Cnoc An Tursa is a Scottish so-called pagan metal band. To be honest, I generally think that so-called pagan metal is ridiculous, but every now and then I come across a band within this genre, who proves to me that so-called pagan metal does not have to suck per se. And Cnoc An Tursa is one such band.
Their combination of extreme metal and folk elements is perfectly balanced, and one of their main fortés is that they make virtually no use of folk instrumentation, meaning that the folk melodies are performed on the traditional rock instrumentation. One of my pet peeves when it comes to folk metal is that the rock instrumentation often takes the backseat, simply providing power chords while the folk instruments perform the folk melodies. But not on this album. Cnoc An Tursa let the guitars do the talking. They use keyboards, and some melodies are performed on the keyboards, but they only serve to enhance the music, not to drive it. Cnoc An tursa make considerable us of black metal aesthetics, which goes perfectly together with the Celtic side of their music. In a way, they are alike an extreme metal version of Slough Feg.
In terms of musicianship, the four Scots know their way around their instruments, and their specific approach to so-called pagan metal allows them to actually show that. The only thing I do not really like are the harsh vocals, which are a bit on the metalcore side.
Other than that, The Giants of Auld is a very well put together album, and fans of Primordial in particular should be very likely to dig Cnoc An tursa, too.
Tracklist
1. The Piper O' Dundee
2. The Lion of Scotland
3. Bannockburn
4. Hail Land of My Fathers
5. Ettrick Forest in November
6. The Spellbound Knight
7. In Shadowland
8. Winter a Dirge
9. Culloden Moor
10. Blar na h-Eaglaise Brice
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