Thursday, July 28

Furor Gallico - Furor Gallico


Furor Gallico
Furor Gallico
2010


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When one thinks of Italy, what comes to mind? Mostaccioli, Opera, Galileo, the Roman Empire, trendy scooters, Michelangelo, Mario and Luigi? I suppose if you are a regular Black Wind reader, symphonic power metal along the lines of Rhapsody or Thy Majestie would also come to mind. However, if Furor Gallico's self-titled debut is any indication, we might soon be thinking of pagan folk metal as soon as the conversation turns to Italy.

I suppose I should describe the music at some point. It seems to me as though most folk metal fits into one of two categories, which I like to think of as the "Korpiklaani" type and the "Moonsorrow" type, with Korpiklaani representing the catchy, fun brand of folk metal and Moonsorrow representing the epic, sweeping variety. Furor Gallico falls right in the middle of the spectrum, generally borrowing from the strengths of each side. Like Korpiklaani, the music here is generally fast, catchy, and accessible. However, unlike Korpiklaani (and very much like Moonsorrow), there is an epic feel to the material here, a vision that goes beyond which beverage will be praised in the next song.

The folk instruments here (namely, the fiddle, tin whistle, bouzouki, and harp) are an integral part of the music, generally taking the melody; however, this is nonetheless a very heavy album, driven as much by metal aggression as by folky melodicism. The vocals, which run the gamut from guttural growling to clean singing, are generally well-done if you like that kind of thing, tastefully switching from one style to another in a manner that works very well with the constantly changing feel of the music.

This is not to say that this is the perfect all-encompassing folk metal album. Being in the middle, it is neither one of the catchiest nor one of the most epic in said genre. However, "Furor Gallico" is a very strong, high-quality album, and I hope to hear more from this band in the future.

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Morpheus's Rating: 4/5


1 comment:

The Protagonist said...

You know it's funny, because I listened to this album a couple of months ago and deleted it. I really didn't care for it much.

Also, are you addressing me as "a regular Black Wind reader?"