Label : Massacre Records
Review by Si Smith
“Furor Gallico is the description that the ancient Romans gave of the Celt warriors, who prepared for battle and were ready to die to defend their people and land…” – and the band Furor Gallico from Italy intend to bring the ancient legends to life with their folk metal on this, their first full-length release. It was self-released in 2010 but is now released in 2011 on Massacre records. The album begins with a jolly acoustic folk introduction, after which the electric guitars sound out for “Venti di Imboli”, a traditional folk melody accompanied by low male growls. These are quickly accompanied by a clean male vocal after which a rasping vocal takes over. The music gathers pace as the track progresses, interspersed with tinkly folk flourishes. The quick changes between one style and another does lead to a slightly disjointed experience, but the music is good so the band can be forgiven here. “Ancient Rites” is a cunning mix of acoustic picking and heavier guitar moments, and once again Pagan’s versatile vocals alternate between growls, rasps and clean melodies. The noises of battle lead deftly into “Cathubodva”, a rousing anthem with tremolo picking and a galloping rythmic soundtrack. Pretty soon the song also branches into an acoustic interlude with clean vocal accompaniment, before returning to the gallop. The flute and whistles provide the main melodies for “The Gods Have Returned”, and the voices continue to ring out with conviction. It is clear that the band believe in what they are doing. “Curmisagios” is another romp through typical folk metal territory. The album continues in the same vein until ending with a male/female duet on the last song “The Glorious Dawn”. In short, no major boundaries are crossed here, there are a few short musical pure folk tracks, but most songs follow more or less the same song structure and alternation between electric and acoustic moments. The result is a bit disjointed as already mentioned, although the conviction of the band is clear from the start. Becky‘s female vocals are hidden quite well and may not be apparent on a first listen, and this is a let down, as more of this would have redeemed the album. The band are at their best when galloping along in full folk mode, but there is just not enough of this to make a consistently good album.
Rating – 65/100
Tracklist
- Intro
- Venti di Imbolc
- Ancient Rites
- Cathubodva
- The Gods Have Returned
- Golden Spiral
- Curmisagios
- Miraculous Child
- Medhelan
- Bright Eyes
- La Caccia Morta
- Banshee
- The Glorious Dawn
Line Up
- Davide Cicalese (Pagan) – Growl, Scream and Clean Vocals
- Stefano Centineo (Ste) – Guitars & Back Vocals
- Luca Rossi (Oldhan) – Guitars & Back Vocals
- Fabio Gatto (Fabio) – Bass
- Laura Brancorsini (Laura) – Violin
- Becky Rossi (Becky) – Celtic Harp & Backing Vocals
- Paolo Cattaneo (Paolo) – Tin, Low Whistles & Bouzouki
- Simone Sgarella (Simo) – Drums
Links