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Awblaster wrote:

The fans, however, ruin it. You are not a Trve Norsk Pagan Viking Son ov Odin (Eternal Hails to my Fallen Heathen Ancestors ov the Northlands), you are a high-school student from Nowheresville, USA. Shut the fuck up.

Replace folk metal with black metal and I agree.

Scorntyrant wrote:

Put it like this, you meet someone down the pub and they say "oh yeah, I like a couple of metal bands". I'll bet you anything that they are going to name Finntroll etc

Yeah right, they'd name Metallica, Ozzy, or some metalcore or nu metal band.

Im surprised there was no mention but Dark Forest who are definitely one folk metal band that really stands out to me. Aurora Borealis is an epic release that reminds me of viking era Bathory and I havent heard their newer album but I assume it would be just as powerful.

It really is different from person to person and region to region. While the big mainstream bands like Metallica or barely-metal hybrids like System Of A Down are usually the first thing people get into, many of the metalheads I know personally (me included) started listening to easily accessible folk metal groups after that...

Because of that, people who know metalheads often know a few folk-metal groups as well.

Might be a German phenomenon though. Neofolk/medieval/renaissance-faire subculture is relatively big here and intertwined with today's metal culture.

Even a major draw like Negura Bunget can have a concert in my hometown with maybe 35 people showing up. It was pretty sad.

severzhavnost wrote:

Even a major draw like Negura Bunget can have a concert in my hometown with maybe 35 people showing up. It was pretty sad.

You're not alone, this also happens quite often here in Italy

99.9% of folk metal is shit. It's just far too cheesy for it's own good, relies way too much on the keyboards and is pretentious as pure fuck.

99.9% of folk metal is shit. It's just far too cheesy for it's own good, relies way too much on the keyboards and is pretentious as pure fuck. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I absolutely despise melodic and keyboard heavy extreme metal, but the cheese kills it for me.

On the other hand, you have bands like Skyclad which is one of my favourite bands. As non-cheesy as folk metal gets. So rarely it turns out great, if you would just cut down on the cheese.

I'm a fan of some bands. Eluveitie, Finntroll, Ensiferum, Korpkilanni are the ones I've gotten into so far. Some if it is fun, some serious, some a mix. I like the mix of instrumentation. Good music to drink beer too as well.

Been listening to metal since 1984 or so and just started listening to that more in the last couple years.

Maybe I'm bored of the norse stuff, we need more greco-romans in metal.

Hello, Mexican brother.
Have you ever listened to Guthorm, from Mexico City? They're the best folk band I've seen so far in this country!

https://www.facebook.com/GuthormOfficial

99% of the folk metal I've heard is the worst shit ever. It's by far my least favourite metal sub-genre and I never put it on for any reason.

Wooo, Draugr is fucking awesome, and I'm surprised someone besides me mentions them. I don't consider them folk metal tho, for me it's black metal. I don't know where I stand here anyways. Ensiferum is a cool band. I like In Extremo, too.

Maybe I'm bored of the norse stuff, we need more greco-romans in metal.

The mix of instrumentation its very interesting.....may be for a metalhead(a true metalhead has it's head open to all the metal subgenres, because a self-appointed "metalhead" who despise other genres or mainstream bands is just a posser) or even for a non-metalhead, and sometimes it can introduce them in the Metal; another great point in the Folk Metal it is the most of the bands has lyrics about the history of their own country, fantasy, mithology, legends, traditions, all that stuff can make the people interested and being proud of it's own country.

the most difficult or complicated metal subgenres to make are the Folk Metal, Industrial Metal and Symphonic Metal, 'cause you must to assemble your metal riffs with the symphonic, folk or electronic elemnts making harmony.

I don't think making music that makes me want to drink and dance and have fun is a bad thing. Is it super-serious stuff to listen to alone while feeling tormented or something? No but its not supposed to be. Oh well to each their own.

Author:	hakarl [ Fri May 03, 2013 10:34 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Cinerary wrote: Awblaster wrote: The fans, however, ruin it. You are not a Trve Norsk Pagan Viking Son ov Odin (Eternal Hails to my Fallen Heathen Ancestors ov the Northlands), you are a high-school student from Nowheresville, USA. Shut the fuck up. Replace folk metal with black metal and I agree. Agreed. Black metal has some of the worst idiots as fans. Extremely pretentious people who claim to believe that everything and everyone should be destroyed (because Euronymous), as well as genuine nutjobs. "But Ilwhyan, black metal is an elitist genre, no, a satanic black art, that only the select few can understand!" When it comes to people who claim to enjoy nothing but black metal, it makes me suspicious of whether their enjoyment of black metal is entirely musical. Like that Egyptian douchebucket that pestered the black metal help thread recently.

Author:	Ancient_Mariner [ Fri May 03, 2013 1:04 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
I'm a fan of some bands. Eluveitie, Finntroll, Ensiferum, Korpkilanni are the ones I've gotten into so far. Some if it is fun, some serious, some a mix. I like the mix of instrumentation. Good music to drink beer too as well. Been listening to metal since 1984 or so and just started listening to that more in the last couple years.

Author:	Ancient_Mariner [ Fri May 03, 2013 1:46 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
DoomMetalAlchemist wrote: Scorntyrant wrote: Put it like this, you meet someone down the pub and they say "oh yeah, I like a couple of metal bands". I'll bet you anything that they are going to name Finntroll etc Yeah right, they'd name Metallica, Ozzy, or some metalcore or nu metal band. Yeah, I've never met anyone who wasn't pretty deep into metal that even knew that folk metal existed, unless they looked through my CD's and asked me or something like that.

Author:	inhumanist [ Sat May 04, 2013 8:59 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
It really is different from person to person and region to region. While the big mainstream bands like Metallica or barely-metal hybrids like System Of A Down are usually the first thing people get into, many of the metalheads I know personally (me included) started listening to easily accessible folk metal groups after that. The next station would usually be black metal due to the overlap. Because of that, people who know metalheads often know a few folk-metal groups as well. Might be a German phenomenon though. Neofolk/medieval/renaissance-faire subculture is relatively big here and intertwined with today's metal culture.

Author:	Morfiend [ Sat May 04, 2013 12:51 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
I like bands that mix some folk in without dominating the tracks with it. Moonsorrow for example.

Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives https://forum.metal-archives.com/

Whats your opinion on Folk Metal? https://forum.metal-archives.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=98261	Page 3 of 5

Author:	DARKZSOU7 [ Sat May 04, 2013 4:57 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Im surprised there was no mention but Dark Forest who are definitely one folk metal band that really stands out to me. Aurora Borealis is an epic release that reminds me of viking era Bathory and I havent heard their newer album but I assume it would be just as powerful.

Author:	severzhavnost [ Sat May 04, 2013 5:18 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
DARKZSOU7 wrote: Im surprised there was no mention but Dark Forest who are definitely one folk metal band that really stands out to me. Aurora Borealis is an epic release that reminds me of viking era Bathory and I havent heard their newer album but I assume it would be just as powerful. YEEESSSS!!! Aurora Borealis is such a great album, and the second one is very much a worthy followup it's a shame this type of metal hasn't taken off on side of the Atlantic - well Paganfest is getting more attention, but still entirely European bands featured.

Author:	severzhavnost [ Sat May 04, 2013 5:25 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
inhumanist wrote: It really is different from person to person and region to region. While the big mainstream bands like Metallica or barely-metal hybrids like System Of A Down are usually the first thing people get into, many of the metalheads I know personally (me included) started listening to easily accessible folk metal groups after that... Because of that, people who know metalheads often know a few folk-metal groups as well. Might be a German phenomenon though. Neofolk/medieval/renaissance-faire subculture is relatively big here and intertwined with today's metal culture. Definitely a German phenomenon! In Canada, in a metal record shop all you'll see regularly of folk metal is Eluveitie, Alestorm, Saltatio Mortis and the Finnish Big 4. Oh and Drudkh once, which i bought of course. Even a major draw like Negura Bunget can have a concert in my hometown with maybe 35 people showing up. It was pretty sad.

Author:	iamntbatman [ Sat May 04, 2013 11:15 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
DARKZSOU7 wrote: Im surprised there was no mention but Dark Forest who are definitely one folk metal band that really stands out to me. Aurora Borealis is an epic release that reminds me of viking era Bathory and I havent heard their newer album but I assume it would be just as powerful. Yeah, that is a really good album. I haven't heard the second one yet, either. I guess I like a fairly wide variety of folk metal. I'm generally a sucker for folky instrumentation, so stuff that sounds genuinely folky usually interests me. I don't really care much for those stupid humpa type bands from Finland or other stuff that neckbeards listen to at renaissance festivals, but I like folk elements in black and doom metal especially. I actually finally got around to giving Moonsorrow a real listen and was pretty disappointed. I didn't like that they opted for that really generic euro-metal keyboard tone, and the dominating presence of the keyboard over the really boring riffing was just too much to take. They're neat on paper, at least!

Author:	Verd [ Wed May 08, 2013 3:57 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
severzhavnost wrote: Even a major draw like Negura Bunget can have a concert in my hometown with maybe 35 people showing up. It was pretty sad. You're not alone, this also happens quite often here in Italy

Author:	Paganbasque [ Wed May 08, 2013 4:14 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
DARKZSOU7 wrote: Im surprised there was no mention but Dark Forest who are definitely one folk metal band that really stands out to me. Aurora Borealis is an epic release that reminds me of viking era Bathory and I havent heard their newer album but I assume it would be just as powerful. They are fucking great without any dobut, but can we consider them a folk metal band? I dont think so. For me its quite clear the they are an epic black metal band with some symphonic touches.

Author:	Paganbasque [ Wed May 08, 2013 4:16 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Verd wrote: severzhavnost wrote: Even a major draw like Negura Bunget can have a concert in my hometown with maybe 35 people showing up. It was pretty sad. You're not alone, this also happens quite often here in Italy Negura Bunget has played 3 times in the Basque Country(north Spain) and I didnt see more than 60-70 people in any of these concerts, with a quite sad average of 40-50. Germany is another dimension, so many festivals, bands and concerts closely related to the folk scene, I hate you all german people!

Author:	balbulus [ Wed May 08, 2013 6:28 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
A band that often gets overlooked these days is Cerecloth (UK). When I first heard their "Encrusted In An Oaken Legend" 7" back in 93, I was knocked sideways. Their fusion of technical DM with folk riffs, although crude and clumsy by todays slick standards, was totally beyond compare at the time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiEuGOUNQVU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSqsaj3FfTI From Cerecloth, I moved on to Skyclad (Burnt Offerings/Jonah's Ark period for me), then later to Skyforger etc. I don't listen to any modern folk metal.

Author:	vengefulgoat [ Wed May 08, 2013 6:38 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Hellveto or Jarun > Negura Bunget

Author:	Necroticism174 [ Thu May 09, 2013 3:37 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
braggart_beetle, did you really just "if you can't make it, you can't criticize it" me? This is metal archives, not YouTube comments. If that's the kind of reductive and misguided stuff you're starting with, you should fuck off.

Author:	Cry_In_The_Night [ Wed May 08, 2013 7:27 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
99.9% of folk metal is shit. It's just far too cheesy for it's own good, relies way too much on the keyboards and is pretentious as pure fuck. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I absolutely despise melodic and keyboard heavy extreme metal, but the cheese kills it for me. On the other hand, you have bands like Skyclad which is one of my favourite bands. As non-cheesy as folk metal gets. So rarely it turns out great, if you would just cut down on the cheese.

Author:	Paganbasque [ Wed May 08, 2013 10:21 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Cry_In_The_Night wrote: 99.9% of folk metal is shit. It's just far too cheesy for it's own good, relies way too much on the keyboards and is pretentious as pure fuck. Well, you must have a vast knowledge of the folk metal scene and have listened to hundreds of bands, if not the most pretentious thing here is your comment.

Author:	vengefulgoat [ Wed May 08, 2013 11:57 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Cry_In_The_Night wrote: 99.9% of folk metal is shit. It's just far too cheesy for it's own good, relies way too much on the keyboards and is pretentious as pure fuck. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I absolutely despise melodic and keyboard heavy extreme metal, but the cheese kills it for me. On the other hand, you have bands like Skyclad which is one of my favourite bands. As non-cheesy as folk metal gets. So rarely it turns out great, if you would just cut down on the cheese. Except that Skyclad are pretentious as fuck and way cheesier than your go-to non-Korpiklaani style folk metal band, especially in the lyrics department.

Author:	ahr888 [ Wed May 08, 2013 5:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
I'm all for it. Bringing old instruments into metal is a great idea. Variety is a good thing. But I only listen to Eluveitie, In Extremo, and Nachtgeschrei. Too much of folk sounds silly and musically simplistic. But then again I haven't heard all that much of it as I'm only interested in folk if it has some death metal in it, or at least is heavier or edgier.

Author:	Doomed Cowboy [ Wed May 08, 2013 5:53 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
I like a bit of it, Eluveitie, Turisas, and such. The only thing I get aggravated by are the oompah sounding stuff. I also can't get into the pagan style stuff.

Author:	Desperta_Ferro [ Wed May 08, 2013 6:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Wooo, Draugr is fucking awesome, and I'm surprised someone besides me mentions them. I don't consider them folk metal tho, for me it's black metal. I don't know where I stand here anyways. Ensiferum is a cool band. I like In Extremo, too. Maybe I'm bored of the norse stuff, we need more greco-romans in metal.

Author:	braggart_beetle [ Thu May 09, 2013 1:35 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Ancient_Mariner wrote: I'm a fan of some bands. Eluveitie, Finntroll, Ensiferum, Korpkilanni are the ones I've gotten into so far. Some if it is fun, some serious, some a mix. I like the mix of instrumentation. Good music to drink beer too as well. Been listening to metal since 1984 or so and just started listening to that more in the last couple years. That's right; I am a big fan of Folk Metal too, it's my number 1 on my favorite subgenres, and I enjoy the common Folk bands like Korpiklaani and Eluveitie as much as I enjoy bands not very usual like Avven and Manegarm. The mix of instrumentation its very interesting.....may be for a metalhead(a true metalhead has it's head open to all the metal subgenres, because a self-appointed "metalhead" who despise other genres or mainstream bands is just a posser) or even for a non-metalhead, and sometimes it can introduce them in the Metal; another great point in the Folk Metal it is the most of the bands has lyrics about the history of their own country, fantasy, mithology, legends, traditions, all that stuff can make the people interested and being proud of it's own country. I don't understand why are here a lot of hate about the happy sound of bands like Korpiklaani and Finntroll, just because they have a funny sound, it doesn`t make them "cheesy bands"; other issue is that the typical fan of True Ultra Extreme Nordic Pagan Bedroom Black Metal normally are embittered and grumpy and hate the melodic sounds and the bands with a funny sound (they allways say "band that do not use swit picking in all of their songs are a shit") like Korpiklaani. And for the people who hate the much attacked Mainstream Folk Metal bands remember two things: 1)they are great bands with lots of live concerts, tours and cd albums because their music is enjoyable (this is the key for the musical succesful). 2)the most difficult or complicated metal subgenres to make are the Folk Metal, Industrial Metal and Symphonic Metal, 'cause you must to assemble your metal riffs with the symphonic, folk or electronic elemnts making harmony; and I want to see all of you playing with a very succesfull band on the Wacken Open Air or 70,000 TonsOfMetal many times as they do (to prove how to make "good Folk Metal").

Author:	Necroticism174 [ Thu May 09, 2013 1:49 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
99% of the folk metal I've heard is the worst shit ever. It's by far my least favourite metal sub-genre and I never put it on for any reason.

Author:	OpsiusCato [ Thu May 09, 2013 1:50 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Hello, Mexican brother. Have you ever listened to Guthorm, from Mexico City? They're the best folk band I've seen so far in this country! https://www.facebook.com/GuthormOfficial

Author:	OpsiusCato [ Thu May 09, 2013 2:15 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Well, those guys aren't precolumbian folk. They actually play scandinavian folk. Great band.

Author:	braggart_beetle [ Thu May 09, 2013 2:27 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Looks interesting the band. But I can't find where the playlist is hhahahaha

Author:	Paganbasque [ Thu May 09, 2013 2:58 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Desperta_Ferro wrote: Wooo, Draugr is fucking awesome, and I'm surprised someone besides me mentions them. I don't consider them folk metal tho, for me it's black metal. I don't know where I stand here anyways. Ensiferum is a cool band. I like In Extremo, too. Maybe I'm bored of the norse stuff, we need more greco-romans in metal. There is a lot of norse/celtic stuff because there are a lot bands playing this sort of music, basically because of the high interest an respect that folk music(and in general folklore) has in those countries, I would like to see the same situation in many other countries. I want to discover bands from the Mongolian/Chinese/Japanese area, the folk of these lands is very evoking.

Author:	braggart_beetle [ Thu May 09, 2013 4:21 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Necroticism174 At least I offer an argument about the topic, you just comment the Folk Metal is shit without any reasons, and I repeat it: prove it is a shit ('cause is no thing simple to make)

Author:	caspian [ Thu May 09, 2013 4:25 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Braggart man, maybe it's up to you to prove that it's good? Necro: don't feed the idiot, although I know I just did, so oh well

Author:	caspian [ Thu May 09, 2013 5:01 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Are any of those points backed up by scholarly sources?

Author:	nasum [ Thu May 09, 2013 8:15 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
I first listened to something that could be classified as folk metal around 2005 or 2006. Back then it was fairly uncommon and unknown, I had to open wikipedia to get list of known folk metal bands. I liked it, I liked those folky tunes, I think first folk metal bands I listened were Korpiklaani and Finntroll. Korpiklaani first 3 albums are quite good, imo, and that was around time of their 2nd or 3rd album, I remember there was pure folk song at the end of that album, which was so strange and uncommon for me at that time and I really liked it. First Finttroll song I heard was Trollhammaren and first album I heard from them was Nattfodd with that song, of course. I really enjoyed that album. Fast forward to today, I pretty much hate folk metal. In all these years between 2006 and today folk metal has grown so big that millions of shitty bands have appeared and flooded scene so much it's quite hard to find a decent band. Both Korpiklaani and Finttroll have dropped in quality, and I especially grew to hate Korpiklaani for all those shitty yearly albums which all sound the same, without that feeling which made me like them. Quality folk bands exist but for a scene so big today quality/quantity ratio is quite low. Or I don't like folk metal anymore I find folky black metal still to be fine, with Nokturnal Mortum and Windir being among my favourite, but I sincerely can't think of any band which explicitly says they play 'folk metal' and I like them.

Author:	Paganbasque [ Thu May 09, 2013 9:51 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Sometimes I think that people use the term "hate" to easly, it is such a negative and strong word that I dont use it too often. For example, Nasum if you previously liked folk metal but now you are tired of such a great amount of mediocre bands you can say that you have lost interest or you find boring the style,but hate... I suppose you still think that the first works of Korpi and Fintroll are good, so ignore the rest and thats all. What I try to say is that when a style become a trend like it has happened with folk metal, people´s reaction(sometimes) its a little bit irrational, the amount of mediocre bands dont make a style a complete shit, it is a little bit unjust for the good bands that play folk metal.

Author:	Ancient_Mariner [ Thu May 09, 2013 10:31 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
I don't think making music that makes me want to drink and dance and have fun is a bad thing. Is it super-serious stuff to listen to alone while feeling tormented or something? No but its not supposed to be. Oh well to each their own.

Author:	Empyreal [ Thu May 09, 2013 10:41 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Ancient_Mariner wrote: I don't think making music that makes me want to drink and dance and have fun is a bad thing. Is it super-serious stuff to listen to alone while feeling tormented or something? No but its not supposed to be. Oh well to each their own. Why do people always say this...clearly nobody expects the Finntroll/Korpiklaani variety of folk metal to be super serious or 'something to listen to while feeling tormented.' I always picture a person going "hmm, I really want something to listen to while I'm depressed and tortured. I'll try some Finntroll, who are known for being a happy, jolly folk metal band." That has happened exactly zero times. I know you probably didn't mean anything that stupid, but still - the issue is that people find the music annoying, not that they expected it to be serious.

Author:	SisuBerserk [ Thu May 09, 2013 1:50 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Whats your opinion on Folk Metal?
Whenever I want to listen to some easy-going and funny stuff I go with Korpiklaani, Finntroll, Metsatöll and the like. If I want to listen to some "heroic" stuff I go with Ensiferum. Folk metal is funny stuff, not super-serious.