ALBUM REVIEW: The Tribes Of Witching Souls – Tuatha De Danann
Cast your minds back to the early/mid 1990s; there’s a storm brewing in Europe but in parallel, unbeknownst to many, a similar idea was forming all the way across the water in Brazil. While Britain’s SKYCLAD are widely credited with pioneering folk metal, TUATHE DE DANANN were cutting their teeth across the pond in Brazil. Fusing Celtic folk with some elements of heavy and power metal, they’ve carved out a good niche for themselves in the years since. Taking their name from the supernaturally-gifted people in Irish mythology, the band make no secret of their love of merry jigs and danceable melodies and are set to release their latest effort, The Tribes Of Witching Souls.
The opening title track is a perfect example of what TUATHA DE DANANN are about. Opening with cleanly plucked acoustic guitars and a lilting vocal, the song soon picks up into a swinging rhythm. It’s an upbeat, cheery song with a towering chorus guaranteed to get every throat in the room or field yelling it back. Unlike a good amount of folk metal acts, the band rely more on clean vocals and DROPKICK MURPHYS-esque gallops.
Their folk elements are very similar to what ELUVEITIE and their ilk are known for, though with songs like Turn, the underpinning guitar work is far more southern blues than metal. The chorus here is full of arena rock stomp, the confident swagger of a band who know exactly what they’re doing. Follow-up Warrior Queen opens like a DROPKICK MURPHYS B-side with its Celtic folk intro and stomping bass drum, more than a little reminiscent of Shipping Up To Boston. Tracks like Conjura up the Celtic folk, sounding reminiscent of FLOGGING MOLLY’s more danceable moments.
With seven songs clocking in at a tight 32 minutes, The Tribes Of Witching Souls is the perfect length for this style; while songs do clearly vary in their influences the structure of songs doesn’t change nearly as much. Folk intros are followed by guitars and a stomping bass drum before the verses start, there’s a big chorus, then it’s verse/chorus as usual with the odd break or it’s an acoustic/softer ballady song with a similar construction. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and keeps songs memorable with plenty of hooks. The shorter length also means it doesn’t outstay its welcome either. The band said of the release that they wanted to get back to their more mystical, hippie and festive side – something that is absolutely apparent throughout with the merry, upbeat and downright danceable jigs.
Given their longevity, TUATHA DE DANANN have proven they’re more than just an oddity or curiosity; though a Brazilian band playing Celtic folk music is certainly a musical curveball. On The Tribes Of Witching Souls, the band prove there’s more than enough life in the old bones yet. They don’t break any new ground but what they do manage is an incredibly tight and, most importantly incredibly fun folky release sure to plaster grins across faces everywhere.
Rating: 8/10
The Tribes of Witching Souls is out now via Trollzorn.
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