Gothtober-1476 : "In Exile"

 I went into this album expecting neo-folk, but it lashes with a more tormented punk energy. What happens on this album is dark enough to belong here, though they do not decorate anything for Halloween with that sort of imagery. They get blasty at the peak of their dynamic outbursts but retain a rambling Cult of Youth rowdiness. There are a great deal of sonic textures and vocal colors to this. At times it draws from metal at the more powerful end of their aggressive outbursts. Not unlike Final Gasp, they blend an array of genres, thought at their core it feels like these guys are punk band. The band themselves call this "wayward occult rock". The second song suggests that my inclination to think of these guys as a punk band was correct. 

There is a return to a more dynamic ebb and flow as the album progresses. The folky strum of guitars is juxtaposed by the more punk snarl of the vocals. "Jade Fire a Paragon" has a more flowing folk feel that builds into rock power chords. I can hear New Model Army influence in their sound. They move in the direction of bardic folk from the middle ages then swing into more frolicking punk. This is allowed to build into a more furious storm that rages before dropping back down, which is an excellent display of dynamic songwriting. They are not afraid of the atmosphere but prefer to keep things moving. "May Mountains Never Fall" is a good example of the balance they reach with this.  The more melodic moments like "Where Kings Fall" further New Model Army comparisons. As a big New Model Army fan I am fine with this since they are not very active these days. 

The powerful juxtaposition of melody and thundering power is found again on "A Queen in Exile" .  The broad range covered on the album makes it a unique listen as they can drop the more aggressive tones to just bask in the folk moments. This makes it when they do rock out in a straight forward manner for other songs bear more impact. "Where Are You?" is a more flowing delicate groove into seaside vistas. I will round this album up to a 10 despite not hiding their influences as cleverly as they think they are, the execution, passion, and way the sonic choices are woven together serve pretty stellar songwriting. 

We the Heathens: "Regicide"

For practical purposes this is a folk - punk album. The album gets off to a dark start with a sample creating a narration about bombs with strings slowly building underneath it. This trio is primarily comprised of guitar, mandolin and cello. They make the most of the dynamics at their disposal almost making you forget there are no vocals. On the second song when the rough croaking vocals come in and are doubled up with  crusty growls  to create a more confrontational sound. The vocals begin to  make me wonder if  they are going to have is keeping my attention for the duration of this album. The more upbeat "To Live in Hell" might even appeal to fans of Gogol Bordello. The lead vocals begin to sound like Popeye by the time we get to the fourth song.If Dashboard Confessional was really a squatter and alcoholic maybe that project would sound more like "Laundry Day".

This album is much more melodic  than most folk punk, though not as ambitious as say Cult of Youth. "33 Shots" sounds like a drinking song ,where "When it's Gone" has an almost Blink 182 pop punk satire to it. The lyrics pretty much make that song and prove they can sing when they want to. "Radio" hangs on this more pop punk sound. Which as silly as it is , these guys do really well. There is a darker folk sound on "Wolves II" . The harsher screamed vocals sound a little out of place here. The song is one of there more well written . There is an almost country feel to "Plastic Vanity" , but the darker "Cessation of the Sovereign" which almost tries to go in more of a metal direction , running at eight and a half minutes, most folk metal bands don't have anything to worry about here.

A curious creature, these guys are skilled at their instruments despite some of the clowning around. The fact the vocals got on my nerves at one point, means this will not make it to the ole iPod, but I will give this album a 7, as the musicianship is there and the song writing isn't too shabby either. If you like neo-folk and punk, well here is the Reeses cup for you.