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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1270
PostPosted: Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:28 pm 
 

Hit me up with any neofolk, dark folk, or the like. While I'm obviously making this thread so I can get my own suggestions, feel free to share what you're looking for in these genres, or post what you've enjoyed. This can be a free-for-all kind of thing like those pinned "help threads", since lots of metalheads seem to enjoy neofolk and dark folk.

For me in particular, I like the soft instrumental stuff. Bare bones, just guitar and other string instruments. I also really enjoy instruments like violin and cello. If there is singing, I'd prefer if the singer has a gentler voice. Something like John Haughm's singing in Agalloch.

Here are some album I've found and enjoyed:

Ulvesang - (self-titled)
Spoiler: show


Thurnin - Menhir
Spoiler: show


Vali - Skogslandskap
https://vali.bandcamp.com/album/skogslandskap

I'd also recommend searching through the YouTube channel linked below, called In The Woods. The channel has an infinite supply of beautiful albums, all instrumental as far as I can tell.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV-RyRTJZym-lksT9VG8E-g


Last edited by EvergreenSherbert on Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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balbulus
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:01 pm
Posts: 1177
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2021 4:07 am 
 

There's already a Neofolk & Martial thread, hasn't been used for a couple of years though:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=92867
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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1270
PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:57 am 
 

I saw that thread after I posted, but I wasn't sure whether it was really the same thing I was looking for. The music I'm talking about is more in the dark folk area, so no industrial or punk elements. That thread seems to be directed towards the opposite. But I'll go ahead and bump the thread anyway, maybe I'll still get what I'm looking for.

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ZenoMarx
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:38 am
Posts: 852
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:46 am 
 

Waldteufel - Heimliches Deutschland
Northman - watch for this name.
Wolfsblood - Twilight of the World - closest thing to Waldteufel I've heard, but is NOT the same - incredible album.
In Gowan Ring - The Glinting Spade - Simon & Garfunkel influence never hurt anyone.
Foresta Di Ferro
Forseti - all.
Belborn - all.
Pantaleimon – Trees Hold Time - gorgeous, patient strings - beautifully recorded as well. There are a couple of measures from John Cale's Music for the Films of Andy Warhol "BJ, 12 String Guitar" that had to be the building blocks for Pantaleimon's Trees Hold Time "Thomas's House in Quiet Contemplation".
Endura - Elder Signs - known more as dark ambient, but they have some high quality folk elements here and there.
Wolfskin/Karnnos - beautiful music - also better known for dark ambient, but nice acoustics are a part of it.
Changes - Fire of Life - older than most of the people in the genre, but has to be named in conversations like this.
Death in June - Rose Clouds, But What Ends, and Something is Coming - DUHR.
Modryn - Dark Matters - another oldie but goodie.
Solanaceae - s/t 2009
Of the Wand and the Moon - The Lone Descent 2011
Fire + Ice - Birdking 2000
Aarowwood/Novemthree split last night. Novemthree's "To Breathe in the Trees" is one of the catchiest and beautiful folk songs in quite a while.
Arrowwood - Beautiful Grave 2013
Arnica - Viejo Mundo 2009
Horse Cult - Day Dreams & Night Mares
Sangre de Muerdago - all.
Andrew King


Can't talk about this stuff without mentioning the GREAT Infernal Proteus 4CD comp. Nearly flawless.

Tom Recchion - Sweetly Doing Nothing CD (2006) - "The Elephant God" track is a really beautiful drone piece that is rooted inbetween a sitar and a neo-folk melody. Every time I play it, I have to double-check to make sure I didn't load Novemthree, or some other neo-folk act, in the player. This guy does amazing work in general, though.

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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1270
PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:51 am 
 

Thank you, that's quite a lot.
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LithoJazzoSphere
Veteran

Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:11 pm
Posts: 3576
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:35 pm 
 

EvergreenSherbert wrote:
For me in particular, I like the soft instrumental stuff. Bare bones, just guitar and other string instruments. I also really enjoy instruments like violin and cello. If there is singing, I'd prefer if the singer has a gentler voice. Something like John Haughm's singing in Agalloch...The music I'm talking about is more in the dark folk area, so no industrial or punk elements.


I think I know what you mean. "Neofolk" is almost a misnomer, it often has an abrasive or weird edge to it, being connected to the industrial scene, it's generally not especially relaxing. I don't know if this is quite what you're looking for, and it's hard to find full albums of this sort of thing, but have you explored the acoustic ballads of melodeath bands? Here's a few examples:

Amorphis - "My Kantele Reprise"
Arch Enemy - "Marching On a Dead End Road"
At The Gates - "Into the Dead Sky"
Dark Tranquillity - "The Mind's Eye"
Dimension Zero - "Everlasting Neverness"
Eventide - "Vargavidderna"
In Flames - "Everlost Pt. 2"
Into Eternity - "Buried In Oblivion"
Nightrage - "The Howls of the Wolves"
Noumena - "Sundown"

Or other metal-adjacent melancholic folky stuff:

Dark Lunacy - "Lacryma"
Death - "Voice of the Soul"
Evergrey - "Madness Caught Another Victim"
Green Carnation - the album The Acoustic Verses, "The Burden Is Mine...Alone" for a sample
Kingfisher Sky - "Big Fish"
Nightingale - "Alonely"
Opeth - "Still Day Beneath the Sun"
Shadows Fall - "Risen"

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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1270
PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:35 am 
 

LithoJazzoSphere wrote:
I think I know what you mean. "Neofolk" is almost a misnomer, it often has an abrasive or weird edge to it, being connected to the industrial scene, it's generally not especially relaxing. I don't know if this is quite what you're looking for, and it's hard to find full albums of this sort of thing, but have you explored the acoustic ballads of melodeath bands? Here's a few examples:

Amorphis - "My Kantele Reprise"
Arch Enemy - "Marching On a Dead End Road"
At The Gates - "Into the Dead Sky"
Dark Tranquillity - "The Mind's Eye"
Dimension Zero - "Everlasting Neverness"
Eventide - "Vargavidderna"
In Flames - "Everlost Pt. 2"
Into Eternity - "Buried In Oblivion"
Nightrage - "The Howls of the Wolves"
Noumena - "Sundown"

Or other metal-adjacent melancholic folky stuff:

Dark Lunacy - "Lacryma"
Death - "Voice of the Soul"
Evergrey - "Madness Caught Another Victim"
Green Carnation - the album The Acoustic Verses, "The Burden Is Mine...Alone" for a sample
Kingfisher Sky - "Big Fish"
Nightingale - "Alonely"
Opeth - "Still Day Beneath the Sun"
Shadows Fall - "Risen"

I'll definitely try all of these songs. I've probably already heard the Opeth one, cause I've listened to their entire discography.

Also, I wouldn't really say it's "hard to find full albums of this sort of thing", it seems like you just have to look into neofolk's dark-folk sub genre. All of the neofolk albums I've found (and linked/embedded in OP) have been dark folk, so just the bare bones stuff like I was talking about. I think I'll actually edit the title to just "Dark folk suggestions", to avoid any confusion.
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LithoJazzoSphere
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Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:11 pm
Posts: 3576
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:47 am 
 

The albums I've heard that get labeled as "dark folk" tend to have a somewhat different vibe than the songs I've mentioned, which is why I added a "your mileage may vary" type caveat, and they're even further away from typical neofolk that I've listened to, but you seemed to want to get away from that anyway. I just mean that the songs I've listed typically are one or two per album, or frequently other similar passages are intros, outros, or breaks in longer songs, it's unusual to find a whole album of a melodeath band playing these (though I wish they would).

A few metal bands have released unplugged-style albums, but the tenor is often slightly different, like with Opeth's Damnation or Katatonia's Sanctitude or Dethroned & Uncrowned, though those might be worth looking into as well, and presumably you've already heard the former. It's unlikely you've heard "Still Day Beneath the Sun" from Opeth unless you had the special edition of Blackwater Park. "Patterns in the Ivy Pt. II" is also on the SE version and equally excellent.

And curiously enough, the album I'm listening to right now that just came out has a couple tracks that might be of interest potentially. Check out Lethian Dreams' "What If the Winds", "Wandering" and "All Seems Far". Normally they have a more electric ethereal wave/doom atmosphere, but those tracks were more acoustic-driven.

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TikrasTamsusNaktis
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2010 3:21 pm
Posts: 181
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 12:06 am 
 

Novemthree. Definitely dark folk of the more relaxing vein. Similar to Sangre de Muerdago but a little less complex, especially worthwhile are the more primitive early releases imo.

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Ill-Starred Son
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:10 pm
Posts: 1420
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 5:01 pm 
 

Even though it's Acid folk and from the 70s, you'll probably like Comus-The First Utterance.

Incredibly dark lyrics, very twisted.

They were considered the heaviest all acoustic band of all time too. Nothing electronic about them except some occasional bass and they were a big influence to many bands, amongst them being Opeth.

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pbarb
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue May 12, 2009 6:46 pm
Posts: 372
Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2021 2:40 pm 
 

Check out October Falls early material, particularly Marras if you haven’t already

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Solar Sadism
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2018 6:33 pm
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 5:41 pm 
 

I suggest delving into the lines of early Current 93/Death in June, and Sol Invictus for gloomy, melancholic melodies with amazingly dark folk soundscapes. If you like those, listen to Of The Wand And The Moon, and check out the For Whom the Moon a Nightsong Songs compilation.

Also, check out Lonndom, Saiva, LIK, and Ehlder for similarly melancholic folk with a subtle black metal tinge, but way more nature-centric and less militaristic.

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Prairieshadow
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:01 am
Posts: 464
PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2022 3:53 am 
 

Perhaps something like this?

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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1270
PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 11:20 am 
 

Prairieshadow wrote:
Perhaps something like this?

I love it
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I don't feel anything except melancholy or rage most of the time.

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MJS71
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun May 24, 2015 10:39 pm
Posts: 65
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:45 pm 
 

No one has mentioned Wolcensmen yet? That is my personal favorite.

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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1270
PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:52 pm 
 

MJS71 wrote:
No one has mentioned Wolcensmen yet? That is my personal favorite.

Just skimmed some songs, that sounds great too
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Prairieshadow
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:01 am
Posts: 464
PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:45 am 
 

I haven't had a chance to go through this yet, but I imagine there's some worthwhile artists to find in here.

https://atseacompilations.bandcamp.com/ ... wflakes-ix

Also I don't know if it's been mentioned but Musk Ox is worth checking out. (They have a song on that comp)

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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1270
PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 1:21 am 
 

Prairieshadow wrote:
I haven't had a chance to go through this yet, but I imagine there's some worthwhile artists to find in here.

https://atseacompilations.bandcamp.com/ ... wflakes-ix

Also I don't know if it's been mentioned but Musk Ox is worth checking out. (They have a song on that comp)

I'll have to listen to that, a long dark folk compilation album sounds enticing.

I've also seen Musk Ox before on Spotify, but I haven't listened to it before.
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LongHairIsSoFuckingCool wrote:
I don't feel anything except melancholy or rage most of the time.

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Prairieshadow
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:01 am
Posts: 464
PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 4:16 am 
 

EvergreenSherbert wrote:
Prairieshadow wrote:
I haven't had a chance to go through this yet, but I imagine there's some worthwhile artists to find in here.

https://atseacompilations.bandcamp.com/ ... wflakes-ix

Also I don't know if it's been mentioned but Musk Ox is worth checking out. (They have a song on that comp)

I'll have to listen to that, a long dark folk compilation album sounds enticing.

I've also seen Musk Ox before on Spotify, but I haven't listened to it before.

Nathanaël Larochette, of Musk Ox, wrote the acoustic interludes on The Serpent and the Sphere. Their albums though are not as minimal as those were, featuring additional instrumentation, though no vocals.

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