Discover Irish Folk Metal Music

Discover the best Irish Folk Metal Music bands and find out where you can hear their music.

Celtic Folk Metal

Celtic Folk Metal is a subgenre of Folk Metal that combines traditional Celtic music with heavy metal. Celtic Folk Metal bands often use traditional Celtic instruments such as the tin whistle, the bodhran, and the Celtic harp in addition to electric guitars, bass guitars, and drums. Many Celtic Folk Metal bands also sing in Celtic languages.

Origins

Celtic folk metal is a subgenre of folk metal that developed in Ireland and Scotland. It is a fusion of traditional Celtic music with heavy metal.

The earliest Celtic folk metal bands were Cruachan and Waylander, both of which formed in the 1990s. Cruachan’s debut album, Tuatha Na Gael, was released in 1995 and is considered to be the first Celtic folk metal album. Waylander’s debut album, Reawakening Pride Once Lost, was released in 1996.

Other notable Celtic folk metal bands include Mael Mórdha, Skyclad, Folkearth, Eluveitie, and Heidevolk.

Characteristics

Celtic Folk Metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that developed in the 1990s. It combines elements of Celtic music with heavy metal to create a unique and powerful sound.

The music often includes traditional instruments such as the Irish bouzouki, bodhran, tin whistle, and Irish flute. These are combined with electric guitars, bass, drums, and vocals to create a sound that is at once familiar and exotic.

Celtic Folk Metal often has a very dark and melancholic tone, reflecting the history and mythology of the Celtic people. The lyrics often deal with themes of loss, betrayal, war, and death.

The genre has its roots in the early days of black metal, when bands like Venom and Bathory began incorporating elements of folk music into their sound. In the 1990s, bands like Cruachan and Waylander began to experiment with blending metal and Celtic music, creating a new genre in the process.

Today, Celtic Folk Metal is enjoyed by fans all over the world. If you’re looking for something new and exciting in heavy metal, this is definitely worth checking out!

Irish Folk Metal

Irish Folk Metal music is a unique genre that incorporates traditional Irish music with heavy metal. The result is a loud, fast-paced, and often aggressive sound that is sure to get your adrenaline pumping. If you’re looking for something new to listen to, Irish Folk Metal is definitely worth checking out.

Origins

Irish Folk Metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that combines elements of traditional Irish music with heavy metal. The genre emerged in the early 21st century, with bands such as Skyclad and Cruachan gaining popularity in the metal underground.

Since then, Irish Folk Metal has grown to become one of the most popular genres of metal, with bands such as Mael Mórdha, Cruachan, Mörk Gryning, and Waylander regularly headlining metal festivals all over the world.

Irish Folk Metal is typically characterized by its use of traditional instruments such as the bodhrán, tin whistle, and Celtic harp alongside electric guitars, bass guitars, and drums. The music often has a folk or traditional Irish feel to it, with lyrics that often deal with Celtic mythology or Irish history.

If you’re looking to discover Irish Folk Metal for yourself, check out some of the essential bands and albums listed below.

Characteristics

Irish folk metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music mixed with traditional Irish folk music. It is typically characterized by the use of traditional Irish instruments, such as the bodhrán, fiddle, tin whistle, and uilleann pipes, alongside heavy metal instrumentation. Vocals are usually cleanssung, although growling and shouting are sometimes used. Folk metal bands often take influence from other genres, such as black metal, power metal and symphonic metal.

The earliest known folk metal band is Cruachan from Dublin, Ireland. They formed in 1992 and released their debut album Tuatha Na Gael in 1995. Since then, many other Irish folk metal bands have emerged, such as Mael Mórdha, Waylander and dragged into sunlight. In recent years, the genre has gained popularity outside of Ireland, with bands such as Korpiklaani, Finntroll and Skálmöld hailing from Finland, and Skyclad from England.

If you’re looking to discover this unique genre of music for yourself, check out our list of Irish folk metal bands below.

Notable Irish Folk Metal Bands

Irish folk metal is a genre of heavy metal music that is based on traditional Irish music. The genre typically incorporates Celtic mythology and imagery into the lyrics and instrumentation. Some of the most notable Irish folk metal bands include Cruachan, Mael Mordha, and Waylander.

Cruachan

Cruachan is a Folk Metal band from Dublin, Ireland. The band was formed in 1992 by John Ryan, Keith Fay and Ross Doyle. They were one of the first folk metal bands and their debut album “Tuatha Na Gael” is considered a classic in the genre.

Cruachan is known for their unique sound which combines traditional Celtic music with Heavy Metal. They have been hugely influential in the Irish metal scene and have inspired many other bands.

The band has released 8 studio albums, the most recent being “Blood on the Black Robe” in 2017. They have toured all over the world and are currently working on new material for their next album.

Waylander

Formed in 1992, Waylander is a folk metal band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. The band takes its name from the novel “The Waylander” by David Gemmell. They are one of the earliest and most influential bands in the Irish folk metal scene, and their music blends traditional Celtic melodies with heavy metal styles.

Their debut album “Reawakening Pride Once Lost” was released in 1996, and they have since released five more albums: “Honour Amongst Kings” (1998), “The Light, the Dark and the Endless Knot” (2001), “TrueMetal” (2004), “To Honor Each Warrior No Matter Where He Roams…” (2007) and “Kindred Spirit” (2010).

Mael Mórdha

Mael Mórdha is an Irish folk metal band from Dublin, Ireland. The band was formed in 1996 by brothers ainm and Ciáran MacUiliam, and they have released five studio albums to date. Their music blends traditional Irish instruments with heavy metal, and they are considered to be one of the pioneers of the folk metal genre.

Why Irish Folk Metal is Awesome

Irish Folk Metal is a subgenre of metal music that combines traditional Irish music with heavy metal. It is a relatively new genre, having only emerged in the early 21st century. Irish Folk Metal is characterized by its use of traditional Irish instruments, such as the tin whistle, fiddle, and bodhrán, as well as metal elements, such as distorted guitars and growling vocals. The result is a unique and powerful sound that is sure to get your head banging!

The Melting Pot of Genres

Irish Folk Metal is a subgenre of metal that combines the traditional music of Ireland with heavy metal. It’s a relatively new genre, but it’s already gained a strong following among metalheads and traditionalists alike.

One of the things that makes Irish Folk Metal so great is the way it blends together different genres. When you listen to Irish Folk Metal, you can hear elements of Celtic music, folk music, metal, and even rock. This melting pot of genres makes for an incredibly rich and textured sound that is unlike anything else out there.

Another thing that makes Irish Folk Metal so great is the passion and energy that goes into it. This is a genre that is deeply rooted in emotion and culture, and you can hear that in every note. There is an intensity to Irish Folk Metal that will leave you breathless and wanting more.

If you’re looking for something new and exciting to check out, look no further than Irish Folk Metal. You won’t be disappointed.

The Unique Sound

Irish Folk Metal is a particularly unique and interesting subgenre of metal, fusing traditional Celtic music with metal to create a sound that is at once both familiar and foreign. The results are often incredibly catchy and quite beautiful, as the two seemingly disparate genres compliment each other surprisingly well.

Due to the nature of the music, Irish Folk Metal often features prominent acoustic guitars, mandolins, tin whistles, and various other traditional Celtic instruments. This gives the music a very distinctive sound, and helps to set it apart from other subgenres of metal. In addition, many Irish Folk Metal bands make use of male and female vocalists in order to further differentiate themselves from their metal counterparts.

All in all, Irish Folk Metal is ametal subgenre that is definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of either Celtic music or metal. The fusion of the two genres creates a sound that is unlike anything else out there, and is sure to please fans of both.