Suidakra balances the melody and instrumentation of folk metal with more extreme elements of melodic death metal. Crogacht flows effortlessly from mellow acoustic parts to intense guitars and flailing drums.
Songs like "Isle Of Skye" start fast and heavy with a majestic bearing and harsh vocals. A couple minutes in, the acoustic guitars take over with melodic singing interspersed with a catchy a guitar break. It's really catchy, but also packs plenty of punch.
"Scathach" starts with traditional bagpipes before kicking into full metal mode. The bagpipes make a return later on in the song, accompanying the guitars and other instruments. It makes a good song even more memorable. "Feats Of War" features a guest female vocalist, Tina Stabel, who sings the entire song.
Crogacht is a concept album based on Irish mythology where the hero Cuchulainn takes an epic journey to the Isle Of Skye and seeks to learn the arts of war from a warrior woman.
If you're a fan of pagan and folk metal, Suidakra will be right up your alley. Crogacht is a diverse and very well done mix of melody and extremity.
(released March 3, 2009 on Wacken Records)
