Folkearth
Fatherland

Dark yet dreamy are the atmospheres that Folkearth evoke, skillfully mixed in the cauldron of folk-metal with gloomy male vocals alternating with gothic school female vocalizations. All originating from Lithuania thanks to the singer Ruslanas, who shaped the project in 2003.

Curious is the line-up of the band... even though orchestra would be a more fitting term: about thirty members hailing from 13 nations, including Italy with 3 members (it seems like talking about Inter Milan).

The invocation to Zeus ("Hymn To Zeus") introduces "Brave Than Heroes (The Battle Of Plataea)" and the mythology released by Folkearth’s songs becomes immediately apparent, where metal cues are well-triggered to transcend into a well-constructed and never repetitive viking-style.

The third "Guardian Of The Bridge" and "The Fall Of Atlantis" set themselves apart from others right from the start with a much faster pace and growl death metal vocals; perhaps the first is the song that most recalls the genre of Folkearth in the past, when they had yet to move to folk-metal shores and proposed a style more suited to black metal canons.

Convincing is the assembly of instruments such as violin, organ, and double bass that recreate a medieval fairy-tale atmosphere at times, ingredients then seasoned with many references to Celtic and Greek mythology.

The sound of the guitars is very dark, providing a backdrop to the various "flute adventures" for example in "Terror From The Sea", while the title track offers a heartrending accordion lament that gives way to winds, accompanied by sweet acoustic guitars.

A good album (the third of 2008) for Folkearth, who also shorten the track lengths thus making them more assimilable and less lost in virtuosities compared to previous albums.