Crimfall // Review
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CD: As the Path Unfolds… Released: 02 March 2009 |
The words folk metal mostly conjour thoughts of hairy men in war paint and battle dress, and most music on the scene has become as predictable as it's image. Finnish newcomers Crimfall however, have their own interesting take on the genre, and with debut album As the Path Unfolds..., add new elements to the mix whilst also managing to retain much of the genre's key components.
Rousing intro Neothera Awakening, for instance, recalls a viking army preparing for war and is the sort of opening common to many albums within the folk metal scene. Elsewhere, on tracks such as The Crown of Treason, sound effects akin to a hammer striking metal provoke images of a blacksmith forging a mighty sword, whilst throughout the album the use of traditional instruments and folk melodies will not surprise anyone familiar with this style of music. It is certainly clear which market the band is aiming for.
Billed as "epic" by their label Napalm Records, this is certainly not epic in the same vein as established bands such as Moonsorrow. This feeling is mostly created through the use of pomp and grandiose symphonics, and here the similarities with the rest of the folk metal scene end. Large sections of this album often recall bands such as Epica or Nightwish, and the similarities with the latter do not end there. Helena Haaparanta’s use of clean, often classical vocals is very similar to the style of Tarja Turunen. The juxtaposition of this with the more aggressive male screams of co-vocalist Mikko Häkkinen is also unusual in the folk metal scene, adding variety to each track to keep the listener interested.
The album isn't 100% successful, Sun Orphaned is little more than an interlude of atmospherics and ethereal female vocals, whilst closer Novembre is a throw-away acoustic outro. Yet the combination of various influences works well and the album should appeal to fans of a range of bands, from the aforementioned Nightwish to genre favourites Ensiferum. Crimfall could go on to becomes firm favourites within the scene and are definitely ones to keep an eye on.
Review by Peter Thompson
Track Listing
| As the Path Unfolds… |
[01] Neothera Awakening |
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