A folk metal
band from New York you say, how could one forget? Yonder Realm got my attention
from the very beginning. It is a bit amusing how I have discovered this band as
I stumbled upon them on a Wintersun fan forum when their singer/guitarist
recommended I listen to them some 3 or 4 years ago - back when their "Beyond a
Long Lost World" EP was just released. When I first listened to ”The Mystic” and
”Nemeton (The Realm of Suffering),” they cued in more black metal influences.
Nowadays it seems they have figured out their true sound and what a
transformation it is! Their first full-length "The Old Ways" possesses a sound
that is a mixture of melodic death and folk metal.
The first thing I had noticed upon receiving this album were the epic cosmic
song titles. They might just be as impressive as the songs themselves; very well
written with great detailed layers that enhances the overall intended sound. The
album is very consistent from beginning to end and it holds your attention,
especially the intro ”Sacrifice to the Old Stone Gods” – what a grand entry!
Being highly influenced by guitar virtuosos himself, Jesse McGunnigle squeezes a
lot of progressive guitar lines in as well as melodic and energetic guitar
solos. One can hear great variations from Kalmah, earlier
Ensiferum, as well as
Eluveitie. Great influences!
It is a very pleasant surprise to hear so much improvement since their EP. After
listening to "The Old Ways" I can with confidence say that they have greatly
deserved sharing the stage with bands in the similar genre such as Alestorm,
Arkona, Blackguard, Korpiklaani,
Metsatöll, Turisas, Tır etc.
Yonder Realm has a
different approach to the folk metal genre and they are on par with a lot of the
bands mentioned.
With other thriving bands such as Thrawsunblat, Wilderun and now with
Yonder
Realm it is clear that folk metal is alive in North America!
