Band:	Heidevolk
Album:	Batavi
Style:	Folk metal
Release date:	March 02, 2012
A review by:	R'Vannith

01. Een Nieuw Begin (A New Beginning)
02. Als Ons De Toekomst Lonkt (When The Future Beckons)
03. Het Verbond Met Rome (The Alliance With Rome)
04. Wapenbroeders (Brothers In Arms)
05. In Het Woud Gezworen (Sworn In The Woods)
06. Veleda
07. Als De Dood Weer Naar Ons Lacht (When Death Smiles At Us Again)
08. Einde Der Zege (The End Of Victory)
09. Vrijgevochten (Fought To Freedom)

Some albums can strike you as excellent examples of the genre with which they are labelled, the music contained within sounding exactly as one would desire and clutching closely onto the crux of said genre. On the other hand some give you a clear indication that they are just another run-of-the-mill output that fails to offer you anything beneficial. With their fourth release, entitled Batavi, Heidevolk offer an all too familiar tale of likeable folk/viking metal.

Question is who is going to be willing to partake of this piece of revelry? Well this satisfying set of songs drive onward with intense purpose and will leave many fans of the genre pleased. Tracks like "Wapenbroeders" are structured along that striving viking metal approach with hearty guitar work given a sweet flavour with the addition of the folk elements present in the violins and stylistic drumming. The rich vocals, both harsh and clean, are given much character with lively sounding accentuation of the Dutch lyrics, and the noticeable presence of the backing vocals in particular considerably enhances this.

Downsides? It holds on too tightly to its allegiances; that is it is viking/folk metal and little else. However stale or not you consider this genre to have become this album isn't one that is going to sway your opinion at all. There isn't anything unexpected here, it plays to a pattern and it does it well but nothing new is added. This is a failure of a great bulk of folk metal bands; there is generally an inability to inject just enough of an original presence within the genre in order to stand out. Yet there are those who may hold this album as an example of the creativity left within folk metal; an obvious competency for the delivery of music of a kind which appeals to what makes the genre an enjoyable one in the first place. Some might even find it to be a diamond in the rough, which is understandable considering the quality of song writing contained within.

This album invokes an excellent epic atmosphere which demands the attention of viking/folk metal fans. If you are less inclined to this side of metal you'll likely simply throw this atop your proverbial pile along with all the others which tasted like stale bread.