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Album Review – Il Confine – Folkstone
When I first moved out to Italy, naturally, one of the first things I wanted to do was check out some Italian metal. The Italian language has very poetic and flowing attributes to it; that mixed with Italy’s deep history in music (both classical and modern, especially the Progressive Rock scene during the 70′s) and culture I was sure I would find some really original homegrown metal music right off the bat. Unfortunately, while I did find some great Italian metal bands, none of the ones that really connected with me sung in the Italian language (with the exception of Rhapsody who have a handful of songs in Italian), which is what I was really looking for. Fast-forward a little bit of time to when I discovered Folk Metal and went nuts with how awesome this sub-genre is. During this time I came across a band from Bergamo, Italy. Folkstone immediately rocked my socks off with their Medieval, Celtic sound filled with rocking guitars, energetic drumming, furious bass playing, and commanding and understandable singing (which was great for me as I was learning Italian at the time, and still am) all tied together with copious amounts of live bagpipes and a harp player bringing beauty to the music. Their album Damnati ad Metalla (Damned to Metal) became one of the most played albums in my music library and now I have my hands on their new album Il Confine (The Confine/The Border) and I’m happy to tell you that this one will also become one of my most played albums.
Get Medieval with Folkstone
With their 3rd full length album Il Confine (The Confine/The Border) set to be released on the 16th of March, 2012, Italian Medieval Folk Metal band Folkstone have started things off with a kick ass video for the lead single “Nebbie” (“Mists”). Along with some rocking metal riffing and rhythms the Folkstone guys (and gals 
) step things up by adding live bagpipes and a heavy metal harp. Their previous albums were completely awesome (and helped me learn Italian a bit) and I expect nothing less from the new one.
One thing I do have to say is that one thing I really appreciate about this band past the great Folk Metal is that they sing in their native tongue (and sometimes in their dialect). Something I wish more Italian and other non-English speaking bands did a lot more often. It opens the metal realm up so much more and makes the metal voice a lot more widespread. Anyways, check out the video and the awesome song “Omnia Fert Aetasand” (“Time Bears All Things Away” in Latin). And when the album hits shelves, check that out too! Enjoy!! Peace Love and Metal!!
