Skyclad
History Lessens

Lately, I have dedicated myself heart and soul to delving into the Skyclad discourse. I have done so with great pleasure since they are almost never considered on major review sites. The reason, I do not know. Really, I don't understand why a band capable of mixing pagan-influenced Celtic folk elements with old-school metal with thrash tones has gone so unnoticed. Perhaps I'm wrong, perhaps I overestimate the band, yet it's strange that there's so little about them around. Even materially, I was able to recover, not without effort, only a compilation of the band, dating back to 2001, which I am about to review. But not before providing some background on the band.

Born from the genius of Martin Walkyer (ex Sabbat) and debuting with their first album in 1991, they are characterized, as already mentioned, by a daring blend of genres: violins and rhythms from Celtic celebrations merge with riffs that are often and willingly thrash and always very fast and pressing, while the themes addressed in the lyrics often revolve around political and current issues. Martin's singing style is very interesting, an alcohol-soaked minstrel with a grating, polemic voice, vicious and angry enough but terribly engaging. The result is, from the very little I could appreciate thanks to the compilation titled "History Lessens", an explosive, captivating mix that, from my point of view, is current and entertaining.

This "best of" is really well done: all the tracks flow beautifully, each enhanced by a certain something, a distinct feature: sometimes the vocal setting, other times a greater leaning towards more classic heavy metal (with folk elements abandoned), at other times the pleasing melancholia conveyed by seductive and lulling quasi-ballads.

Among the standout tracks that best unite Celtic folk with metal, I must highlight "Penny Dreadful", "The Silver Cloud's Dark Lining", "Building A Ruin", "Emerald", "I Dubious" (don't be fooled by the slow, hushed intro) and "Bury Me", in most cases, these are frenetic, lively dances led by crazy violins and fast, swirling rhythms, which do not shy away from much more technical moments where the band's class emerges (see the instrumental break in "Emerald", for example).

As previously mentioned, there are tracks where the folk origin is set aside: these are powerful and corrosive tracks, based on structures of classic metal that still hold their own and add variety to the whole: see for example "A Bellyful Of Emptiness", a furious, hyper-heavy track characterized by a refrain that, I'm sure, will soon be ingrained in your mind.

The last type of song present in this collection is the ballad, which is never completely saccharine and sugary (except in some cases), being enlivened by faster moments that break the lethargy that might develop. Examples are "Isle Of Jura", "Constance Eternal", "Jumping My Shadow", and "Single Phial".

I'm not usually fond of "best of" collections because they often undercut a band, but more than ever in this case, I find them useful. Certainly, some tracks from the band's early albums were omitted (as far as I know), but the selection, as I already mentioned, is rather homogeneous and well-organized. In conclusion, therefore, an excellent purchase for those who don't know the band. Those who are already fans of Skyclad can confirm (or contradict) me about the quality of the chosen tracks.

For now, I invite anyone who already appreciates the band to write something about them, because, in my opinion, they have been a bit too neglected, probably unjustly so.