Ah yes, the Celtic warriors from Cruachan are back with their fourth album and the title pretty much sums up what Cruachan is all about. To those unfamiliar with Cruachan, I can only say that Cruachan sounds like a mixture of Skyclad and The Pogues with black metal. I’ll leave it at that because it’s pretty impossible to really describe the music of this Irish quartet.

I first came into contact with Cruachan a good amount of years ago, when I heard their debut album Tuatha Na Gael. Being a big Skyclad fan (combined with the feeling that I had to compare the two), I was pretty sceptical at first. Truth be told however, their debut album was more black metal oriented than for instance their previous release Folk-Lore or this new one called Pagan. Nevertheless, even back then, one could put Cruachan in the same ballpark as Skyclad: folk metal. It’s also a known fact that it’s pretty hard to beat the kings of folk metal, and one should simply listen to Cruachan in its own right and give credit where credit is due, without the need to compare.

Which leads us to the credit. One of the most appealing aspects of Cruachan is the use of folkloric instruments like flutes, whistles, pipes, cello, bouzouki, mandolin, banjo and fiddle. It gives the music a very authentic touch. Furthermore, the combination of Keith Fay’s raw black metal screams with Karen Gilligan’s almost whining vocals, add a nice dynamic touch to the songs. I have to admit however that Karen’s vocals might be an acquired taste, since they are rather strange at times.

The first thing you will notice as you listen to Pagan is the pretty raw production, especially when compared to the bombastic and heavy production of Folk-Lore. I’m still rather undecided whether this benefits the album or not. The black metal and the punk parts definitely benefit from this rawer production, but the rest of the music somehow loses its magic.

Raw songs like the punky “Michael Collins” and the black metal oriented “Pagan” certainly sound good, but the more upbeat songs like “Ard Ri Na Heireann” and “Summoning Of The Sidhe” would have sounded better with a heavier and cleaner production. Oh well, you can hardly blame Cruachan for having a smaller budget, and with the limited resources at hand, I’d say the result could have been worse.

There’s one problem I have with this album: sometimes I think that Cruachan are starting to repeat themselves and Karen’s vocals in particular. It doesn’t ever really get to the point where it becomes annoying, but still, it is a very valid point of criticism. It’s not just the part that has been used in “Viking Slayer” that apparently is taken from an unreleased song called “The Return” from an old promo, and which was later added to the re-release of Tuatha Na Gael. It’s the same familiar feeling in other songs that slightly gets to me.

Pagan is a decent folk metal album that might appeal to people who like Skyclad’s more folk oriented material like Oui Avant-garde A Chance. It is also perfect music to listen to when you have some lads over for a couple of pints. Songs like “Michael Collins” and “Some Say The Devil Is Dead” just get you in that drinking mood. It’s original, upbeat and above all folk with a good dose of Irish culture. The booklet has enough info about each song to even give you some time to brush up on your Celtic knowledge in the process. Oh and did I already mention that the cover artwork has been done by no one less than John Howe? If you don’t know who he is, you probably have been living in a hole under ground for the last three years, so I won’t even bother explaining. Ok, I’ll give you one hint: “The Fall Of Gondolin”.