Genre story · Metal
Folk Metal
Metal instrumentation making room for traditional melodies, rhythms and instruments that carry local histories.
Folk metal developed through several European scenes in the early 1990s. Skyclad's 1991 debut introduced Folk ideas into thrash Metal, although much of the record remained squarely metal and the folk presence varied from song to song. Ireland's Cruachan approached the meeting point through Celtic history and instrumentation. Groups such as Finntroll later developed different regional variations. The result was a family of approaches, not a single pan-European folk sound.
The traditional part has a purpose
Violin, accordion, whistles and other folk instruments may play recognizable melodic roles, but an electric guitar can carry a traditional-style melody just as effectively. Some songs are driving and danceable, others slow and solemn. What matters is whether the folk material shapes the writing, not whether an exotic instrument appears briefly in the mix.
Distinct places and distinct histories
Folk Metal is a musical fusion. Pagan Metal and Viking Metal may overlap with it, but they can also describe thematic and cultural identities. Those labels should not replace the actual origin of the traditional material being used.
Essential recordings
- 1991SkycladThe Wayward Sons of Mother EarthA formative, mainly thrash-rooted experiment.
- 1995CruachanTuatha na GaelIrish traditional elements entering an extreme-metal setting.
- 1999FinntrollMidnattens widunderA Scandinavian variation drawing on black metal and dance rhythms.