Folkstone

As folk metal grows and grows, bands seem to be going to new lengths to distinguish themselves to some extent from their massing contemporaries. Folk Stone (named after the picturesque English costal town?), are a new-ish Italian band comprising a bulky line-up that includes, among other things, several members playing bagpipes along with their complementary instrument, the bombard.

Unlike Argentina's Skiltron, their use of bagpipes as a primary instrument shouldn't be confused with a fascination with Scotland or Mel Gibson (believe it or not, we're not the only country in the history of the world to have used the damned things), as they sing in their own language and the traditional music they blend with their rudimentary metal riffing is unmistakably home grown.

After the intro, the CD kicks off to a flying start with the band's title song, a smart move as it is the only one non-Italian speakers will be able to sing along to the chorus of. A good indication of what is to come, it features several bagpipe parts accompanying the deep, powerful vocals over the thick, if not exactly complex guitar playing. However, the 2nd full track, "Briganti di montagna" sees an immediate manifestation the main shortcoming of the CD that recurs a few times and hampers the overall quality; the bagpipe sections are just too repetitive and predictable to stay fresh for a full listening session.

It often happens when bands in this style place too much emphasis on a single traditional instrument that its constant presence becomes a source of irritation, and Folk Stone are no exception. The more sparing use of flutes and harps that are scattered across the songs add extra layers of texture, and the better songs often are the ones that offer a reprieve from the constant pipe onslaught.

"Rocce nere" features good use of these additional folk instruments, and the pipes are also better utilised, feeling more part of the song and less grafted on. This is also the case for the rendition of the powerful traditional song "Avanti", which has an air of authenticity about it that is lacking from some of the original material.

There are stronger songs towards the end of the CD as well, with "Lo stendarfo" benefiting from an athletic vocal performance, while "Igni cena" has some of the best folk melodies on the CD (perhaps it tells its own story that the song is a Schelmish cover), together with some booming traditional percussion and the presence of the ever-fun mouth harp.

The metallic elements of the band are, perhaps expectedly, somewhat underdeveloped and the guitar is usually left to function as a rhythm instrument only. A lot of bands with traditional instruments front and centre seem to fall into this trap, and it's a shame that they seem unable to see that including some lead guitar in the tapestry they are weaving would make it all the richer.

In the end it makes for a familiar story – a band with a lot of talent and a decent premise don't quite manage to knit the varied elements of their sound together as well as you would like, but that is not to say that Folk Stone's debut is not an enjoyable one – for all its limitations and annoyances, there is plenty of good material to be found here. I seem to end a lot of my reviews saying that hopefully the band in question will take a step towards realizing their potential with their next CD, and I'm afraid that's how I'll need to wrap this one up too. The elements are all in place, but the writing just needs a bit of sharpening.

(Originally written for http://www.metalcdratings.com/)

After releasing a great demo last year, Italian Folk metallers Folk Stone return with their first full length release. It pleases me to see the band got picket up by a record label (Fuel Music), because they certainly deserved it based on their previous work.

It seems the line-up of the band is still intact, quite the accomplishment seeing there are a stunning eight band members. So it is not a surprise that the bands sound has not changed. Best way to describe Folk Stone’s music is upbeat medieval Folk Metal. With the signature instrument of the band being the bagpipe (or actually a Baghèt, which is a traditional bagpipe variant from Bergamo, the city of origin of the band). The bagpipe gives Folk Stone’s music an unique touch and even makes purely instrumental tracks like the intro and “Avanti” (which is a traditional song) a joyous listening experience.

Other traditional instruments, ranging from flute to harp, complement the folk sound. There is also enough room for the metal aspect of the music though, with some excellent riffing which blends in perfectly.

The bands lyrics are in Italian and are largely sung by the excellent lead vocalist who has a style of singing similar to Korpiklaani.

The band decided to re-use most of the tracks of their demo on their debut album (except the track “El Gir del Druet”), which is a wise choice because of their high quality. People who already own the demo have enough reason to buy this album though, because it boasts twelve tracks and just over 45 minutes of playing time.

Recommended for everyone who is into upbeat Folk Metal.