Tag Archives: Folk rock

Irdorath – Live In The Woods (2025)

13 Mar
Cliff de Booy
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I still remember the first time I heard Irdorath. I was coming home from work and my partner Anna had been listening to the quarantine edition of Castlefest the whole day. “You have to watch this band I just saw.” she said. “You will love them.” So I sat down, turned to the section she told me about and there was this band in the middle of the woods, dressed like Corvus Corax, already mesmerizing me with their spoken intro… and then they started playing. Anna was right. I loved them. More than that, I sat there with my mouth open for the whole 40-something minutes the video lasted. The music, the best mittelalter rock/fantasy power folk I heard in a long while. The setting, deep in the woods, perfectly lit with fire bowls all around them. The decoration of the set, The narration, the camera work – it all worked. And I was not the only one: the whole live chat exploded. It was there and then that my love for this amazing Belarusian band started. Within weeks I had all their albums and wrote a full album review covering their whole discography up to that point.

Fast forward five years, and a new song from Irdorath popped up in my Spotify Release Radar. It was part of a new live CD. Listening to it on my crappy Bluetooth speaker I already noticed it sounded different then I was used to from the other Irdorath albums; more open. Looking at the tracklist, I hoped it would be that famous Castlefest performance . It really looked like it. So full of anticipation, I put on my headphones the next morning, pressed play on Spotify… …and was as blown away as I was the very first time that I saw them! THIS, dear readers, is a must-have album!

It all starts with the opening track, Storm. The low drone gives you a mythical vibe straightaway. The cello lines are pure beauty. The sprinkles of percussion brightening up the intro finish it all. So beautiful. And then, after 50 seconds, the band kicks in! Now make sure you that you listen on headphones the first time you hear this album. And don’t be shy with the sound. You want to experience this to the fullest. You want to drown in the sound. You want to be overwhelmed by it all. And trust me, you will be. So headphones on and here we go!

The cello riff, the acoustic guitar, the drums and percussion are picking up speed. The shawm bagpipes join in make the sound even bigger, even more majestic. Then the main melody sets in, and I’m amazed of all the things I hear. The amount of space all the instruments have to breathe. The openness of the sound. The little details you can hear. Listen to that cello laying down the song’s foundation while the shawm’s main melody entices you. You can hear every single stroke, every single riff played. This is so powerful. Did you already turn up the volume on your headphones? I did!

We continue with Serca Raskolata. Again, the sound is so open and so dynamic. The whispered intro by Nadezhda, accompanied by a loud battle horn, are sincerely scary. The whole first verse of the song has a eerie tension running through it. Nadezhda is building the song up so well. From the whispered start to the full rounded sound she has, she can tell a whole story with her voice. I can’t understand a word she is saying but I feel it. THAT is the power of her voice.

Again, I’m struck by the cello solo that follows. Live In The Woods is actually an unplugged album when you think about it. Gone is the full rock sound I know from their previous albums Ad Astra, Dreamcatcher and Wild. No, Live In The Woods has an acoustic approach that is mesmerisingly beautiful, but just as powerful. The power lies in all the things they left out. All the effects, all the sound tricks. You hear the pure beauty of the instruments, of the music itself. And that is more then enough to blow you away.

When you decide to record music like this, there is nowhere to hide. You are fully exposed as a musician. Not something Irdorath have to worry about. Just listen to it all: the beautiful range of vocal technique Nadezhda has, from whispered and restrained to full belt. And Vladimir’s vocals dancing with her. His technical abilities are even bigger. From a deep supporting voice to a full lead just like Nadezhda, but he can add throat singing to that: deep and rasping, scary as hell in this song. He is almost rapping with it here.

Everything is great about this power ballad. The solos the composition, the structure of the song. The clever choice of instruments, of tone range, all of them in a different height so you can hear all of it. I’m long gone, drawn into the magical world of Belarusian folklore.

Yet the highlight of this album -in my opinion- is still to come, and it goes by the name of Dimna Juda. It also comes in the shape of Aliaxandra Grahouskaja. She has been a close friend of the band since their very beginning, and her part in Dimna Juda is just stunning. I loved this song when I heard it for the first time played by Waldkauz, but Irdorath brought it to the next level for me. And this live recording is the ultimate version. Can’t wait to hear it live myself now that Aliaxandra has joined the band.
The harmonies between the voices work so well in this song. The deep throat singing of Vladimir, Nadezhda’s mid range vocals taking the supporting role in this song, and then Aliaxandra’s improvised lead vocals. Rapping, long powerful swipes, full belts, and added to that all those vocal twirls and fringes that make Eastern European folk music so beautiful.
All three of them have such powerful voices; such big lungs, and they use them to the fullest. What a band; what a sound; what a song! I was honestly crying the first time I heard it again preparing for this review, such is the impact this band, these people, have on me. It happened again after Rusalka.

To be honest I’m tearing up again right now writing these words with Live In The Woods playing on my headphones.
It is because I’m so happy for Nadezhda and Vladimir that they could release this album. That this is their answer to all that happened to them in the past five years. I want to quote a bit of the band itself at this point, taken from the booklet that goes with the CD.
-”In the rush of 2020, when the world came to a halt during quarantine, we retreated to the solitude of the Belarusian forest, isolated from the world yet connected to nature’s spirit. Among ancient trees and under an open sky we recorded our forest concert]..[It was a moment of unity; of fire; song and nature, crafted with immense love for the land that shaped us.
Soon after, the streets of Belarus filled with voices yearning for freedom and we joined this peaceful protest]…[However our voices were silenced by imprisonment for daring to stand against injustice
For two years we were held, but the love for our home and art endured. This forest concert became more then a performance. It transformed into a powerful symbol. It was the last piece of art we created in Belarus. A love letter to a home we were forced to leave.”

There is nothing I can add to these words. They say so much about Nadezhda and Vladimir, and they say so much about the band Irdorath. Because although Nadezhda and Vladimir are the main forces behind it all, it does feel like a band – it always has. That is the true power of this beautiful couple. Their willingness to share, to give and to love even in the hardest moments.
That is what shines through in their music, in their art. That is what makes this album so very special. And that is why we should support them with everything we have… …starting with buying this album.

Cliff

Editor: Iris
Photograph 1 & 2: Irdorath
Photograph 3: Merlin J. Noack
Photograph 4: Anastasiya & Pavel Kodis

You can find Irdorath here:

Tir Nan Og – Sing, Ye Bastards (2020)

26 Feb
celtadmin
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Dear reader, get yourself a comfy seat, a nice slice of Irish barmbrack, and a good glass of fine Irish whiskey, ’cause this review may take a while. Analysing Tir Nan Og‘s fifth album Sing, Ye Bastards! left me with five pages of notes and an instant urge to tell you all about it. For those of you who want to have dinner early, here is the short version: if you like good old Irish party folk with a cool stadium rock production, this is your CD. Get your best boots on, finish your Irish stew, make sure you get yourself to the nearest pub, and party it down till the break of dawn. (Or all the booze is gone, whichever comes first).
So, now that the warning is out, I can go all nerdy on this CD without feeling guilty about it. After their strong 2018 album From The Gallows, Matze (violin, nyckelharpa), Sarah (flute, vocals), Joggl (four-string electric bass), Robert (guitar, vocals), Andi (whistles, pipes, vocals) and Volker (drums, bodhrán) have released yet another hit album, full of weird hooks, cool riffs, and groovy breaks bound to give you the best evening you’ve had in a long time! Now I do realize that names like Matze, Joggl, and Volker don’t sound particularly Irish, and you would be right in that assumption. Tir Nan Og is a Bavarian band, but I didn’t really notice. “Cool Irish band,” it says in my first notes: “Is that female vocalist American?”.
No rest for the listener

Not surprising because Sing Ye Bastards! feels Irish from the very first note played. A fast, catchy violin riff starts it all, a first drum break follows within seconds, effortlessly flowing into a catchy verse with an added whistle for some bonus Irish cheer. The chorus is an instant sing-along affair that then flows into a short violin solo with groovy bass to keep your feet moving. Back is the drum break, some first epic female backing vocal, it’s all there…, and we are only 90 seconds in the song. Damn, this band is something else! They throw all their strengths at you, and almost all at once. Strong male and female vocals, more musical twists in one song than you would normally hear on a whole album, even a 10-second drum solo towards the end, and we are still only talking about the first song on the album! “God almighty, have mercy on our souls” the band sings. “God almighty, have mercy on our hearts” I say. This is something else!



The official video for Fear Gorta

For a wee moment, I think I will be able to catch my breath on the second song: Last Order. That thought only lasts for the slow acapella intro Tir Nan Og sing. After that the drums, bass, and bagpipes take control of my feet again, and of I whizzing go. Someone tell the devil and ‘mye’ wife that they’ll have to wait a while, pour me another pint, and let me dance!! This stuff is awesome! The only moments you are allowed to catch your breath are the moments of silence separating the songs from each other.

Ok! Hold on! Time to get out of the Maelstrom, to swallow a Green Pill, slow down, and get some sense out of myself.
Soooo, to say something sensible: Tir Nan Og plays a very catchy version of punky Irish folk-rock. Extremely catchy actually. The cool thing is that they do that mostly acoustically. No distorted guitars, no screaming vocals, no nothing of that. Just the power of good old acoustic instruments, strong vocals, a slick production, and some darned good songwriting. Let’s start with that last bit first as it is the stand-out thing in my opinion. Tir Nan Og have a knack for surprising you, every 20 seconds it seems. Twists, breaks, solos, harmonies, they play with it as if they were a prog band. Fear Gorta, Last Order, Maelstrom, the whole album is just full with them, making this a highly entertaining album.

Tir Nan Og, a steaming folk band

So what are we talking about style-wise? Again, Tir Nan Og go for variety. Fear Gorta and Last Order are steaming acoustic party punk-folk songs, Maelstrom reminds me of the latest Pyrolysis album, especially in the vocals. Highlight in this song is Matze’s furious violin solo. I’m pretty sure sparks were coming off his strings when he played that in the studio. What I also love are the harmonies. The three voices of Robert, Sarah and Andi fit nicely together giving the music even more power, but that violin solo…darn, that one is addictive!

The Wanderings Of Oisin gives a more poppy feel to Tir Nan Og’s folk-punk. The intro keeps reminding me of something, but I couldn’t tell you what it is. It doesn’t matter. Again the whole song is catchy as hell. Especially the flute melody Sarah treats us with. Another strong part of Tir Nan Og’s sound is Joggl’s bass playing, not only on this song but over the whole album. I love the groove he adds to the songs. It gives Tir Nan Og’s music even more power, and a lot more dance credibility. Getting back to The Wanderings of Oisin; the chorus at the very end of this song, featuring Sarah on vocals, is one of those many cool curveballs the band constantly throws at you, as is the surprising acapella end.

With the song Green Pill, the feel of the music starts to shift from acoustic punk-folk towards folk-rock, but still with a strong Irish flavour to it. Let’s call it a nice blend of German punk-rockers Donots and our own Harmony Glen. A special mention has to go to Sarah’s whistle solo halfway through the song and the violin finishing it all off weaving in another famous tune. [Editors note: That would be Cooley’s Reel]
We’ve Been Everywhere has that same rock anthem feel to it. A big part of that can be attributed to the production. Where the previous album, From The Gallows (2018), still had a rougher, more punky feel to it, the production of Sing, Ye bastard! is fuller, rounder; there are more layers in the vocals, more effects; the bass and drums have more ‘oomph’. it all adds up towards a strong stadium rock feel which I love. I also love the “weird” Al Yankovic rap-part Andi pulls out of the bag in this song, soon to be followed by what seems to be a guest appearance of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Go Andi, go Andi!!!

Strong Harmonies

One song further and we go Greek, combined with a fun bit of German Hoompha folk for good measure. There are many bands that say they have no limits when writing music. Tir Nan Og clearly wants to take that statement one step further! So Sláinthe is a mix of Greek, Irish, and German influences. Next song I Sold My Soul starts with a bagpipe riff that could easily have been written by The Sidh‘s Iain Alexander Marr. The song itself is a catchy Pyrolysis-type folk-rock anthem.



The second single: I sold My Soul

On Stone Cold Heart Sarah gets to show off her vocal talents. Both she and Robert have big voices that can easily hold their own against the powerhouse folk the band is playing. I’m just loving all of this, song after song. Every song has its own cool moment, its own cool twist. Listen to those driving drums in Stone Cold Heart. If you didn’t hear those folky whistles and violin tunes it could just as well be a drum fill by funk-rockers Living Colour. Especially when Joggl joins in on his electric bass to “funk” everything up even more; one of the few moments the band goes into a distorted overdrive. Sarah’s strong vocals finish this power ballad perfectly.

Sea of Sorrow is the first real moment of peace on Sing, Ye bastard!. An acoustic ballad that could easily be found on a Golden Earring album, with Robert taking on the role of George Kooymans. I’m loving Robert’s vocals throughout the whole album. Just like Sarah, he has the perfect voice for this band. Strong, powerful, with just the right amount of hoarseness, and capable of giving every song the colour it needs. May I also highlight the harmonies that brighten up the whole album? They pop up all over the place, but the most beautiful one has to be the ending of Sea Of Sorrow. Goosebumps.

The surpises keep on coming

Tir Nan Og are stíll not done surprising me. The Song Remains almost starts like a soundtrack, quickly flowing into something I can only describe as symphonic prog-folk with a touch of theatre in it. The call and response singing lines at 1:34 even remind me of Ayreon. Are there no limits to the things this band will include in their music?!?!?! Speaking of Ayreon, I could swear the flute solo following after that could have been played by Thijs van Leer (Focus), one of the prominent guest musicians on Ayreon’s The Electric Castle.

I think by now it’s clear Tir Nan Og are not ‘just’ a punky acoustic folk band. Nope, this is a full-grown folk-rock unit. Inventive in their songwriting, cheeky in every note they play, with a strong link to their Irish folk roots…

The final twist

Now we get to a fun moment. First I’ll let you read the original text I wrote to end this review: ‘…with a strong link to their folk roots. The Scrum /Harmony Glen-like power ballad O’Hanlan’s Last Words for instance gives you clear proof of that. What a band…WHAT A BAND!!
And this is the final twist the band threw at me, it is Robert writing me in response of the review: ‘O’Hanlon’s Last Words was actually performed by Harmony Glen as a guest track on this CD. (A cover of a song from our last CD).
That would explain why I thought it sounded a lot like Harmony Glen yes (blushes). And with all of you laughing it is time to round up this review.
It is high time for CeltCast to host their own St. Patrick’s day folk-rock concert. I say put Tir Nan Og top of the bill, co-headlining with Harmony Glen of course, and Pyrolysis as support act. Now that would be an evening! Can I already reserve my tickets!? Pretty please!?



Tir Nan Og performing live at Folk Am Neckar (2019)

– Cliff

Editor: Iris
Cover art: Santana Raus: Santichan illustration
pictures: Andi Fingas
Picture editing: Andre Freitag






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