Label : AFM Records
Review by Tony Cannella
From Hungary, the Folk Metal band Dalriada has been in existence since 1998. On their 6th album, “Igéret” the band is perfectly capable and willing to showcase their skilled Folk Metal style. The lyrics on “Igéret” are sung exclusively in Hungarian and are the perfect showcase for a band that has tons to offer the Folk Metal genre. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that Dalriada is only capable of playing Folk-ish type material. There are plenty of blazing and heavy guitar riffs, and a nod to Power Metal here and there, throughout the 50-minute disc. In fact, I would compare them musically to the great Folk-Metal pioneers SkyClad. The tribal flavored “Intro” opens things and segues into the pounding “Hajdutanc”. Right off-the-bat, this is music designed to get you moving. The song has a great melodic, up-tempo feel to it. The duel male/female vocals are just perfect for the music that is being performed. The next track “Hozd el, Isten” has a cool mid-tempo vibe to it and immediately became a favorite. The song even features some Uriah Heep type organ at about the mid way point. Other highlights: “Mennyei Harang”, “Igéret” and “Igazi Tuz”. The fascinating thing about Dalriada is that they goe beyond the folk-metal genre and allows various bits of other influences and genres to seep into their music. It is actually one of the things that make “Igéret” such a fun listen. Of course there is plenty here to appease the folk-metal crowd, like the use of violins as a prominent instrument but even fans who aren’t necessarily a fan of Folk-Metal may find something about Dalriada that they like.
Rating – 95/100
Tracklist
- Intro
- Hajdutanc
- Hozd el, Isten
- Mennyei Harang
- Ígéret
- Igazi Tüz
- Kinizsi Mulatsaga
- A Hadak Utja
- Leszek A Csillag
- Leszek A Hold
- Outro
Line Up
- Laura Binder – Vocals, Violin & Flute
- András Ficzek – Vocals, Guitar
- Mátyás Németh Szabó – Guitar
- Barnabás Ungár – Keyboards & Backing Vocals
- Tadeusz Rieckmann – Drums, Harsh Vocals & Backing Vocals
Links