Folk metal
Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that incorporates elements of folk music.
There are many different forms of folk metal, due to the many varying folk traditions throughout the world. One thing to note also, however, is the fact that different forms of metal are combined with these folk traditions also. For instance, the band
Mael Mórdha combine
Gaelic/Irish folk music with
doom metal, whilst another Celtic metal band,
Geasa (and their brother band, Primordial) combines Irish folk with
black metal.
Singaporean band
Rudra who play vedic metal is another example. Whilst the two folk sounds may sound similar, the actual metal is different. Bands, however, are usually grouped according to their
folk stylings.
Folk metal bands often have no commercial success in the
country of their origin, whilst at the same time being considered a huge band commercially in other countries. Examples of this are the
Northumbrian folk metal band
Skyclad, who have had no success in
England, but lots of followers in continental
Europe and
South America, or Celtic metal band
Cruachan, who have had no big successes in
Ireland, and yet are a hit in
Russia. Overall though, folk metal is seen by a lot of people as nothing more than a novelty. The bands themselves may wish to see a fusing of their native culture to more modern
heavy metal, but to many people who misunderstand this, the bands are nothing more than curiosities. This is in sharp contrast to many critics who have praised the technical skill of groups like
Skyclad,
Waylander,
Cruachan,
Vintersorg,
Finntroll and
Elvenking. Unfortunately as the popularity of
Folk music in many countries declines, so too does the interest in folk metal. One thing which has been achieved by the fusion however has been interest in native
Celtic and
Viking culture and music. Many metal fans who discovered folk metal have since gone on to become fans of pure folk bands. Folk Metal has also gained popularity in
South East Asia and
South Asia through the advent of a new sub-genre called
Vedic metal which is based on
Hinduism's holy scriptures and the
Vedic philosophy. Vedic metal is pioneered by a singaporean band
Rudra.
The originators of folk metal are undoubtedly
Skyclad, but the genre was not really popularised until bands like
Cruachan,
Otyg and
Windir appeared in the mid to late 1990s. Eastern Europe is also home to numerous folk-influenced
black metal bands, the most prominent of which are
Graveland and
Nokturnal Mortum. The band
Bathory also pioneered the genre with albums such as
Hammerheart, and is arguably the first to have brought Viking mythology and history into folk metal. Bands such as
Amon Amarth continue to use the themes laid down by Bathory and others, though they do not follow in the same vein musically (Amon Amarth being a
death metal band). Bands that use folk metal themes in their lyrics but not in their music are generally not considered to be part of the folk metal genre.
Viking metal
Oriental metal
Celtic metal
Celtic metal is a sub-genre of folk metal. Its focus is on
Celtic mythology and instruments mixed with some other genre of metal. Celtic metal has developed a huge underground scene in
Ireland, where pioneers like
Cruachan,
Geasa,
Waylander and other such bands play. By far the most successful album is Cruachan's
Tuatha Na Gael which sold out its label's supplies within a few months. It cannot be considered a great success, however, because it was a small label and only pressed a few thousand CDs.
Vedic metal
Vedic metal is a form of folk metal popularized in
South Asia,
South East Asia and other parts of the continent. The lyrics heavily derive from the
Vedic literature and philosophy. This genre has been pioneered by
Singaporean band
Rudra in the late 1990s. Since then, this genre has grown in popularity. Bands like
Aryadeva (
Ukraine),
Skyforger (
Latvia),
Symmetry (
Indonesia),
Warriors Of Peace (
India),
Asura (
India),
Advaita (
New Zealand),
The Aryan March (
India),
Narasimha (
Singapore),
Kaliyuga (
Malaysia),
Azrael (
Australia) and
Blue River (
Sri Lanka) have done pioneering work in the genre. Often, along with the Vedic lyrics, the music has shades of
Indian Classical music. The definitive album of this genre is the Rudra album
The Aryan Crusade released in 2001.
Native American Metal
Incorporates tribal music from around the Americas and Metal. Such bands include; Resistant Culture(grindcore-United States), Guahaihoque (Colombia), and Ghosts of Lemuria (United States).
