Turisas in Worcester March of 2011
I have more than five reasons for why I love folk metal, and a lot of them have to do with a strange thing I have for long-haired Scandinavian men. But really, when it boils down to it, I can think of five good reasons for why I fell in love with folk metal. I know that a lot of you might not know anything about folk metal which is understandable, it’s not a well known genre. It hasn’t made it’s way into the spotlight like other kinds of metal and it comes from a pretty isolated area of the world. As far as I know most Folk Metal comes from Scandinavia and occasionally Russia and Poland. There are a few American bands that could be classified as folk metal (Huntress, Agalloch) but their definitive genre is a little up in the air. Part of that has to do with history. Scandinavia and other parts of Europe have a more pagan history. America was “founded” by Christians and, although it was a Native American culture, the Europeans who came here took over completely. So, it’s hard to understand folk metal when you’re ancestors weren’t vikings. And it’s Metal and Folk, two genres of music that people tend to be picky about. Put them together and what do you get? Piles of awesome.
5. Oh God, the Outfits.
Let’s talk a little about what folk metal bands wear because it’s far from your average jeans and t-shirt of other bands. Some of them do wear “normal” clothes but for the most part there is a heavy element of dress-up involved in Folk Metal. For example: Masha Scream from Arkona totally wears leather pants, a tunic and wolf pelt. Mathias Nygard from Turisas looks like Mad Max and a Viking had a love child, and all of the boys from Ensiferum wear kilts and no shirts. Both Turisas and Ensifeurm also employ warpaint to make their point. Somehow, their not so normal outfits add to the visual of folk metal. You can almost imagine that vikings did play electric guitars and growled instead of singing. And while it’s not necessary (Elueveite and Amon Amarth are both amazing without costumes or war-paint) it completes the vision and point of folk metal.
4. Story Telling
How many metal songs have you heard that are just angry indecipherable screaming? Probably a lot. The thing about folk metal is the use of story telling. Now, that isn’t to say that they don’t scream,or that you can understand them when they do but they do have a story arc. There’s a high percentage of concept albums in the Folk Metal Genre, in fact Turisas has two, both of them telling two parts of one story. Eluveitie’s new album “Helvetios” is a concept album about the Gauls that the Romans drove out of Gaul back in the day. Folk Metal musicians tend to write songs that are steeped in the history of their ancestors and that gives you a reason to invest yourself into the music. And if you still like music with indecipherable growling and story lines? Amon Amarth is the place to be, especially with their graphic imagery of axes embedded in skulls.
3. Growling/Singing
I’m going to admit it right now. I have a thing for boys who can sing. I have even more of a thing for boys who can metal growl and sing. A lot of folk metal bands combine singing and growling. Although a lot of them have one singer who growls and one who sings there are a few singers who possess the versatility to do both. If you haven’t looked up Arkona you really should. Masha Scream has a beautiful singing voice that makes you look at her almost like she’s an innocent girl and then all of a sudden she starts growling and you’re pretty sure she could kill you with her bare hands. Mathias Nygard also employs screaming and singing in an amazing way. But in general the combination of growling and singing gives the songs another kind of depth. It makes them more emotionally charged and sadness and anger come through so much more clearly.
2. Weird-Ass Instruments
Eluveitie uses instruments I’ve never even heard of, and a hurdy-gurdy. There’s an amazing amount of violin, and fiddle, and flute in folk metal. These are things that you would never expect to see in a metal band but it’s what makes it folk metal. Combining folk music and hard grating metal somehow turns into something melodic and beautiful with a bit (or a lot) of an edge.
1. The Concerts
I could go on for days about folk metal concerts. Everyone there is nice. Except that there’s always that one douche bag. You usually get to meet the musicians. They’re small and intimate. Mosh Pits are fun until you get elbowed or kicked. There is nothing cooler than standing pressed against 200 strangers screaming the lyrics to any song. And while you can get that at any concert how often do you run into a guy wearing chainmaile and viking horns at a Nickleback concert? The thing I love about metal shows is that if you’re short like me you’re going to get pushed around, but in general people are helpful. At my first metal show ever I got knocked over right on the edge of the mosh pit (was not a good place to be) and about six people I didn’t know grabbed me and hauled me to my feet. There was a moment where I thought I was going to die, but all of the strangers around me made sure I didn’t. I’ve realized since then that there is a community of metal people. Because there are so few people who really love folk metal we have to stick together and we do. Going to a metal show is like going to a party with all of your best friends. Despite the fact that you don’t know anyone there you like all of them because during those hours your at that show you have a million things in common with everyone there. You all go home with the same stories, you all saw the same band do the exact same thing, and you’ll never see most of them ever again but you still have an unbreakable connection. Which is why concerts are by far my favorite thing about folk metal.
_Re[bell]ious_ 