Scythia - Of exile 3/5
Reviewed: 1-1-12
Tracklist:
1. Prelude
2. Spirit of the quest
3. Sleeping village
4. Forgotten forest
5. Fallen king
6. Voice of the sword
7. For the king
8. The fortress
9. Dies irae ll
10. Hobarth's inn
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Scythia is a band from Canada whose main style is folk metal, but they incorporate elements of power metal, symphonic metal and also progressive metal. As with most folk metal bands, many classical instruments are used, but not one particular instrument is dominating, so the music doesn't become monotonous. The band also contains a variety of vocal styles, which will be interesting for some of you, but possibly a bit unsettling for others. For overall comparisons, think of Elvenking, Korpiklaani, Eluveitie, Alestorm, Tengwar, Beer Bear, Lothloryen and surely many others, though I want to mention that Scythia doesn't sound exactly like one particular band, as they do have their own identity.
The band released their debut 'Of war' in 2010, so 'Of exile' being released in 2011 is just one year later, and there isn't much of an overall difference between them regarding style or quality, except that a violin is used a lot on 'Of war'. There are a handful of songs off of each CD that I really enjoy, but there are also some songs that are just okay and won't greatly impress extra-big fans of folk metal. One of the best songs on 'Of exile' is track 7 "For the king", as it has a nice melody and a very good chorus. Thankfully, none of the songs sound too much like each other, there's a solid balance of tempo overall, and for the most part I do think the band mixes things up well - both musically and vocally.
In the end, while this band won't shock the metal world, they're good enough to be competitive in the folk metal genre and both of their CDs could be worthwhile purchases for fans of the genre.
CLINT
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