Review Summary: Hymns to the holy matrimony of colonial America.
America was once a beautiful blank canvas. All such previous shackles that binded you were relinquished upon arrival on the stony shores of Massachusetts. This country, whatever you may think of its present state, was once a beacon of light in a rather dismal, oppressive Europe. People have seemed to lose sight of what America Embodies, or at a time did. Not Wilderun. Galloping riffs, dazzling solos, snarls enamored with the vibrancy and undying hope of a new found land, and a sense of passion and drive remind me, and hopefully others, of how many people went tooth and nail to build the foundations of such a country.
Folk metal has been reserved strictly for the Europeans for seemingly too long. Don't get me wrong, bands like Eluveitie, Saor, Equilibrium, what have you, are amazing. However it's state was, and still is, rather pigeonholed. Enter Wilderun-a band who's vision is almost as burgeoning as their sound. This album is a manifestation of pure patriotic America. With a slew of mandolins, auto-harps and hammered dulcimers peacefully accompanying breathtaking guitar riffs and shreds, this album balances beauty and ambition almost seamlessly. This is complemented much more by Evan Berry's Bostonian infused cleans, which are sparkling with melody and aloofness. That's one of the most pleasing aspects of this album-as well orchestrated as everything it is, it's simply FUN. This album isn't really meant to be dissected and overly scrutinized. It's an album that is meant to lift the spirits and be catchy as goddamn hell.
I'll be damned if you do not find yourself chanting to the melodramatic briny ship-story of "Storm Along" or to the, for lack of a better term, epic chants of "The Coasts of High Barbaree". As well composed as they are musically, every note of each instruments only serving to build the glisteningly beautiful and joyous mood on this album, it doesn't become so absorbed in itself that it begins to lose its sense of sheer fun. This album is as flourishing as some of the greatest composers of any era have done, yet it still retains the ability to work as a simple set of sing-a-longs. In a world rife with hatred, greed, and sadness, sometimes that's all that we need. Something that will without fail lift our spirits. So slam down your beers and wave your red, white and blue, because Wilderun is a seamless work of magnificence and pure concentrated American pride.
