Yea, I've been looking for a distro from the US and I couldn't find any!
Plus I just bought from the old outpost couple days ago!

Haven't really done a search through this thread, but I know this is the other optimal thread to post this in. I posted this in the "2012 metal albums you liked" thread.

Thank you so much Ozzy, this is some awesome music. After one song I'm left desperately wanting to hear the rest of the album. And how about that artwork, damn is it good.

Seconded! Sounds great Ozzy, like a lack metal Running Wild, pre-ordered, thanks man.

I am also loving the new Ahnengrab

Looking for some female fronted folk metal. I am familiar with Lumsk so anything with that vocal style would be great, but just give me what you have vocal wise haha

Also, I am looking for less bouncey female fronted folk metal ala Dalriada. More after slow to midpaced

It's hard to come close to Lumsk...
However I think Fenrir will be worth 5 minutes of your time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX1DMySZVvs

Doesn't have to be like Lumsk, just have that kind of pace, and vocal style being very very feminine. I liked Fenrir

ok...

· folk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7epLlfe_ZM
· folk metal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8alvXvkK78
· gothic rock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9tL4Mgzjx0#at=40
· Jennifer Charles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mVcb9WcloU
Jean-Louis Murat - Monsieur Craindrait les Demoiselles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg1lyEN7SL4#at=27
· pop that reminds me of Lumsk's "Godnat Herinde"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Vixa3KqVA#at=284
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga-Ol0JOdik

@Erotetic- You need to be reviewing more! You know way to many folk metal bands not to. I'd love to read up on all the underground bands you seem to know of. haha

my reviews tend to be too brief for MA standards

haha I'm not surprised honestly, judging by the way you list off bands sometimes. But hey no pressure, just know you'd make at least one guy happy.

I'll make a note to myself to spam you a couple lists (I had thrown a bunch of reviews on facebook) this week some time.

Ahh If I hadn't deactivated my fb account, about a week ago, I'd hit you up there (so that'll have to wait until I get back on to it). But hey maybe you can help with with a search I did that had gone poorly. The other week I tried to find folk metal bands from the 90s outside of the handful of big ones, but I didn't strike gold anywhere. I'm down for an type of genre really, as long as it is good.

I think they all got deleted from my facebook page in one of the recent "improvements" of profiles, anyway.
I'll just PM you a rar with the RTF files



how come?


based on search results:


wasn't long ago I found someone who didn't know of Mithotyn, so maybe I shouldn't assume Pagan Reign, Månegarm, and others I've loved for what seems like forever are as well known as Moonsorrow and Falkenbach, but, well, I've excluded what I think are the biggest names. ...I'd also have excluded these:

Ah yes, those infamous FB "improvements" they like to implement.

I wanted to find some more underground scenes that had their own representation of the genre during the time period. And I'm still sifting through most of that list, but I'm certainly enjoying most of what I've gone at. The only reoccurring problem here, that I also had, is that all lot of these bands (while starting up in the 90s) didn't really get almost anything going until the 2000s. Which I suppose is indicative of the folk metal scene as a whole.

Haha wow. But no, I definitely know the big names. Though I'll admit to not taking the time to check out a handful of them, despite all the time knowing of their existence. IE; Ásmegin, Spectral, Forefather, and a few others I think.

funnily enough those are a few I've somewhat overlooked (though none as badly as Moonsorrow -- long songs are the bane of my existence). Borknagar and Enslaved are another couple whose ceaseless mention have yet to encourage a more considerate listen.

Any albums like "To Mend the Oaken Heart" by Ragnarok (UK)?

I've heard most of the Borknagar and Enslaved albums, but I don't really know them. I've been following Moonsorrow since '06 I think. I'm not big on long songs, in general, but damn do they do it right.

I'll bring up some of the bands I've really liked from the list later, but on a quick side note; Have you heard of SpiRitual? Great album, I really enjoy the mixtures that are used to create that enchantingly heavy yet majestic vibe. But I read today that he apparently lost money on the album and doesn't plan on making another one. Just wanted to share how much of a damn shame that was.

nope!
looking into it now.
first song sounds quite mid-late In Flames in riffing/vocals. but the ethnic elements and more industrial sounds remind me more of Senmuth*.
second song starts out beautifully. I wish they just abandoned electric guitar all together.

*I can never get enough of this song

Haha Just heave-ho it out of there. But yea, there are definitively some peculiar influences mixed around in there.

Quetzali Dance is a damn cool song. I'm hearing Chanin Tiqsimuyu by them now. I'm digging the atmosphere these guys are creating.

my other favorite of theirs
her voice is epic on that shit!

Yea great stuff. I'm not big on ambient, so I couldn't listen to this music regularly (not knocking it though! haha). This conversation actually reminded me of a power/folk band from Brazil. Their folk elements are along similar lines as those. They're called Tierramystica.

I'm looking for mroe pagan/folk/viking type of stuff, I'll try the request to not be so broad and give few descriptions.

I'm looking for more serious, mature projects rather than stuff like Korpiklaani. It doesn't exactly have to be sad or melancholic, but I'm not looking for overly cheesy stuff (even if some of the bands I'll mention down in the post are). I don't want power/folk metal.

Lyrically, I'd like it to be sticking to the more usual side of the genre - mythology, history, paganism, antichristianity, patriotism, nature etc. European bands please (or american referring to european cultures...) Not really into cheesy fantasy/troll lyrics... I don't really care if the lyrics are politically correct or not. Oh and I prefer if they are sung in mother tongue but english ones aren't that much of a turnoff...

I don't mind music influenced by black metal, but I'm not looking for the viking/pagan black metal like say Enslaved, Windir, Slavland, Borknagar, Gontyna Kry, early Nokturnal Mortum, early Graveland etc. or bands primiraily playing black metal (Ulver on Bergtatt, Kroda, Rivendell) even if it has folkish vibe and influences. You get the point, if it's more f/p/v than black it's alright. (Not that I don't like the second variant but I'm not exactly looking for it right now).

Some examples of what I liked:

Temnozor
Nokturnal Mortum - last two albums
Falkenbach
Heol Telwen
Forefather
Gods Tower - esp The Turns
Empyrium - debut
Menhir - especially newer albums
Arkona (the russian band)
Skyforger
Graveland's newer stuff
Storm
Svarga
Therion - Secret of the Runes (I know it's symphonic but doesn't feel out of place...)
Amber Tears
Heidevolk
Bathory viking era obviously..

Hit and miss stuff (most of these I didn't listen to much, so probably will grow on me)
Manegarm
Znich
Metsatoll
Folkearth
Moonsorrow
Primordial
Ereb Altor
Butterfly Temple
Einherjer

What I didn't like:
Eluveitie
In Extremo
Turisas
Alestorm
Falconer
Alestorm
Radogost
Korpiklaani
Finntroll
Holy Blood

I went on the same search when I found them, hopefully this yields better results. The closest thing I was able to find was a Russian husband/wife duo called Kauan and even then only one album remotely interesting before going post-rock. Check out Lumikuuro. There's some boring chug riffs and goofy JRPG-esque synth work but you may enjoy it. And in case you never looked any further into Empyrium's body of work, Songs of Moor's and Misty Fields is essential

thanks for your very explicit list (makes things much easier!!)

I can't speak much to the lyrics/themes, except to say that nothing here is in what I'd classify troll/polka/pirate/goblin/etc. folk metal.

these are some similar or obviously influenced bands. personal favorites in bold.

Falkenbach - Oakenshield (newest album is great, debut is more blatant 'Falkenbach worship')

Gods Tower - Weeping Twilight (their guitaring is clearly influenced by Gods Tower) and Kamaedzitca (their Gods Tower cover is awesome--maintains all that was great about the original, while becoming even more beautiful by using their native tongue)

Nokturnal Mortum/Temnozor/Arkona - Alkonost, Graj, Nomans Land, WelicoRuss, Tverd, Nevid' (first two and most recent albums), SatanaKozel, Stribog, Smuta (their 2010 album would be closer to what you want), Duhi Predkov [Духи Предков] (a lot like Arkona in melodies and overall tone)

Storm - Isengard, Skald (Swe), Surturs Lohe*, Vanaheim, Myling, Naastrand (Fra), Nachtfalke, Peste Noire (Fra), Fjörd, Ahti, Sorgsvart (2005), Horde Thor, Stirnagard, Belenos (Fra), Lönndom, Ulveheim, Myrkraverk

Svarga - Kalevala (Rus) (maybe too happy for you--Korpiklanni influence, but musically similar to Svarga), Chur, Euthanasia (Cze)**

Forefather - I have these guys listed as predominantly Black (except, obviously, for their vocals), the likes of Ensiferum, Yggdrasil, Mithotyn, Vigrid, XIV Dark Centuries, Wolfchant, so I'm not sure how 'mostly Black' is too Black for what you want. I'm guessing you're cool with the very folky riffing, but maybe not Black that is merely sort of 'epic', like Vinterland and Thyestean, or stuff like Perunica.

Menhir - (the similarities here are predominantly in that they have a distinctive Germanic sound) Hel, Thrudvangar, Black Messiah, Gernotshagen, Men Enter Tavern

Menhir/Heidevolk - Helritt

Heidevolk - Grimm (the one from Holland), Bucovina

Bathory - Bloodshed Walhalla, Crom, Vrani Volosa, Mordaehoth

Metsatoll/Skyforger - Verjnuarmu

*only recently discovered these guys. nice somber German pagan sound, but their more peppy moments are in that Storm/Isengard style.
**their songs will be very hit or miss for you -- sometimes their mood is like Svarga/Vintersorg/etc., but there are a lot of influences. ("Cruel Damned World" is the facet of them I have in mind -- a bit more Menhir than Folk/Power)


a few other serious/heavy/moody/grim rather than jolly/polka type groups you might be interested in:
· Solgrav (the band members also made Auringon Hauta, which is more Pagan Folk, but perhaps too light for what you want, whereas Solgrav is quite a heavy and dark Pagan Black ...maybe too 'Pagan Black' and not enough Pagan)
· Rodovest (gloomy/Ambient/acoustic Russian Pagan Black)
Taunusheim (mid tempo German Pagan Folk/Black, beautiful debut album)
· Hantaoma (there's some upbeat Celtic melodies and vocals in here, but not in any greater amount than Manegarm or Arkona -- maybe enough of a dark side to separate them from Korpiklaani type groups.)
· Thyrfing - surely you've heard them. I'm surprised they weren't on one of your lists. (Pagan Reign, too)

also:
· Marțolea (I mention them whenever someone says Negură Bunget -- awesome folk metal side-project of theirs; the vocals and woodwinds make it totally unique in the genre)
· Butterfly Temple (vocals like Tverd, symphonic elements you might like (rather than the Turisas kind you don't). maybe start with their 2006 album.)
· Viter (The song "Krov Tikae" has made these guys very popular)
· Lönndom (raw mid tempo Pagan/Black; their album "Vodeernas tolv kapite" is somber Pagan Neofolk, maybe distantly similar to some Empyrium moments)
· Nydvind (has similarities to Storm/etc., but maybe the most doomy/moody of them)

maybe not explicitly f/p/v enough, but far from the happy shit you don't like, and generally epic or pagan:
Hromovlad, and Interior Wrath

Wow, thanks for such a contentful post. Going to check out those

no worries. hope you find something you like.
(I've added a few more I overlooked last night)

-Apraxia (legendary Pagan Metal from Belarus; start with "Kolovrat" or "Ideology")
-Fjörd (Viking Metal from Canada; go for this especially if you like Bathory or Isengard)
-Kamaedzitca (start with the album "Pyarune")
-Zrec

For those loking for more dark and sombre folk metal check out Guahaihoque

Ancestors Blood - Fatherland (Finnish Pagan Black Metal)
Lyrical themes: Anti-Christianity, Paganism, War
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sto1rNh9A7g

Windir - Mørket Sin Fyrste (Norwegian Folk/Pagan/Viking/Black Metal)
Rip Valfar 1978-2004
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y3-omtDzTo

Fullmoon - The Pagan Mountain (Pagan/NSBM)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrsPRa2Mz1o

@vengefulgoat: This one is a bit tricky, but Ragnarok (the UK one)? It's one of those that people seems to either love or hate, give it a try though if you've got the time. The music has some faults which one learns to overlook, they even end up becoming part of the charm, and the lyrics are great.

@vengefulgoat:
as your post is a month old, I'm not sure if you're still in for some new bands but here I go with this one (fitting to your req. of Nokt. M., Temnozor etc.) :

take a listen to belrussian band PIAREVARACIEN. A really great pagan/folk band with BM influences, very much like Kamaedzitca and also having this special Gods Tower like guitars partly. While their second album hasn't grwon on me that much (it#s still good!), their debut album "Торны Шлях (Torny Shliach)" is fantastic.
here are some songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c7MiKD_U3g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z26nye41Wjo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJRc90ywQms

Piarevaracien's second album has grown on me quite a bit upon repeated listens. I have the English-language version but I think it would work better in their native Belarusian, so I might try to track down the original version. Not too many bands that integrate that RAC sound in folk/black metal this effectively.

Anyone knows who is the clean vocals guy in Folkearth on for example these tracks, apparently there were like ten different vocalists there, and if somebody would know it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyJXvRbPA4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m29BC-4D8C0

Also, thanks once again for recommendations, liked most of them without going into details right now.

I only listened to the first track, but I get the impression that it's Wulfstan from Forefather.

I want to listen to some actual folk music, not neofolk, but real folk songs that are hundreds of years old. But, I'm having trouble finding any that conveys the type of atmosphere that I find in folk metal or metal in general. It's all jaunty Irish jigs or too "ethnic" sounding or something. Anyone know the names of certain songs or a good compilation album?

do you actually want something authentic, or something in between these two?

there're plenty of non-Metal non-traditional folk tracks by Metal bands that might be modern-sounding enough for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya-zOiiCd6U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJX_6DNVMtI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cjDukYZORY

if you want famous folk songs with more of a 20th century feel, rather than 'world music' CDs, or 'modern' stuff like above...
Russian Druzhina Ensemble's CD Russian Folk Songs is one of my favorites for famous folk songs. good singing and good production. Sasha Zelkin is great, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBOnbf5Rywg
and Stars of St. Petersburg's CD Balalaika: Russia's Most Beautiful Songs has that Deerhunter feel.

it's also possible to find dozens of versions of popular folk songs on youtube (Dorogoi Dlinnoyu, Polyushko Pole, Kalinka, Ne Dlya Menya, etc.)

Hey. Thanks. Out of those, the second link was closest to what I was looking for. The first wasn't traditional sounding enough. The third was too raw, and the russian stuff was too russian sounding, not that there's anything wrong with that but I'm looking for stuff that reminds me of ancient times and I don't really associate that particular sound with those times.

I'm looking for more stuff like this, despite it not being an actual traditional song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_-mQhaxNt8

some people might find this webpage useful:
a reasonable list of bands arranged in different ways (by metal style, by language used, by geographical region, etc.)

http://rateyourmusic.com/lists/list_vie ... &start=100