Japanese Folk Metal

Don't worry, Japanese Folk Metal isn't as unimaginative as its genre specification, band name and album title might suggest. The sextet from Tokyo and Yokohama plays an entertaining mixture of folk metal and melodic death metal that recalls European bands like Ensiferum and Finntroll. The record comes around with guest singers, occasional electronic music elements and shifts between mellow extreme metal passages and simplistic drinking tunes.

On the positive side, this surprising, quirky and inspired record certainly sounds entertaining from start to finish and offers numerous intriguing soundscapes to discover over and over again. The catchy, energetic and melodic opener ''Ōeyama no Tsuki'' doesn't only represent the band's broad musicianship best but also qualifies as most coherent song on the album. The additional female vocals in the playful ''Sengoku Aika'' mix drinking anthem with contemporary idol pop music. ''Ryugu Drinking Party'' lyrically and musically recalls Alestorm and might work better in concert than in its studio version.

On the negative side, this release is missing a clear guideline. Even without its guest vocalists, the band meanders confusingly between mellow clean vocals and low harsh vocals. The music varies from extreme metal over folk metal to elements inspired by idol pop and electronic music. The album is too short to give listeners the occasion to figure out what this band actually wants to sound like. Seven songs with a running time of only twenty-six minutes is also everything but value for money, especially when the release is only available as expensive import version.

In the end, the eponymous debut album by Japanese Folk Metal is only interesting for fans of folk metal bands from Alestorm over Ensiferum to Finntroll. The group shows some promise in its overwhelming diversity but lacks depth to exploit its potential. The final result sounds entertaining while it lasts but fails to leave a deeper impression. It's the kind of music to listen in the background at a party. You might nod or whistle along to some tunes but won't remember any of them the next day. My suggestion would be to listen to this short release on Spotify to make up your mind before purchasing this odd album that can certainly be considered an acquired taste.