevuitie. The bass work is equally solid and the heavy rhythms that dominate this music really give everything a very driving feel. There are even some really cool bass fills in the acoustic portions of songs. The drumming is very solid, and due to the mixture of styles, very eclectic. From the weird symph metal rhythms to the gentle acoustic caresses this drummer nails it all. It means a lot to a folk metal band when they have a drummer as good as this one. The whistles are rather well done and they add a rather Celtic feel to a lot of the songs. In the meantime the mandolin provides some very solid melodies and makes things feel old. The soaring violin work adds a whole new panorama of sounds to this band and really allows for them to carve out their own little niche. Finally, the vocals are gorgeous. With a full voiced singer they really pull out a great sound. The power in her voice is only counterbalanced by the sheer tenderness of the singing. It adds a lot to the music and makes me not want to stop listening. In conclusion O An Thar is a cool Celtic folk metal band that will be a pleasure to see Sunday.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/O-An-Thar/304514771806