Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
From Switzerland the band Caladmor plays epic, folk metal. They were formed in 2001 under name Pale. They released a full-length and an EP under the Pale banner and in 2009 changed their name to their current one Caladmor. They released the “debut” Caladmor release, “Midwinter” in 2009 and they now return with their long-awaited follow up “Of Stones and Stars”. Whereas “Midwinter” was released via the Twilight Zone label, with “Of Stones and Stars” the band has opted to go the self-released route.
I have not heard Caladmor prior to this and it has been my loss. This is an excellent, fantastic band which leaves me scratching my head as to why “Of Stones and Stars” has not been scooped up by some label. The opener “Curse of the Gods” is an intense beginning which greets us with some up-tempo power metal riffs reminiscent of Running Wild in their glory days and the duel vocals of Maede Baumann and Barbara Brawand. Maede’s vocals are of the extreme aggressive variety whilst Barbara provides an operatic delivery. This has a great up-tempo sing-song melody that is quite addictive. “The Raid” opens with another straight-forward metal riff and Barbara proves she can sing more than an operatic style – hers is a very unique voice. The title song is excellent and one of the true highlights. Another favorite of mine is the bombastic “Dawn of the Deceiver” which features a guest appearance from Chrigel from Eluveitie and it helps in giving this song an Eluveitie vibe to it. This song also mixes the clean male vocals with the harsh vocals and Barbara’s angelic vocals. This is a GREAT song and gets my vote for the next video. The band keeps things interesting by changing up the tempos and dynamics throughout the CD. Other highlights include: “Alvissmal”, “Laudine’s Lament” and “Heralds of Doom”.
While Caladmor may fall under the folk-metal banner, there is a lot more going on here than just one style, which is one of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of “Of Stones and Stars”. The band also adds influences that range from power metal to thrash and classic heavy metal. There are a lot of cool bands in the folk-metal genre and Caladmor certainly brings a lot to the table and is one of the best folk-metal albums I’ve heard in quite some time.
Rating – 88/100
Tracklist
- Curse of the Gods
- The Raid
- Of Stones and Stars
- Dawn of the Deceiver
- Alvissmal
- Laudine’s Lament
- Mimirs Born
- A Nymph’s Lure
- Heralds of Doom
- Taberna Trollis
- Helios Sky
Line Up
- Barbara Brawand – Vocals
- Maede Baumann – Vocals/ Drums/ Synths
- Nick Müller – Guitars
- Mäsi Stettler – Guitars
- Mäcka Sauter – Bass