Artist: Skyclad
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 1/23/01
Average Rating: 3.5
Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this Album
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Title: Folkémon Artist: Skyclad Label: Nuclear Blast Release Date: 1/23/01 |
There are currently 2 Reader Reviews of this album.
Average Rating: 3.5 Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this Album |
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Submitted by Ryan (2/27/02):
I can understand why you guys at Metal Judgment don't really appreciate this album. For the reviewer "Death", I would definitely recommend checking out Skyclad's first album The Wayward Sons Of Mother Earth, since you liked Martin Walkyier's old Sabbat brand of thrash metal. Skyclad didn't exactly start as folk metal people. They began as a normal thrash metal outfit with minor doses of folk playing. Skyclad isn't one of those bands you can just dive into (like Metallica, Slayer, or Anthrax). They need to be digested over awhile so you can fully comprehend what they're doing. To tell you the truth, Folkemon is probably my least favorite Skyclad album. This album at first didn't really give me a good feel for what Skyclad had going on. But when I listened to it through headphones, I can safely say this album rocks like nobody's business!Martin's lyrics have always been associated with a creative type of wordplay (more over than you'd find in a Piers Anthony novel!). His lyrics are somewhat hard to understand unless you're an english scholar or a medieval fanatic. Martin is a very intelligent man with a lot on his mind. Oh, and answering "Abyss'" statement of how he "doesn't know how serious these guys take themselves", well... on Folkemon the lyrics and concept were intended as a joke. From The Wayward Sons Of Mother Earth to Prince Of The Poverty Line, Martin and his band take themselves very seriously! To anyone who started on Folkemon for a Skyclad introduction... I pity you deeply. You need to at least listen to the perfectly crafted Prince Of The Poverty Line before passing any judgment on this band. All in all, a decent album from the clads, but definately not their best by a long shot.
Submitted by Tom (8/4/01):
I walked into Tower Records and saw a limited addition Folkemon with a bonus track "Swords of a Thousand Men." What the hell. I never heard these guys/gal before (the violin player is female and goes by George), but had read that they were a folk-metal band with a unique sound all their own. Several of the Metal Judgment reviewers don't like the English humour. How about the Blue Oyster Cult? They were a thinking man's band. So is Skyclad. The name Skyclad means wearing nothing but the sky (naked). The first track, "The Great Brain Robbery," is actually explaining how the next generation of leaders is being sucked into mindless crap like Pokemon and video games. The whole CD is actually very heavy with many tempo changes and a layer of various leads with a violin going note for note on some songs. For me, the CD was much better and heavier than what I expected, but, if you like the real heavy bands (Immolation or God Dethroned for example), this would be too power metal for your particular taste. This is very similar to Iced Earth or Demons & Wizards in some ways, and I strongly recommend you give it a chance! Also, there was a great article in Metal Maniacs magazine, Issue June, 2001, that has an in-depth interview with Skyclad that will give you a better idea of where this band comes from and where they hope to go musically. Now, put on Folkemon and put you brain cells to work!
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