Lay Your Head On A Feathery Moss ...

After a long hiatus I've decided to get back into posting. I just seemed to have lost my motivation for a while, but now I'm back. My reviews will be random this time, focusing on albums as opposed to bands as I was doing. By doing this I hope to have shorter reviews and more frequent posts.

I promise nothing though.

My thanks to those who have continued to check back periodically.

To start off my new stint of blogging, I've decided to review one of the greatest albums I've ever heard. I discovered Mechanical Poet's "Woodland Prattlers" via a metal pack I downloaded. I was instantly hooked by this album and have since tracked it down via The End Records.

From start to finish "Woodland Prattlers" is a magical masterpiece of folk infused power metal with flourishes of Tim Burton-esque classical interludes. After the orchestral intro "Main Titles" whose fantastical whimsy sets the mood for the album, we get the blistering metal assault that is "Stormchild". It is fast and furious with biting guitars and pummeling drums.

The stand out tracks begin with "Bogie In A Coal-Hill" which picks up after a haunting interlude with a razor sharp edge and super melodic and catchy chorus. The avant-garde style is interspersed with classical bits and folk-like bridge. "Strayed Moppet" is similar with a little more speed and more straight up metal.

The heavy songs are broken up with classical/folk interludes like "Will 'O' The Wisp" and a couple of ballads such as the haunting and magical "Sirens From The Underland" and the uber moving power ballad "Shades On Casement". This helps the flow of the album. Even the epic "Natural Quaternion" varies its pace with speedy metal bits and quieter reflections.

My favourite track amongst all these gems is the brilliant and passionate "Old Year's Merry Funeral" which starts off pretty heavy with loads of catchy melodies and transcends into a rousing sing-a- long chorus before dipping into an uplifting folk influenced solo. The haunting bridge builds tension towards the climatic and powerful ending. Absolutely beautiful!

Mechanical Poet has taken this world worn genre and spiced it up with a magical approach. The listener is swept away immediately into a fantasy world of poetic imagery unawares of the spells being cast upon them by these musical sprites. This album has been on constant rotation in my listening schedule and I'm talking months and it hasn't gotten stale yet.

This is extremely recommended to any power and folk metal fan as well as anyone willing to give something a little unusual a chance.