CRIMFALL - As The Path Unfolds
Crimfall are a young band from Finland that has only been founded in 2007. As The Path Unfolds is their official debut, coming after a self-released demo. They consider themselves an epic folk metal band, which more or less makes sense. More important is that fact that the Finns are not a Nightwish clone.
Yet they don’t manage to get rid of all the stereotypes, as the album starts with an orchestral intro. They improve with the first regular track, The Crown Of Treason, where black and gothic metal converge. Unusual instruments like a violin and a mouth harp help to create a certain folk touch. Playing with contrasts is an important factor with Crimfall, which becomes most obvious with the vocals where raw male growls are set next to gentler female singing. Folk, black metal and orchestral sounds are the main pillars of their music, with the weight not always distributed equally. The folky Where Waning Winds Lead is exceptionally danceable, but reminds also a little of Nightwish’s version of Gary Moore’s Over The Hills And Far Away. Never really sounding the same, Crimfall experiment on Ascension Pyre with oriental elements, show off their pathos on Shadow Hearth and behave unusually brutal on Non Serviam. The mandatory ballad (Aubade) can also be found.
Crimfall are still in the early stages of their career, but are doubtlessly already on the right track. They boldly merge different genres but should pay attention in the future to avert the typical clichés.