Band: Teshaleh
Album: Born of Fire
Release Date: 1st February 2019
I asked the good folk at The Folk Metal Grove for some upcoming and recent releases, particularly for the smaller bands out there who tend not to get as much coverage, and one of the members of Teshaleh commented on the post and they very kindly sent me their album covers and tracks in advance of the EP release in February.
The albums starts of really well with Ancient Brotherhood. There are strings and drums, bringing a sinister atmosphere to the listener. It reminds me of a film or game where danger is imminent. It feels like the beginning of something big. There is male spoken word over the start of the track to set the scene. When the music kicks in with the metal instruments, there is a Middle Eastern/Oriental theme to the instrumental. There are female vocals throughout, and for me on this track the vocals at times can be a little off-key.
In Taberna has a more European style to its folk element with pipes, flutes and drums. The verses are faster paced while the interludes between vocals are much calmer and the folk instruments come more into the foreground again. The instrumentals overall are catchy and there are group vocals and catchy bass lines throughout.
The title track, Born of Fire, is an instrumental track, and has a sinister beginning, once again with Middle Eastern style guitars. Pipes come into the mix again. Totentanz brings back the more European and celtic themes back. The track is a much slower paced and there is a swaying rhythm to the track. The EP ends with Nowhere Near Enough. I can hear some Ensiferum in the guitar, and it sounds like a more traditional tavern style folk metal track with pipes and flutes. It’s a good singalong track with the obligatory “hey!”‘s.
Each track individually sounds great, but together I feel like the tracks don’t quite gel together. The instrumentals are really great, but I just feel like the EP doesn’t flow as a full entity. I would like to see either the Middle Eastern style or the European style on a future full-length release. The first track gave the EP promise that it would be some kind of story throughout, but I don’t get that impression. I think my favourite track from the album is Nowhere Near Enough. I have given a verdict of 7/10 because despite the fact the album doesn’t really flow well for me personally, the actual composition of the individual tracks is really good. If a future full-length release is in the works, I would like to see some more consistent themes in the instrumentals.
Verdict: 7/10
Pre-order and buy Teshaleh music: https://teshaleh.com/store
Teshaleh website: https://teshaleh.com/
Follow Teshaleh on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teshalehband/
Ostara Metal 