Artist: Skyclad
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 1/23/01
|
|
Title: Folkémon Artist: Skyclad Label: Nuclear Blast Release Date: 1/23/01 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
|
0 | ||
|
2 | ||
|
4 | ||
|
|
Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
I can’t tell if this album is just one big bad idea, or a whole bunch of small bad ideas put together. This is my first real introduction to this band, so I really don’t know how serious they take themselves, but I’m very scared. The album is based on the popular children’s card game Pokémon, that much is clear, but whether or not these guys are fans of the game or making fun of it is not clear to me.
"The music is laced with one of the most annoying keyboard sounds I’ve ever heard." The music is part power metal, part prog, and is laced with one of the most annoying keyboard sounds I’ve ever heard. Do you know the seemingly generic music that is played by the minstrels of every low budget movie set in medieval times? Well I think these guys wrote most of that stuff. If they didn’t write it themselves, it was a real big influence on them.
While one would have to call this music melodic, none of the melodies are enjoyable. Even in the chanty, anthemic parts, the melodies are just flat. Singing along is the last thing the listener is prone to do. To these guys’ credit, this album is very ambitious. Everything seems to be done on a grand scale, but it reminds me of a big budget movie that just has no substance. This album is the "Waterworld" of the metal community.
Just when I didn’t think I could miss the point any more, I realized what some of the lyrics were saying. “When God Logs-Off” appears to be an existentialist view of religion and the information superhighway. The chorus concludes with “… The truth is we share the same service provider” which I believe is a reference to God, but I may be misinterpreting the symbolism (Lord knows I'm missing something with regard to this album). This is a good reason why you shouldn’t write your lyrics while using strong hallucinogens, when you’re fucked-up you think of many things that you find profound and deep, but when you sober up you realize how dumb they really are. ("Hey, you use AOL too. That’s weird… let’s write a song about it!”)
"This might be my least favorite album of all time." I realize that this band has been around for awhile so they must have a faithful fan base, but this is just way outside the scope of my understanding. Call me closed minded, but this might be my least favorite album of all time.
Death's Review:
Who the heck are these guys, Skyclad? What kind of title is this, Folkémon? Does it have anything to do with Pokémon and Nintendo? Is this, as I read in a German review on the Internet, "Freakachu"? In the liner notes, musicians are introduced under the heading: "The Folkémon trainers are:" These guys from England are truly being very, very silly.
Right from the opening song, "The Great Brain Robbery," Skyclad's sense of lightheartedness and humor comes to the fore alongside quality production, quality musicianship and traditional heavy metal stylings. Yes, this is power metal, but a more traditional, silly kind of power metal. Folk metal. With an electric fiddle featured prominently. The lyrics are actually quite discernable, and this, of course, emphasizes their rather odd flavor. Skyclad is not the type of band that would normally go over well (or at all) commercially here in the U.S., and no matter how many records Korn or Limp Bizkit or even Slayer sell, I'm not sure these shores will ever be ready for Skyclad. Sure, MTV once sponsored a Helloween U.S. tour, but with songs like "Polkageist" with lyrics like "Her rhythym pounced upon me, it trounced me in a trice. That charm she wove above me, gripped me tight as any vice... She is my Polkageist," or a dramatically sung "One sacred fact that we can't download yet; The truth is we all share the same service provider," I doubt Skyclad will be on TRL any time soon.
"This style is soooo not what I'm looking for from my metal. I'm rooting for Skyclad - I just personally don't really like their music." I guess I kinda don't like this record. But it is not for the musicianship, which is excellent. Elements of metal I do like abound (e.g., "Crux of the Message" sounds like "The Needle Lies" by Queensryche), and these guys truly can play and sound good doing it. But the minstrel-esque intro to "The Disenchanted Forset" ("Lain weary on our gathered sheaves we cracked a vat of ale. Poured a toast; Began to boast of who could slurp the hardest."), and the you've just-gotta-be-English-to-get-it "Think Back and Lie of England," are too much for these American ears (although I do remember liking Martin's old band Sabbat, at least what I can remember of it, "back in the day"). Sure, at times the playing is adventurous and proficient enough to justify a greater score than that which I ultimately give it here. Often they display almost classic rock/ prog-rock level talent, and as I mentioned above, the production is stellar. It's just that this style is soooo not what I'm looking for from my metal. I'm rooting for Skyclad - I just personally don't really like their music.
What style exactly is it that I don't like? It's wouldn't necessarily call it power metal, especially when compared to American bands like Nevermore and Iced Earth who are sometimes slapped with the term. No, this is folk-metal with power metal elements. By way of comparison, Metallica's Master of Puppets is waaaaaaay heavier and more "street" than Skyclad and their minstrels and dragons music. So take my review for what it is: the words of an old-school American metalhead so out of place with this music he's wondering how Iron Maiden's most bardic moments became this ridiculous.
In short, Skyclad makes Blind Guardian sound like they've been stripped of their Society for Creative Anachronism cards and have altogether quit playing "Magic, The Gathering" cold turkey. Like sports radio host Jim Rome once said when mocking ESPN2's coverage of the "Magic, the Gathering" finals: "Who are these guys? They remind me of those Jethro Tull -listening dudes with the pubic hair, peach fuzz mustaches in the D&D afterschool club in my eighth grade class." Skyclad are a little too veteran to be mistaken for eighth-graders, but they still don't make any sense to me.
Hel's Review:
I don't think it's important to be familiar with Pokémon in order to be able to appreciate the humor involved in the album title and cover art. The more important part is that you comprehend that it is intended as a joke. Move forward with that idea, and realize that, in a sense, the entire album is intended as a joke. The lyrics and music are chock-full of pop-culture and other, deeper, kinds of culture. They make no secret of their aspirations in the "folk metal" arena.
"Brilliant participation from all involved is made even more enjoyable by crystal-clear production that allows each perfect note to be heard." The absolute truth - the people in Skyclad are amazing musicians, one and all. A perfect example is the long instrumental part of "The Disenchanted Forest" which sounds like Phish meets Dream Theater meets Mr. Bungle. Brilliant participation from all involved is made even more enjoyable by crystal-clear production that allows each perfect note to be heard. The songwriting is excellent. I cannot point out a single flaw in the execution of this album.
A studied listen reveals that Skyclad may just be metal's answer to Monty Python. Consider it, the combination of: 1) cutting-edge ultra-modern ideas and sounds; 2) ancient, time-honored melodies and traditions; and 3) an irreverent sense of humor. And Folkémon equals the sheer silliness of the aforementioned comedy troupe.
Additionally, both Monty Python and Skyclad have that British twist to their humor, and I've never been able to bridge that cultural gap. Even when I shared a house with at British chap (here in America), I found that the things we each found funny were very, very different sometimes. And that's what prevents me from fully enjoying this record in the end. I understand that the phrase "Think Back and Lie of England" pokes some kind of political fun in some way, I just don't get what that is. Damn my cultural myopia!
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.