Band: Forgotten North
Album: Kinder Des Zorns
Release Date: 4th October 2019
Record Label: Che!Records
First of all, I have to send a big apology to Forgotten North, and in particular Nils, who kindly sent me a physical copy of Kinder Des Zorns way before the official release date. Unfortunately due to life getting in the way with lots of other things going on, I have only just been able to give this a listen. So finally, here is my review of Forgotten North’s Kinder Des Zorns.
I first heard of Forgotten North when they were announced for Wacken Winter Nights III (Part 1 and Part 2 of my review of the festival). I was one of the lucky few who managed to get into the room they were playing on the Thursday night. I didn’t see the full set, but that room was unbelievably crowded and warm, and so I unfortunately had to bail out early. I was looking forward to hearing more material from the band though, and I am very grateful to them for providing me with a physical copy for free.
I have reliably informed that “Kinder Des Zorns” translates to “Children of Wrath”, and I will do my best to translate the other song titles for non-German speakers (myself included). The album starts off with a full track, Am Leben (Alive), which bucks the current trend of an epic/foreboding “intro track”. There is flute and acoustic guitar/lute, not unlike something you’d hear in a Skyrim tavern, and when the full band kicks in, you get a nice catchy, bouncey tune. Feuervogel (Firebird) has a singalong of “La!”‘s that someone of any language can join in with, and although the song has a slower pace, it still has a nice lilt to it with some bounce.
The title track, Kinder Des Zorns, has a choir in the intro of the track, and although the verses are fairly slow paced, the instrumentals and choruses are dancey. Wir trinken nie (We never drink) has a heavier flute presence and has a faster pace. The instrumentals build up from drums, bass, and a vocal echo, and this is another track which would be great for audience participation.
Macht und Intrigen (Power and Intrigue) has a more acoustic feel, with lute and flute taking over the melody, and plenty of “woah!”‘s. Personally, this song is a little too long for me, but I know that there are a lot of fans of longer, more gentle tracks. Walhalla begins with drums and a low vocal chant. The flutes come in over the top and the instrumental builds. There is a little more harshness in the guitar, but the track is very dancey and the chorus is very energetic. If I spoke German, then I would be definitely be having a singalong to this one!
Another track with a good and happy jig, Das Spiel (The Game). It’s catchy and jolly. The first single from the album, and with a music video, Kalt (Cold), has a Witcher-esque feeling to the traditional instruments. The track is another catchy one with some “La!”‘s for everyone to singalong to. A 90’s guitar sound brings Krieger (Warrior), mixed with traditional instruments. It’s a slower paced and more gentle track, but with a powerful chorus.
Licht der Zeit (Light of the Time, where Google Translate might take this too literally), has a low vocal and drum intro, with the lute complementing with a higher pitch. From this quiet introduction, there is a happy, jiggy instrumental, and yet another singalong. 1000 Jahre (1000 Years) is the happiest, folkiest, jiggiest track on the album. I can imagine a nice, big jig pit to this live.
Finally, Lass mich dein Leben sein (Let Me Be Your Life) starts with a familiar drum, low vocal, and flute combo. It’s a much slower paced track compared to 1000 Jahre, but it’s still jolly and bouncey, especially in the chorus. There is also a female vocal in the track, which we haven’t heard before.
Forgotten North are a band which is part of a new genre which I really discovered when researching and attending Wacken Winter Nights this year. Mittelater rock/metal is very much a German based genre, and something that I enjoy when I’m looking for something a bit lighter than the usual folk metal I listen to. It’s good, easy listening and is also great for the cold autumnal nights which are coming in now. For Kinder Des Zorns, for the most part I really enjoyed it. There are a couple of tracks, most notably Macht und Intrigen, are not quite my cup of tea, but this is most definitely personal preference and not any criticism of the band. I just prefer my happy, jiggy folk rock/metal rather than anything slower. Forgotten North are definitely a band that would appeal to a lot of different people, and I would highly recommend to anyone interested in folk metal, or German music in general.
Verdict: 8/10
Buy Forgotten North music and merch: Contact the band through Facebook
Listen to Forgotten North on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2vyqJPeS6vTNROJfWtcX2E
Follow Forgotten North on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forgottennorth/
Ostara Metal 