Tag: Folk Metal

10 great songs that were released in 2025

Vicky

Before our calendars even think about telling us that we have entered the realm of December, I think we need a top 10 songs that have been released throughout 2025 just to motivate us. Now these tracks have been carefully selected by yours truly after spending 11 months listening to almost every single new material that Spotify could provide in the Rock/Metal domain, as well as going to different shows in my beloved homeland.

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Skovblod – In the Valleys of Winter

Metalcatto

Sometimes, as a reviewer, you find yourself in strange places, where you don’t know if your instincts are right and you’ve found gold, or if the band actually has no hype because your taste sucks. This is how I felt when I heard Skovblod’s In the Valleys of Winter. The band has next to no social media presence yet, but once I listened to the first seconds of this album, I knew I couldn’t let it slide. It hasn’t been the strongest year for Folk Metal, so I’m open to anything that could redeem so many mid experiences. So, should you care about this little Danish project? Let’s see.

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Vintersorg – Vattenkrafternas Spel

Metalcatto

I guess it’s time for us to get really folky! Vintersorg is back, and there aren’t many bands in the Black/Folk/Prog world that have managed to keep such a unique blend alive without turning into a parody of themselves. Vattenkrafternas Spel has the complex task of continuing the almost perfect run the band has maintained for so long. Also, I couldn’t find confirmation in the promo material, but wouldn’t this be the end of the elemental tetralogy? I mean, water was the only one missing, so it would make sense! I’ll admit it—I’m a sucker for long and high-risk conceptual endeavors.

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Panopticon -Laurentian Blue

Metalcatto

It was a mental struggle, a deep existential debate, to review Laurentian Blue by Panopticon. You see, its previous album had been my album of the year in 2023, so there was no way this one was going to top that. And yet, Panopticon is risking it all by basically stepping away from Metal and going full American Folk—or, as we non-Americans might call it, hillbilly Rock. It’s going to be an ordeal for me to make jokes about this without straight-up insulting the trailer park community, but I’ll do my best!

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Alestorm – The Thunderfist Chronicles

Vicky

You’ve probably heard about Alestorm before. As a long-time fan of these pirate Metal titans, I had to listen the moment I heard they were about to release a new album. Your average Alestorm listener knows the band has evolved from a Running Wild-esque Heavy/Power Metal act with lyrics about pirates, alcohol, and battles to a more Power Metal-oriented sound—while keeping the same lyrical themes. Over time, the band has embraced humor too (who can forget the deluxe edition of 2017’s No Grave But the Sea, which included “dog versions” of all the songs?). That’s why one wouldn’t be too wrong in saying Alestorm is to Running Wild what NanowaR of Steel is to Rhapsody of Fire: initially a parody that eventually gained worldwide recognition and became a cult favorite.

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Impureza – Alcázares

Metalcatto

It’s hard to keep a gimmick going for long, but if there’s one band that’s taken it to the next level, it’s Impureza. The French-Spanish band sings in Spanish about the fall of the Aztec Empire on La Caída de Tonatiuh (this has to be the musical equivalent of an Asian fusion restaurant). This time, though, it’s leaning even harder into its flamenco roots, and with Alcázares, the project seems determined to win over those who found Tonatiuh a bit too weird. But hey, this is Death Metal—how strange can it really get?

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Aexylium – Myth of Mankind

Vicky

Folk Metal is a genre that most people consider to be limited strictly to Eluveitie, Korpiklaani, Arkona, Feuerschwanz, and a few other titans. But that’s not really the case. There are also numerous underground groups that certainly deserve your attention. One of them is the Italian Folk Metal act Aexylium. And it’s not trying to mimic any of the praised bands I have mentioned earlier, but it walks on its own path. So far, this means combining traditional Folk Metal instruments with enchanting symphonies and feeling – one that you have probably encountered before in Power Metal. At times, they even incorporate Technical Death Metal elements into their work (especially on the track “In Sorrow”). You may also find things specific to Brutal Death Metal on the title track.

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