Artist: Stonelore
Title: We Were Kings
Type: Album
Label: Digital
I wouldn’t normally review a second album by an artist as close together as this is with Castlesmash, but with Stonelore, musician A.J.Blackett (and a few guest appearances from friends) has gone in such a different direction that the origin doesn’t matter so much. Stonelore is very much in the realm of folk metal which is a genre I have had a bizarrely rocky relationship with over the years; bizarre because I was brought up on folk music. It’s mostly down to too many drinking songs – yes you can have too many – festivals cursed with yet another aimless joke folk metal mashup and, worst of all, fucking pirate metal. A curse on that entire genre, get in the sea and stay there. Nope, no idea why it annoys me to such an irrational degree so much but it does.
And relax…
Stonelore without any effort avoid all that.
‘The Last Of The Dwarvish Men’ pipes up (sorry) with a bright tune and some nice downtuned metal riffing. It’s really both fun and fascinating. The theme is one of memory and a passing into history. Heavy and dark stuff, but the song has a nice respect and celebratory feel to it. The ‘gang’ vocals workk really well and the melody is the find of thing that Fintroll used to flick out before they decided to be a serious black metal band…It’s a real hefty song, melodic death metal with a folk tune really and it is just catchy as anything.
With ‘Death Awaits Those Down Below’ we get a warning and it the opening makes me realise how much some bands have unconsciously crept into my library of touchstone sounds. After the delicate intro we have that perfect choppy riff and smooth synth combo that always rushes to Bal Sagoth for me, yet Stonlore surge into a melody of folk, that oompah sound creeping, a jig entering the proceedings and descend to the underworld. Again it is kind of wonderfully odd; the melody bright, energetic and yet the lyrics are a warning of trolls. In the best possible way it’s Sunday night DnD session feel; a sly smile behind those enormous teeth and hugely engaging. If you like a dungeon synth approach to melodic folk/death metal. It’s quite lovely.
‘Evennight’ is a dance from the outset but, oh, do I get chills as the first melody line closes. This is a celebration no doubt, even the deathly moments but the refrain is noting but pride and joy and celebration. This is happy, not a joke drinking song. This is genuinely moving; raise your mug and toast the land and the people music as the ancestors did. Free yourself, raise your voice and catch that refrain. It’s just a little magnificent.
‘At Barrow’s Root Come Sundown’ is kind of a drunken tale told by, to be frank, an untrustworthy type. Probably a dwarven relative of old Tam O’Shanter. Its a fun, delightful bouncing and yet muscular ditty of wandering too far on too dark a night and retold through the mist of a little too much ale perhaps. A tall tale, told by a born bard who would never let the truth get in the way of a good warning tale with a cracking lead break offered for good measure.
And now the outrageous anti-goblin sentiments of ‘Goblin Stomp’. A disgusting attempt to spread goblin hatred. With a refrain of ‘stamping around lift your feet up off the ground and slam them down on little goblin heads. The skull is soft and green and your boots so hard and mean. The best goblins are dead’ I mean they probably mistook a load of kobolds for goblins anyway but…. did they have to make it so good a sing-along too? Evil, evil buncha…mutter mutter.
Thankfully after that, they all jog off ‘Deep Into The Mountain Cave’. A joyfully silly tale of disorganised tomfoolery and lack of proper expedition prep. Frantic tune, scampering and then sneaking over rock and down tunnels, round and round to the dizzying tune. Just great fun.
‘I Eat Dirt’ I guess is about eating dirt. A mostly slow death metal song about eating dirt. The lyrics are, I think ‘I eat dirt…’ It’s probably the half orc in the party. Just smile and nod and leave it to it’s snack. It is fun and silly though. ‘Skogsgrottsratta’ is about being eaten by rats in a forest cave, which is a new one on me. The song. Though, no, I have never been eaten by rats either. Curiously catchy once more and far too happy for the recycling subject matter…
The album closes on two utterly fantastic songs.
First the title track. ‘We Were Kings’ is just an absoute belting song. The opening fills up your chest with a swell of emotion, a melody full of that Scottish folk feel and the harsh vocals feel so much more powerful here. Serious and full of passion this takes you away into a faded world. The procession of dead kings, their vast deeds and the glory gone to decay and ruin. It is a beautiful heartfelt song and one of the best pieces of folk/pagan metal I have heard in some time indeed. Breathtaking.
‘I Am The Land’ has a stunning opening melody, a steady melodic death metal pounding riff following. The vocals reverberate like the land shaking, the tune rises up, the chorus intones ‘In my hands I can hold the mountains, my breath the wind, my bones the stone. If you cut me I will bleed a river. So it is said, so it is so’. It is the sound of an indomitable kingdom, a land that never breaks. It is old as those mountains, deep as those waters and you forget that at your own cost. We get bagpipes, a swirl of extra pride that flows so brilliantly with the song. The guitar work is perfect, the musical break just magnificent. It is one hell of a way to end an album; it makes certain that though you may leave the land, the land will never leave you and it will be there when you return.
Sorry. Long review I know. Thank you if you made it this far. I think the best thing I can say to tie this up is that Stonelore are honestly the best new entry I have heard in this genre in an age. The musicianship is top notich, the humour if fun not simply obvious but when theyget serious like ‘Evennight’ or the last two you will find yourself moved too. Bridging those two worlds is a talent indeed.
Bloody awesome.
Gizmo
Walking The Liminal Space 