Cruachan - Pagan
Karmageddon Media

file under heavy / power metal

Frank D.: There is not a country in the world of which the blood stained and heroic struggle for independence is in such a contrast with the friendly people and the magnificent landscapes as in Ireland. And this contrast can also be found on the new CD of the folk metal group Cruachan.

As was the case on ‘The Middle Kingdom’ (2000) and ‘Folk-Lore’ (2002) the sound of these Irish is forged from Celtic and Irish folk-influences and black metal elements. The compositions have become better. The cohesion between both genres is better than ever before and creative leader Keith Fay seems to have fine-tuned the Cruachan recipe. The female melodic vocals of Karen Gilligan and the traditional instruments paint wonderful atmospheric musical images and the black metal elements provide the needed sinister and sometimes threatening spikes. The lyrics are inspired by the rich history of the ‘green’ island (i.e. ‘Michael Collins’ and ‘Viking Slayer’), but also by fantasy themes (‘The Fall Of Gondolin’) and world history (‘Pagan’). And the tradition of a folk-classic in a modern cover is also carried on. On ‘Folk- Lore’ it was ‘The Rocky Road To Dublin’ and now the Kerry county song 'Some Say The Devil Is Dead' is up. Besides the musical quality of the album there is a compliment to be made for the artwork, which is painted but no-one less than the man behind the illustrations of the Tolkien trilogy ‘Lord Of The Rings’; John Howe.

But, al these positive things are somewhat overshadowed by the bad production. Whether this is due to the fact that the album was recorded in some unknown Irish studio or just a bad producer remains unclear. Fact is that it all sounds somewhat bleak and ‘cheap’. This is even more remarkable because this band has earned the right and opportunity to record their albums in a top-hole studio with a top-hole producer.

Fans of the band can buy this CD without a second thought, because they won’t be disappointed. For the folk metal fans that can listen trough the production, this album is worthwhile listening to.

Score 79/100 (details)

http://www.cruachan.cjb.net

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