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ALBUM REVIEW
- Saltatio Mortis - Wer Wind Saet
- Napalm Records
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- Germany’s Saltatio Mortis have
been pushing their own particular brand of epic folk metal for a whole decade now, giving
creating life to six previous full-length releases. Their membership is populous enough
that they could nearly field a team in a number of professional sports, should the urge
take them, and their continental fanbase is such that a full-scale invasion and settlement
of a medium-sized nation is a distinct possibility. It’s probably a bonus, then, that
these are fairly peaceable lads, and that any attempt at global domination would be armed
with flute, fiddle, shalm and bagpipe.
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- “Wer
Wind Saet” is their seventh album, and given that they’ve had so much time
to hone their skills, and a relatively high number of previous outings, it won’t be a
surprise if I report that it’s an ambitious, assured and professional release.
Saltatio Mortis haven’t changed their spots – their ‘medieval’ flavour
is still intact thanks to a focus on traditional instruments, particularly the bagpipes,
which make for some particularly catchy moments – rather the genre in which they have
always revelled has exploded in popularity, and they have cleverly shifted to a polished,
accessible mode that takes account of trends without feeling the need to bow down before
them.
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- Opener “Ebenbild” gives a good taster of
what’s to come, with its Celtic pipes, poppy guitar and impassioned, clean,
German-language vocal. Indeed, most of the drama on “Wer
Wind Saet” is expressed by frontman Alea, whose pleasingly epic tones have an
excellent warmth to them, especially on chirpy, triumphant songs such as “Vergessene Gotter” and the title track.
The focus on this element, as well as the fun-filled bagpipes, is occasionally to the
detriment of the guitar, which occasionally sounds a little gutless in comparison, and so
those who like their folk metal a little harder (Arkona or Tyr fans for example) will be
turned off, but Saltatio Mortis still deserve praise for the variety of tones they extract
from their instruments, with the wordy, medieval “La
Jument De Michao” and the heartfelt “Träumen
Gebaut” providing stand-out moments.
- Saltatio Mortis already have a
formidable following, but their appeal shouldn’t be restricted to their own homeland;
there’s a touching authenticity to their latest compositions, and although lacking
the force of some of their contemporaries, their different approach lacks neither momentum
nor dynamism. For those looking for a new flavour of folky kick, this could be a winner.
- 72/100
- Ellen Simpson
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- www.myspace.com/mittelalterpunk
- www.saltatio-mortis.com
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