Cruachan
Nine Years of Blood

Folk metallers and tellers of Irish stories Cruachan returns with a new album, the third and final part in their trilogy of Blood. It is called Nine Years of blood and tells the story of a war between England and Ireland raging between 1593 and 1603, a story told in twelve tracks. And it is twelve tracks that I was kind of curious about having heard Cruachan back in 2004 when I reviewed their album Pagan at the time when this Hallowed thing was released in printed form, I even interviewed the band back then. I liked the Pagan but think it was a little bit let down by the quality of the production and since then I have managed to miss all their releases so lets see what fourteen years has done for the band and their evolution.

Overall I think they have evolved quite a bit since I heard them last, their music can be described as folk metal. Heavy metal with black metal undertones, Celtic folk metal undertones, some thrash metal influences and a fair deal of melodies. There are some growly vocals and some clean vocals; it is a pretty diverse album. Much better production than they had on Pagan back in 2004 but still not quite as impressive as the best bands in the folk/pagan metal genre and there is a sense that the album could have been a bit more dynamic and have a bit more depth had the production been stronger. But they keep it short and the variation is clearly strong and keeps the listener’s attention throughout.

Likeable is a word I would use to describe what I think about this new album by Cruachan, it is a likeable album. The tracks are good, I think Queen of War and The Siege of Kinsale are great even, so they have that going for them. There could have been more depth and perhaps and bit more heroic in terms of feel but the slightly epic sense I get from hearing this is quite good. I think Cruachan has put together a really solid album here, and one that won’t disappoint any potential buyer.

Knack for adventures is what these guys have, and this is a musical adventure of the Celtic kind through wars and battles. I like it and I think fans of the folk metal genre will love it, quite an epic album in many regards. It may be mostly for the fans of the folk metal album, those with a more peripheral interest might find it a bit less interesting but I doubt anyone will be disappointed in this album. Cruachan has put together a fine album, plain and simple.

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