The Best Folk / Pagan / Viking Metal Album - Metal Storm Awards 2024

Bloody Valkyria - Kingdom In Fire

Folk metal has frequently found itself paired with melodic death or melodic black elements; Bloody Valkyria decide that more is better and throw both of these styles into the blender. Multiple forms of melody make Kingdom In Fire an incredibly catchy record, and with each of the three parts that together form the titular narrative running for over 10 minutes, it's also a grandiosely epic one. Memorable folk melodies, dramatic keyboard soundscapes, full-pelt rampages, dungeon synth flights of fancy, and stirring group vocal sing-alongs are just some of the weapons in Bloody Valkyria's arsenal that render this debut one to savour.

Darkestrah - Nomad

Darkestrah bring the sounds of the steppes to the foot of the fjords; for two and a half decades now, they have been one of the most reliable folk/black metal bands out there, melding the long-form black metal epics of Bathory to the traditions of their native Kyrgyzstan. Ragged shrieks howl like the mountain winds, faintly echoed by grim choirs or throat-singing; shocks of cymbals and pulsing snares echo like hooves over the plains; instruments such as the tanbur and temir komuz ground us in a distinctly non-Scandinavian environment even as those modern influences are felt. Nomad marks Darkestrah's return after eight years of wandering, and it brings with it the nomadic heritage of Kyrgyzstan's many past dwellers and rulers, as well as the plains, meadows, deserts, and peaks that lie within.

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Ensiferum - Winter Storm

Thalassic was a sensation when it came out - no one could stop talking about how Ensiferum had gotten a shot in the arm after years of listlessness. Well, now they've gotten a shot in the other arm. Winter Storm has the same rejuvenated spirit, marshaling the watertight, lightning-fast folk riffing and valiant choruses that have blessed the most victorious of Ensiferum songs. Pekka Montin continues to work wonders as the band's new(-ish) keyboardist and part-time vocalist, bringing with him new flavors that distinguish these albums from the band's classic material even as they hearken back to that golden era, and the rest of the band tears through this album with the hunger and excitement of a totally fresh-faced band. Ensiferum first defined the sound of Finnish metal some 20-plus years ago, and it seems they're bent on doing it all over again.

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Grendel's Sÿster - Katabasis Into The Abaton / Abstieg In Die Traumkammer

Your first thought upon hearing of the existence of Grendel's Sÿster is probably "poor Beowulf". But if they'd had stereos in the 11th century, those Geats would have been jamming to this: on the surface, what you're hearing is straightforward heavy metal with a bit of good old-school production, but the real bones of Grendel's Sÿster belong to very old folk traditions. Not what you are perhaps used to - there's less reliance on traditional instrumentation, no jaunty jigs or reels, none of the happy hobbit/Korpiklaani stuff you associate with the label - but songs in the vein of the old high medieval bardic material, very vocal-oriented with clear, articulate singing and simple yet distinctive melodic progressions. Take that foundation, put a coat of old "epic metal" on it, and you've got a unique and literary-feeling album, available in both English and German for your choice of experience. Had he lived another 800 years, Neidhart von Reuental would have been doing exactly this.

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Riitasointu - Pedon Leikki

A poignant acoustic intro piece caresses your ears for two and a half minutes before blasting drums tear apart the calm woodland reverie; Pedon Leikki crackles with energy, from its monstrous percussion to its overdriven and overactive guitar melodies. Riitasointu are comparable to Havukruunu not just for the basic sonic palette of Finnish folk metal but for the sheer energy emanating from every instrument on every song. The harsh vocals, distinct rhythms, and distorted, cacophonous guitars are obviously black metal in origin, but the band's sense of melody fundamentally springs from both traditional Finnish music and traditional heavy metal, delivering tune after gripping tune with a highly expressive lead guitar and clean vocals to balance the growls. For a debut, this is a very bold statement - Pedon Leikki foreshadows a productive future.

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SIG:AR:TYR - Citadel Of Stars

You know what an hour of Viking metal really needs? Guitar solos. A lot of very melodic guitar solos. It might not be the most important element, just like the salt is not the most important element of a soup, but it really makes the difference when it's there. Sure, Citadel Of Stars, has plenty to boast about besides that, like the grandiose atmosphere, but it's the overdelivering solos that are the real showstoppers. Maybe Bathory really were onto something.

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Sgàile - Traverse The Bealach

Sgàile was a real dark horse last year, very quickly becoming one of the most talked-about bands in the broad sphere of long-form/atmospheric metal. Much of that has to do with Tony Dunn's singing, which rings clearly and resolutely over his pastoral post-metal; his delivery is clean and straightforward and yet not at the expense of emotion. But there's also the songs themselves: Traverse The Bealach is fit for a wander through nature, with lengthy compositions that are heavy but more bracing than bludgeoning, light and melodic like a cold wind in a broad, green space. It's no surprise that Dunn's resume includes Saor and Cnoc An Tursa, given the similarly folky feeling in these accessible epics. Pair with Hand Of Kalliach in our Melodeath category for an artful excursion through the natural wonders of Scotland; just remember to mind the (mountain) gap.

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Sur Austru - Datura Străhiarelor

The droning, heady sounds of Sur Austru rustle through the coniferous forests and misty mountains of Romania, urgent but hushed, mystical but wary. Like Negură Bunget before them, Sur Austru rely strongly on black metal that they then sink into incomprehensible bogs of strange noise, whence it reemerges as a swampy symphony. Dark, repetitive riffs meld with flutes, strings, percussion, and drones to make a haunting portrait of folk metal that is at once absorbing and unsettling.

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Wandering Oak - Resilience

That gorgeously colourful artwork may be what first draws your attention towards Wandering Oak's Resilience, but it's their exciting combination of folk, prog, black, and traditional metal that will keep you sticking around. Resilience is triumphant in its melodicism, storming forth with catchy folk melodies and Primordial-inspired pagan metal riffs, but it also regularly serves up curve balls as its navigates its complex progressive structures, taking listeners on a journey that ventures from acoustic campfire sing-alongs to sudden detours into thrash, power, and NWOAHM territory. Such exuberance doesn't always land, but they accomplish what they strive to achieve far more often than not, and the culmination of their efforts is an album that, in spite of its various cues to other bands, feels very fresh courtesy of its wide-spanning range.

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Árstíðir Lífsins - Aldrlok

2024 saw Árstíðir Lífsins embark on another mighty epic voyage into Icelandic blackened folk, this time introducing us to an 80-minute saga that turned out to be the band's most majestic and ambitious offering to date, Aldrlok. Iceland is a nation shrouded in mystery and steeped in history. What this band manages to do is uncover the mysterious events lost beneath these hidden time strata, events which can be brutally harsh, sometimes proud and wonderful. Aldrlok is no different in that regard, but musically it really is a wonder to behold. Influenced by old Norse literature and history, it takes you on an imaginative journey, introducing a master-class display of musicianship through the use of classic folk instruments, folkish chants and narrations, and beautifully dark, ferocious blackened instrumentation. All of this gives you the feeling that the great Vikings themselves are telling their epic, adventurous tales first-hand.

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