ALBUM REVIEW: Legends Of The Grail – Fenrir
FENRIR are a French sextet who intertwine traditional folk music with metal. Having formed in 2006, the band have released two EPs as well as a successful full length album. Sharing the stage with some notable artists such as TRISANIA and VAN CANTO, FENRIR have already achieved musical infamy within the realms of folk metal. Taking their inspiration from a myriad of otherworldly folklore they have delved into the mysterious pages of Arthurian Legend in their latest offering, Legends Of The Grail.
A Legend Begins pleasantly invites you to an audience with FENRIR and their stories of ancient sagas, a short and simple intro that does its job. The first track A Red Sun Rises gives connotations of an mystical tale and straight off the bat we can appreciate the quality of the production as well as the stronger focus on the metal side of this quest-thirsty outfit of bards. FENRIR do a splendid job of transporting you to a medieval banquet in Camelot – a simple tune but majestic enough to spark a messy reel in a rabble of drunken metalheads.
The legend continues with Sir Gawain And The Green Knight which, for those uninitiated in Arthurian mythology, is an ethereal armour clad hero who comes to the aid of the righteous. Much in the same sense, this tracks adds a touch of variety to the album so far with the addition of tin whistles which do a lot to take away from the stagnant yet sweet fiddle consistent throughout FENRIR‘s music. Lets not forget that folk metal founders SKYCLAD built their musical direction with the addition of a fiddle and nothing else, so it is not necessarily a bad thing. But it can become stagnant when compared to the instrumental variety of other bands in the genre.
FENRIR do a magnificent job of diversifying their music, keeping it fresh, exciting and broad; Conquest Of Britain brings in some stellar harsh vocals and it would be nice to see more of this as they really can get turgid sometimes with regards to the variety of singing. A fitting tribute to the incapacitated guardian of the grail, Fisher King does just that but doesn’t stand out particularly when compared to the rest of the album. Especially Brocéliande, which introduces a much needed instrumental offering about a magical forest – a delightfully refreshing tune that intertwines blissful melody with fist pumping metal energy.
The Son Of Pendragon gives birth to an exciting musical direction – a mixture of SKYCLAD at their best with the contemporary genius of ELVENKING while maintaining a distinct FENRIR identity, it’s a tune that really stands out and showcases the talent and prowess of these French saga masters. La Dam du Lac is an all round satisfying song in their native tongue about the Lady Of The Lake who blesses battle hardened grail-seekers, again its refreshing to see more harsh growls its just a shame these aren’t utilised more. Written in Old French taken from medieval manuscripts, Morgane is equally impressive, whistles return and the vocals don’t outstay their welcome, enchanting us with lyrics about the magic of Morgan Le Fay. Finally Mordred and Mists Of Avalon leave us with a final reminder that FENRIR are both intent on and very capable of making themselves a sturdy foundation of the folk metal realm.
Legends Of The Grail is a worthy musical tribute that, like the age-old lyrical inspiration, will stand the test of time in a genre of many unique and memorable acts. In the same way that the album reignites tales from centuries ago, it is significantly reminiscent of early folk metal such as Martin Walkyier era SKYCLAD. That being said, FENRIR are able to integrate their own brand and musical identity into this creating an attractive fusion of old and new. As previously mentioned, it would be nice to see more harsh vocals in future as it not only adds variety but takes away from the occasionally turgid vocals that FENRIR have maintained throughout their musical quest. Certainly a step up from their previous releases and with more live shows inevitable for 2019 its set to be a year that crowns FENRIR with the attention and renown that they wholeheartedly deserve.
Rating: 7/10
Legends Of The Grail is out now via Savage Prod.
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