In my mind, Folk Metal is easily the sub-genre with the biggest potential. Unfortunately, similar to my love life, I could never find the perfect one (band, or album) that would fit the wonderful criteria, which is kind of non-existent. I really have no idea what I would really love in a Folk Metal record. However, what I certainly know is that that ideal record is not CRUACHAN's latest album.

The album has a great sense of balance in terms of the vocal and instrumental dynamic. A good chunk of the music here is instrumental, some with harsh vocals, and some with clean singing. I never understood the appeal of harsh vocals in Folk Metal, the combination of traditional instruments/styles and screeching vocals could never grow on me. With the most common theme of FM, huge and epic battles, the best type of vocals I think are singing harmonies, with 2-3 vocalists singing the narrative with a medium-tempo. So I overall felt mixed about the vocal aspect of the record. While there are great highlights (which fit my ideal description) like the intro/chorus of "The Harp, The Lion, The Dragon and The Sword" and the first section of "Queen of War", but there are still too much harsh vocals for my liking. About the balance I mentioned earlier, it's present in just the instrumentalization. The sound of the disk isn't dominated by anything really, and I liked that even with the conventional metal instruments, they were quite folk-ish parts, and actual heavy metal parts as well.

Basically all aspects lead into the most important question about this record. The atmosphere. More specifically, did it bring me into the mood to read some celtic history, to watch stuff like Braveheart, did it make me feel like I was there, on the battlefield present on the album cover, or in an inn after a glorious battle? In certain songs yes, namely the last three, and the ones I already mentioned. As for the others, their compositions were either overcomplicated, or full of filler parts.

So, in conclusion, I couldn't wholeheartedly recommend this record for a purchase, but definitely check out the tracks I mentioned.