Any sort of fantasy world has always left me no less than enamored by the larger-than-life events that are just the sort of thing that are true products of imagination. Folk metal has always been a great embodiment of that, and it’s been far too long since I heard a very solid release from the style so I figured it’s about time to dive back in. After sifting through many delicious pieces, it’s Knighthood that gripped me the most with their new EP that shows us but a thin layer of how complex folk metal can be.

Granted, I’ve heard some incredibly multi-faceted folk metal that gives us much more than what we ever could’ve expected from the genre in the form of grand acts like Whispered. But there’s nothing wrong whatsoever with a simpler approach while still keeping true to the glorious spirit of folk metal, and that’s where acts like Knighthood come in. “To the Road” has but four tracks to call its own, but there’s no denying that what Knighthood has gathered for this quick EP that their blend of melo-death and folk into one powerful concoction that knows exactly where to hit. The element of melody is especially powerful in this mixture right alongside the use of instruments that represent one of the core pillars of folk metal itself wondrously. This group from Chile does something that plenty of bands from elsewhere in the world couldn’t even lay a finger on, and it shows that these guys truly knew what they were doing from top to bottom for “To the Road” to hit as hard as it does.

From the excellence of the accordion to the unrelenting battle cries that are the vocals to the brilliant formation of it all, Knighthood shows us more potential in the style than so many other acts just like them. If “To the Road” is just a preview of what this group is capable of, I’m more than ecstatic to see what else these warriors can muster up next.

LISTEN to “To the Road” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Knighthood on Facebook here.