By Bona Pjarren
Folkrim is a five man band from Rauma, on the grim western coast of Finland. To keep the long winters at bay, inspired by beer and nature, they wound up combining metal music with traditional instruments. Originally a one-man project, Folkrim grew fast into a full band and they released ‘Tales of Tumult’, a self-published album in the spring of 2021. A year later they’ve joined forces with Inverse Records and their second album, ‘On Foaming Waves’ is awaiting it’s release next month.
And so to the first track, ‘Blackout’. It has loads of energy and beautifully combines black metal with folk. It reminds me a little of Alestorm in its construction, very catchy and immediately accessible.
‘Unhinged Alchemist’ is next and again has almost a sea shanty feel mixed with, of all things, reggae, it also has a dance section. The chops are sharp as it moves from one style seamlessly into another. A great little track. ‘On Foaming Waves,’ the title track, is next. And it continues in its upbeat approach to classic folk metal. Another very accessible track with loads of folky hooks. There is definitely a pirate metal approach to a lot of these songs.
‘Crack A Cold One’ is slightly more laid back drinking song. Great riffs are delivered precisely and with passion. There are some nice shifts of pace in this song to really keep the listener engaged. ‘Towards The Sun’ again has some interesting musical ideas that offer something a little different while staying true to its pirate metal roots. I really liked the drop/lead section of this composition.
‘Entwined’ follows a, by now, well-established path of sea shanty style folk metal. Again there is a mix of almost reggae in there. Good changes of tempo help to break up the song in interesting ways. ‘One More For The Road’ starts with an enjoyable acoustic piece of music and continues in a laid back ballad style. A great little drinking song that gives a pleasant change of pace mid album.
‘Midsummer Mead’ picks up the pace again with another pleasant drinking song containing strong riffs and tight rhythm section. ‘Brace Yourself’ is a strange little song lasting thirty six seconds. It left me a bit confused, I guess it’s the band having a bit of fun. ‘Rövarehumppa’ gets us back into some seriously danceable folk metal with a nautical bent. The track is a lot of fun with some nice thematic changes.
‘Under The Black’ is a tale of buccaneers and ocean tales. It is a mid tempo drinking song again reminding me a lot of bands like Red Rum and Alestorm. ‘Winterstorm’ continues the trend of very accessible folk driven metal. There isn’t much more I can say at this point. ‘Drunken Song has a bit of a medieval feel to it and definitely leans more towards an acoustic feeling piece initially, though gathers pace as it progresses.
‘A Falling Tide’ is the last track on the album and at over eight minutes long it is an epic piece that takes a bit more of a progressive metal approach. It does show some depth to Folkrim’s writing style. It has Viking metal and classical feeling elements to it and marks a real departure from what has gone before.
‘On Foaming Waves’ is a great album that doesn’t have a bad track on it. With 14 tracks, and with the exception of ‘A Falling Tide’ and ‘Brace Yourself,’ it is an album that I would cherry pick my favourite tracks from rather than listen to it as a whole in one sitting. There is certainly a lot of material to go at. For fans of pirate metal this is a definite must have album. I highly recommend grabbing a copy.
- ‘On Foaming Waves’ is released on 21 October. You can get your copy HERE.
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