Sur Austru - Obârșie

Now this is an interesting one. I feel like I haven't spent enough time with folky black metal in 2020 which is something I seek to rectify in 2021. From what I can tell the latest offering from Sur Austru, Obârșie is a great starting point! This is an album that benefits from tight songwriting and epic productions to craft something that is exciting and fun. The breadth of sound and the frankly epic achievement represented here is a delight to lose oneself in. This is folk black metal executed at a wonderfully high level. 

These Romanians proudly bring in elements of their rich culture on every track here and it makes for some fascinating listening. The overall delivery is thrilling, especially when they bring in traditional instruments. One particular highlight is the pipes used on 'Cant Adanc.' That being said there are moments where the production really suffers and doesn't fully integrate them. It leaves listeners curious to see what the next steps from this band could be and how they might build on the incredible promise of what these songs offer. At best they border on transcendent. At worst you're left wondering what could have been. This is oddly part of the charm of Obârșie though and it helps keep me coming back. 

Sur Austru are clearly an extremely talented group of guys doing something special and celebrating their heritage while they're at it. It's a delight to lose yourself in what this record seeks to accomplish and while there are clear steps forward that need to be made as a general rule this is an exciting and interesting offering that will keep listeners delving deep into the magic of what is and ever shall be. Obârșie is a multifaceted offering that folk black metal fans are going to really enjoy and it suggests the band has a bright future to come. 

Find them on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/SurAustruOfficial

Anabioz

Russian folk metal that mixes female vocals with powerful growls, melodic violin lines with black metal riffs and darkness with light, Anabioz are the kind of band who get it. At it's core, Anabioz understand what true folk metal is supposed to be about, honoring our pagan ancestors and reminding us of the glory of blood. With lyrics in both English and Russian these guys are consistently interesting to listen too. Their new record There The Sun Falls is nine tracks of intricately composed and very unique folk metal. While they use all the traditional tenets of folk metal they don't sound generic. They do a good job of avoiding the 'white woman wailing' trope and place a strong emphasis on the mighty growls. They know what they want out of the crowd too, songs like Dance Dance prove that though Anabioz may be a serious band they know how to have fun. Anabioz are doing something special, and the world needs more folk metal. Hail their powerful songwriting and let it wash over you, this is folk metal at its finest.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anabioz/258087144239504

Protokult - No Beer In Heaven

Yesterday was not a good day to be a Dutchman, being knocked out the World Cup and all. What better than drink away the sorrows with a load of alcohol? From Canada I bring you Protokult with the scariest title an album could be; No Beer In Heaven. It's plain obvious that we're talking about folk metal here, meaning; up tempo melody's, high pitched singing, beer and party's. However, this is not your typical folk band, although it has all the folk elements, Protokult adds a little bit of ambient and quite some black in there. This makes the sound very diverse and enjoyable, folk bands come in many and many are alike as well, this is a fresh change between them.

Packed with melodic guitar screams, dark grunts, the amazing reach of Ekaterina, Protokult comes in as a dark folk train ready to obliterate everything in its path to make sure they won't run out of beer. The album  is over an hour long and it will definitely give folk lovers who likes it a bit rougher what they want. Now, I'm not the biggest folk lover you will find, but I have been enjoying myself with songs like 'Get Me A Beer', 'Heaven Cast Me Out' and 'Desert Scourge'. Which brings me to 'Razbival Okovi Perun', sounding like a ritual in the woods sacrificing a virgin to whatever god they worship.

All in all No Beer In Heaven is an extra large package of dark folk metal here to drink and party with you. If you're a folk fan, be sure to give them a listen. The album is a solid piece and an enjoyment to even non-folk fans. Oh, and they also love the 'Water of Life' (that is vodka if you didn't know already).

Give them a like on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/Protokult