Falconer-Armod

Metal Blade
2011

Falconer have been trotting down the folk metal road for some years, but they opted to go a slightly different path for their latest release. The bulk of Armod leans much further towards a folk sound and the metal parts serve more to fill in some gaps. Also the lyrics are sung entirely in Swedish this time around. The band sounds comfortable with this sound, but fans may not adjust quite so easily. I found the change different of course, but warmed to it after a while. Folk metal isn't always my thing, but Falconer have been one of the bands playing that style that I have always liked. The approach this time around may take some getting used and it did for me. Still there's always been a sincerity in Falconer's music that leads me to know that they love doing this style. This album is no exception and in fact it's extremely tight despite the mixture of styles. Falconer always excel at showing emotions with their songs and that easily comes across in tracks like So be forewarned that the folk passages are more prominent this time. Falconer not only make it work they make it sound good. I can't say I would listen to this every day, but a strong album none the less.