Cruachan Thirty Years of Folk Metal – Live Concert Review

I am writing a different kind of review this time. This review will be about my experience of seeing Cruachan for the first time ever. It was a special concert, because Cruachan celebrated 30 years of Folk Metal. Support bands in the evening were Pox Men and Celtachor. There was also a re-enchantment group called Jofur Drengir who brought the music alive.

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I will review each support band in chronological order and discuss if this night truly represented 30 years of Folk Metal.

Pox Men

The first support band directly captured my attention as the drum kit was far different than I have seen at metal concerts. It was a drum kit that is normally used in folklore music. Next to the folklore drum kit, there were other instruments we normally see in folklore music such as the harp and flute. As a consequence the music had a lot of folk music influences. The top on the cherry of this folkish experience was when the singer began to sing in Old Gaelic.

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Besides the music, the band visually resembled traditional folk as each member of the band wore green war paint.

Celtachor

Also, the second support band was quite interesting as they were barefoot and dressed like Vikings. Strengthening the folkish atmosphere even more. Re-enactment group called Jofur Drengir lended a hand here as well by standing in front of the stage making battle sound by clashing their swords on their shield. Musicwise Celtachor was a fresh addition as it had a different musical angle within celtic theme than the first support band and the main act Cruachan. According to me Celtachor was leaning more towards the extreme due to the vocals being mainly unclean.

Jofur
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Cruachan

The main act was nicely introduced by John Ryan on harps. It created a folklore feeling and curiosity which was strengthened by the green lightning.

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The main act was nicely introduced by John Ryan on harps. It created a folklore feeling and curiosity which was strengthened by the green lightning. The 30 years of folklore history itself seemed to be told a bit unchronically. First Cruachan sung a few battle songs that were greatly brought alive by Jofur Drengir. This group was dressed in viking clothing enhancing the folklore experience. They added great sound effects like battle sound by clashing their swords on their shield. As a result, the battles from the songs were so alive. All this was even more enhanced by battles that were carried out by this group.

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Thin Whistle

One of the first persons who joined the stage was Keith’s brother John. This was a great approach as Keith told a bit about the origins of Cruachan. What’s more the thin whistle contributed greatly to the folkish atmosphere making it an atypical concert as well. Comparing Cruachan to other folk metal bands like Orphaned Land it is much calmer. Also, the first association I got from listening to Cruachan is Celts. Actually it makes a lot of sense as Cruachan plays within this genre Celtic metal.

Irish culture

A bit later in the gig I noticed that Cruachan was playing very typical Irish songs. At least they sounded oddly familiar. They reminded me of the music you hear in Carrolls Irish Gifts shop or in very typical Irish pubs or Saints Patrick’s Day. As a consequence, the Cruachan concert felt like a cultural exchange.

Kim Dylla

Kim Dylla was the next person who joined in. She was my favourite guest of the night as she had so much energy and passion to give. She was just jumping around making it tempting to sing and jump around with each song she performed together with Keith. Moreover, she played my favourite Cruachan song which is quite recent as well; Hawthorn. I like the way Kim’s voice contemplates Keith’s voice. Kim has such a distinctive soft voice not overshadowing Keith’s ones, but at the same time her voice stands clearly out when Keith sings.

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Karen Gilligan

The last person who joined the stage was Karen Gilligan. The first singer of Cruachan. It was an interesting twist as she has a different singing style than Kim. Karen’s voice is much harsher lending perfectly for particular songs and making the concert more dynamic.

Afterwards, the concert was closed off by having all guests on stages. I really liked the idea of closing off with everyone on stage and having the first singer join at the end of the stage, however it is a pity that the show was over. I would have loved to have heard Karen’s chapter on Cruachan as she only played two songs on the night.

Crowd

Cruachan was certainly an atypical metal concert. It was much lighter and folkish than all concert I have been to. Also, crowdwise it was a very fresh experience as there were folkish elements. People started gathering in a circle and hopping around, which was my first time experiencing it. Normally, I only see people headbanging during metal concerts.

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In short, Cruachan was a great culture exchange where I got a taste of Irish culture.

Summary

The night was certainly folkish as each band brought the Celtic culture alive in their own way by their appearance and playing music which was heavily influenced by folk influences. The first band Pox Men was a great opener as they had a lot of traditional instruments and sang in Old Gaelic. Celtachor was great too as they combined death metal with celtic influences. Re-enchantment group Jofur Drengir was a great addition to the night due to the fact they brought the music alive by battle sounds and re-enacting the battles of songs.

The main act Cruachan was definitely an embodiment of folk metal as they took the clothing dress code quite seriously. All of the band members were wearing traditionals kilts and shirts giving you a good taste of the Celtic culture. Also from a music perspective the band had so much folklore influences by the different instruments they used: thin whistles, harps, violins and so on. Some songs were even traditional Irish ones. All this offered a quite diverse show and introduction to Celtic music. Keith enhanced this by telling the audience the story of Cruachan throughout the years.

Overall, it was a great show where I got a good taste of Irish heritage, although it was quite a pity Cruachan didn’t finish their set as they were short on time.

MAIr