Windfaerer – Tribus (2010)

After their killer 2009 demo “Glorybound”, today we have Windfaerer and their dominating Pagan/Folk Metal sound. Windfaerer is probably the USA’s most credible (and good) act of these genres, and with “Tribus” they should get the spotlight needed to make some noise in the international scene.

Featuring around 42 minutes of catchy guitar riffs, powerful drumming, and intense violin action, the band greatly improves on their sound since their “Glorybound” demo. While you can not avoid the typical pitfalls of the genre, “Tribus” is fresh enough to keep the listener engaged and waiting for what’s next, something that plenty of Pagan/Folk Metal releases fail miserably at.

With Mikheil Gonçalves in charge of vocals and guitars, this three-man band has a strong core, since most of the band’s sound comes from the hectic guitar riffing and powerful vocals. While there is enough variation in terms of riffs and song structures, you can’t avoid sounding repetitive after 30 minutes of music, but Windfaerer brings extra elements into the mix (violin’s and bagpipes) to keep things somewhat fresh for the duration of this album.

One of the things that we enjoyed the most about “Tribus” is that while there is a certain melodic aspect to it, there is no abuse of keyboards and other elements to ‘fluff’ the band’s sound. Instead, the band’s sound is very aggressive and the extra elements just appear certain sections to harmonize things, like on “Viriato” and “In the Wake of War”.

As the album neared its conclusion, we thought we would escape one Pagan/Folk Metal release without hearing bagpipes, until “This Beautiful Death” sneaked on us featuring ex-Eluveitie member Sevan Kirder. While we don’t have anything against bagpipes, this song seemed like a cliché element to include, but at least is very enjoyable.

In general, Windfaerer has a sound that while now it’s good; it still needs a bit of work to be 100% amazing. The band is on the right path to making a name for them and with “Tribus” they are one step closer. But at times with songs like “The Invader”, you will be wondering what direction they are really taking. If you like a fan of Pagan/Folk Metal, Windfaerer is a band to watch for in the future.

Release: November 1st, 2010

Country: USA