Usually, bands into tendencies linked to Folk Metal like to use non usual musical instrumental (other than guitars, bass, drums and keyboards) to enhance the Folk/Pagan feeling of their works. For some, they prefer to use a more ‘stripped-of’ form, with the ambiences and feeling solely coming from the guitars. To some it can sound simple, but’s not a problem to the German sextet WOLFCHANT, especially on this re-recorded version for “A Pagan Storm”, their album from 2007. As the words above shows, they’re a Folk/Pagan Metal band with a more aggressive outfit inherited from Thrash Metal and Death Metal (due the harsh tunes used on the vocals contrasting with cleaner ones), but always with that Folk melodic appeal and some Folk parts (as heard on “A Pagan Storm”).

The ambiences are all into a Folk Metal trend, with the instrumental parts being solid and sketching melodies that fits on the genre. The formula isn’t new, but in the way they do, things are filled with energy. Being a re-recorded version, it bears a sonority better shaped and things done into a more professional way than before. It’s clean and defined, but with that natural aggressiveness of extreme Metal ways (due the instrumental tunes used on the recordings). It’s truly good.

The new versions for “A Pagan Storm” (excellent shifts between clean vocals and harsh ones with such hooking Folk ambiences) , “The Path” (wow, what lovely guitars’ arrangements and melodies), “Midnight Gathering”, “A Wolfchant from the Mountain Side” (very good faster moments contrasting with more worked parts, with bass guitar and drums working in a great way), “Guardians of the Forest”, “Stärkend Trunk aus Feindes Schädel”, “Winterhymn” (again fine clean vocals contrasting with aggressive shrieks, and what lovely part using clean guitars), “Voran” (fine instrumental hooks are heard on this one), “Feuerbringer” and “The Axe, the Sword, the Wind and a Wolf” are here to proof that the band learned some lessons after all these years, making better arrangements and working things out in a better way. But if a listen to the older material is needed to make things clean, don’t worry: this double pack CD has the original one and this new version.

The intention behind this new version for “A Pagan Storm” was to celebrate the 15th years after the original release of the album, but things had to wait a bit more. For now, enjoy what WOLFCHANT is offering to you.