Alright guys, brush up on your German, get your mead out and join me for the new release of the German folk metal band Thorondir. This third release of the group shows us the rich variety of musical influence the genre of folk metal has to offer. Combining elements of folk music, classic heavy metal and black metal, the album tells the story of a wanderer in a world nearing its imminent end. And his journey to try to find answers to stop this. Want to find out whether he finds them ? Be sure to give it a listen and find out for yourself !

Personally, I’ve always been a fan of folk metal. The musical variety it offers, makes sure you never get bored or keep listening to the same music over and over again. And Des Wandrers Mär is no different. Of course, a story is a good start for a concept album. But without great music to underline it, that’s just what it is : a story. And the band has delivered some good work doing this.

Folk and black, the ideal marriage

The musical style would best be described as some sort of mixture between folk and black metal. Aggressive, though melodic, guitar riffs set our basic mood, supported by fast, heavy drums giving it this little black edge. The harsh vocals of singer Kevin Wienerl perfectly complement this setting. However, if you’re talking folk metal you can’t leave out the almost characteristic ‘chanted’ singing which other bands like Ensiferum also use extensively. Along with the lively, sometimes cheerful sometimes bombastic, synths, this creates a great contrast. And it is exactly this contrast which drives forward both the album and the story it’s trying to tell.

Another thing which I found noteworthy was the structure of the album. As common with a lot of folk metal albums, the album is divided in a story-like way. It starts with a slower instrumental prologue which sets the overall scene. Then we have have some songs as chapters. And right about in the middle, they added a small intermission. Afterwards, we get some more ‘chapters’. But our tale starts to take a slower turn. The end is near and we can clearly hear this in the music. To top it off, it all ends with a slow, melodic, kind of melodramatic epilogue. What a way to end it all.

Release date : April 19, 2019
Label :Trollzorn
Tracklist :

1. Prolog
2. Rache durch das Schwert
3. Fenriswolf
4. Dunkle Zeichen
5. Thoron
6. Tiefe Narben
7. Den Göttern zu Ehr
8. In der Weite ein Licht
9. Das Totenheer von Barathir
10. Durch des Adlers Augen
11. Schwarze Flut
12. Berserkerwut
13. Epilog