Folk Metal is starting to make a long overdue comeback. What initially was dismissed as a fad by many has grown to one of the most popular music forms in the Metal genre, with some of its stars even going as far as to having gained a strong cult following, or even some mainstream recognition. In the wake of this first wave of bands that carved out this new musical path have come a new generation of good bands who are mixing Folk music with various forms of Metal. One of the rising stars of the genre are Italy's FUROR GALLICO, who have already got a demo and a self-titled full length under their belt, which has helped them to gain a cult following. Their latest record, "Songs of the Earth", might just be the best way to follow up their critically acclaimed debut.

The opening track, "The Song of the Earth", is a very good track, with a lot of really nice, Celtic folk piece on violin and whistles. The Metal that is on offer here is fairly solid, mighty Melo-Death, with a catchy chorus and slick, memorable riffs. The best thing about this is that the Folk music is high in the mix, but it is not so overpowering that you can't enjoy either the Folk or the Metal. This is easily going to become one of the bands cornerstone tracks, and is a fantastic way to kick this album off. Having set the bar fairly high with their opening gambit, there is of course a fear that the best has already past. "Nemain's Breath", however, really does well to quell these concerns. It's built around some light, intricate folk pieces that all interlock and complement each other, and some tight, chugging guitar lines, coupled together with vocals that are as thick as molasses, and some sharper, rasping vocals that also go down very well.

"Wild Jig of Beltane" is another strong, catchy track with generous portions of Folk heaped in layers over the Metal. It's done really well, and the song is genuinely infectious, and worth listening to a few times. Again, I can see this going down well live for years to come. "La Notte Dei Centi Fuochi", the album's fourth track, is a mid-paced affair, with some really cool tunes. The music all works very well together, and the vocals sound really good throughout. "Diluvio" is another mellow track, with some nice acoustic Folk parts, which become a fairly solid, interesting song. It steadily grows, with more elements coming in which really help make this song sounds massive. It's a very well thought out, epic track, and stands as one of the albums best. "Squass" opens on a really solid bass line that sounds great, and when the full track kicks in, it's a very upbeat, Folky Heavy Metal track with some excellent, sing-along vocals. It's another one of those really catchy, stand out songs that will likely sit well in the bands live repertoire for years to come.

"Steam Over the Mountain" is a more or less straight forward Melodic Death Metal track which sees the Folk elements in the bands sound being utilised sparingly. Apart from a few violin and whistle arrangements, this is lacking in that particular department. It's definitely the weakest song on the record, although it's not without some excellent instrumentation, especially when it comes to the bass lines. This band excels when they throw their Folk aspects into the mix, and I feel that a few more Folk melodies peppering the sound would have improved this track vastly. "To The End" more than makes up for the lack of Folk instrumentation in the previous track, and has some really amazing hooks in it, most notably those on the violin. It's the perfect song to set the listener up for the albums final offering, "Eremita": This is a brilliant, mid-paced track with plenty of Folk sounds thrown in, which really help carry the track. It's catchy, memorable, and is easily the best way to close this excellent album.

This is a very solid album, filled with plenty of great music and ideas. Clearly, this band is extremely talented and their sound is essentially fully formed. This, to me, could cement this band as the leaders of an up and coming crop of bands who are beginning to fuse Metal and Folk, and may even, if they continue writing such great music, give the established behemoths of the genre a run for their money. I'd highly recommend this to anybody who loves Folk Metal.