The mystical realm of folk metal has always been something that has intrigued me, yet very few bands can properly capture its spirit in ways that can truly hypnotize me. There are a good number of bands that never cease to impress and Elvenking is definitely one of them, and their new album was definitely something that I knew was going to be a must stop for any fan of folk metal, and immediately I knew I was right.

A lot of moving parts can be required in order to fully realize the true spirit that inhabits folk metal be it a normal set of instruments with dual violins on top (see Isenmor for that tastiness) or a fucking menagerie of instruments coming together to create something that expansive, epic, and entrancing all at once. Elvenking has been doing the latter for years now, and it’d be easy to simply tell you that they’ve mastered it, but it’s better to merely point you in the direction of their latest opus, “Secrets of the Magick Grimoire”. This brand new album has got the makings of a true folk metal classic mainly because it combines everything that everyone loves about folk metal and jam packs it into an epic album that stretches over an hour long. We’re treated to soaring melodies, delicious riffs carefully crafted to compliment amazing orchestral work that’s all but top notch, a beautiful flow that persists throughout the entire piece, and a mysticism that can’t be beat as Elvenking truly takes you to worlds of fantasy with “Secrets of the Magick Grimoire”. Not many bands can do this one time, but something about Elvenking has enabled them to do it for years and years, album after album, and this group has yet to dull. “Secrets of the Magick Grimoire” is the very epitome of modern folk metal and easily the best piece of the genre that I’ve heard for a good long while.

Elvenking has always been synonymous with folk metal royalty, and this album only further cements that as this band only further proves that they’re still the real fucking deal from start to finish. “Secrets f the Magick Grimoire” is an absolute treat of an album, and anyone who dares to miss out on this record is daring to miss out on an epic journey of titanic proportions.

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