CNOC AN TURSA - The Giants Of Auld

The band with the strange name comes from Scotland, and their music is an amalgam of their traditional folk music with a lot of Epic moments into a Black Metal outfit. I am a big fan of bands who blend their traditions with Metal, therefore making things more diverse and interesting, and these guys here are no exception. The first thing that draws the attention is that some of their song titles, are identical with Scottish poetry, and I suspect that the band has used the verses and dressed them with their charming music. And it is haunting, since it has melodies with the ability to transfer you to places when you close your eyes. The use of pipes along with the excellent guitar riffs, the furious rhythm section and the harsh vocals, create a result that catches the attention from the first moment. The atmosphere is dark and a bit melancholic, and creates an interesting contradiction with the aggressive nature of the music. Musicwise the band is very good, managing to create songs that contain enough interesting ideas, and the way they blend their traditional elements with Epic and Black sometimes is really amazing. What's more important is that their music runs fluent, and this leads to songs that are always catchy and interesting, no matter how melodic or intense they are. The production is also very good, helping the music in every possible way, preserving the Epic atmosphere, and giving space for all different influences to unfold. To sum up, this album can easily be heard as just another Black Metal release, since all the trademarks and the intensity exists. But what makes it even more outstanding is the blend with the ancient Scottish culture, that makes it even more gloomy and dark. The fact that this album is their first so far, makes things even more challenging, since it leaves much hope for even greater things in the future.

9/10