In early 2008, around the time of the original Paganfest USA tour, Pagan and Folk metal were all the rage. Bands from all over Europe were suddenly gaining attention in America with their blend of traditional European folk and modern metal, and by the end of that year and early 2009 there were Pagan/Folk tours aplenty. Revolver Magazine even ran a special feature highlighting the sub-genre. When the first Paganfest USA tour rolled through America there was a palpable excitement… nothing like that had ever transpired before.

Fast forward only a few months to the end of 2009 and it would seem as if the metal-loving public has had enough of Pagan Metal. As labels rushed to sign and promote Pagan and Folk Metal bands we ended up with a surplus of them, much like we did with the re-thrash trend of 2006-2008. In an effort to cash in, the metal record labels unwittingly did themselves in. The result has been that there are too many pagan metal bands, too many pagan metal records, and too many pagan metal tours. Oversaturation. I can’t even keep track of it all.

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I love pagan metal precisely because it goes so over the top, flying directly in the face of anything that might be considered anywhere close to cool. Battlelore’s new video for “Third Immortal” goes beyond “over the top” to downright ridiculous and laughable, even for pagan metal. But even in their extreme dork-dom, you’ve gotta respect these Finns for following their muse — All of Battlelore’s lyrics concern J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. THAT is metal.

-VN

[Thanks: grymmbear]