Review: Albion – Lakesongs of Elbid

Genres: Progressive Rock, Folk Metal (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Turisas, Jethro Tull, Yes, Wilderun’s first album
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: 27 January, 2024

For such an evocative combination oozing with potential, most progressive folk metal bands seem trapped within tried and tested formulae. With prog, the sky should be the limit, but all too many groups are trapped in the Spinal Tap’s “Stonehenge” paradigm: heavy metal, pompous lyrics about druids, and mandolin breaks with tacky prop scenery. At its most visionary, the intersection between prog and folk has given us the likes of Subterranean Masquerade, Joanna Newsom, Myrkur, and Devin Townsend & Che Aimee Dorval’s Casualties of Cool project to name a few. 

As a denizen of Perfidious Albion, Ol’ Blighty, I felt it my duty to take on Albion’s debut full length and see whether they can breathe new life into a genre that all too often falls back on clichés. Emphasising the lyrical folk qualities over the crunch of metal, Lakesongs of Elbid is very much steeped in that indelibly medieval English sound that so defined much of the prog of the seventies, bolstering it with the energy and symphonic grandeur of Turisas. Joe Parrish-James is their very own Ian Anderson, providing lead vocals as well as flute, guitar, mandolin and programming—I’d be willing to bet he’s the main composer, too—and his rich, breathy baritone has a lilting warmth redolent of Wilderun’s Evan Berry. He’s aided by the lead licks of Jack Clark and the unflashy but wonderfully varied drumwork of Mikey Ciancio.

The tracks often start with acoustics and ethereal orchestration, sometimes building to full band metal crunch, sometimes abstaining and staying pure folk like the soundtrack for some fairytale glen. Over the course of a somewhat overlong album, this does become a little formulaic, but Lakesongs of Elbid is, for the most part, very well paced, the lighter interludes, such as “Llyn Cwm Llwch” adding a refreshing Iamthemorning-esque chamber folk sensibility. Meanwhile, heavier tracks like “Silvaplana Rock”, which leans into the heavy metal dynamics of Yes, and “Finding Avalon” with its urgent string accompaniment, both successfully evoke the mythic Arthurian inspiration. Regular symphonic accompaniment adds a layer of grandeur, too, and it’s hard not to feel transported into the realms of English folk legend—you half expect Ralph Ineson to turn up dressed as a tree and challenge you to land a blow on him.

And Albion’s reverence for such folk traditions are readily apparent, referencing a plethora of Arthurian texts (and the 1998 film Merlin: the instrumental “Arthurian Overture” is based on themes from the soundtrack by Trevor Jones), Celtic history, and many an evocation of the British countryside at its most rolling and green. Meanwhile, they attest their broader folk credentials with a cover of Canadian folk musician Stan Rogers’ classic a cappella sea shanty “Barrett’s Privateers”—probably the closest I’ll ever get to fulfilling my dream of hearing Wilderun cover Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. Both are fun little experiments, but neither quite belongs and they interrupt the flow, particularly “Arthurian Overture” which as the first track after the short intro delays the album’s “real” start by ten minutes—and at seventy minutes, there are a lot of lakesongs before you get to Elbid. 

In addition, there’s not quite enough variation here to sustain the rather bold runtime and, while Lakesongs of Elbid is beautifully crafted and produced, it feels a little too pristine at times. Both these issues come together in the Stan Rogers cover, which disposes of the alehouse rawness of the original and turns it into another grand and pretty track like all the others. And sure, I’m tapping my toe to Albion’s version—it’s a very good rendition—but I’m also losing the cosy revelry of the seaside tavern, that certain authenticity and grit of traditional folk which is burnished away by Albion’s glistening production and romanticism. It’s a strange disconnect for me to articulate because I love a lustrous mix like this but I also want Albion to have a bit more bite, to surprise me, to deliver a sonic slap in the face every once in a while.

All that it to say that Albion aren’t quite “Stonehenging” but neither are they breaking out of the established paradigm. I can’t help but imagine the vast array of possibilities open to them: medieval instruments like hornpipes and lutes, Welsh choral arrangements, greater experimentation with progressive structures and orchestral accompaniment… a whole compositional world awaits—at least, that’s what it’ll take to become one of the true gems of progressive folk metal. It’s not for me to say what a band should or shouldn’t do but it’s what I desire most from prog folk; I’ve no doubt that Albion could meet that challenge head on if they wanted to. Lakesongs of Elbid is beautiful, more than a little infectious, and performed by some immensely talented musicians, but it very much sounds like a prog folk metal album you’ve heard before.

I hasten to add that Lakesongs of Elbid sounds as beguiling and idyllic as its title suggests and Albion are a paragon of the genre but therein lies the issue. Progressive folk metal could go so much further than this, and yet Albion, like so many in the genre, play it a little too safe. Nevertheless, they’ve produced an admirable debut, and I really like what they bring to the table, but they aren’t the prog folk metal group to blow my mind; at least, not yet. 

Recommended tracks: The Dream of Rhonabwy, Camlann, Silvaplana Rock 
You may also like: Iomair, Lör, Agusa
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Label: Independent

Albion is:
– Joe Parrish-James (vocals, guitar, flute, mandolin, programming)
– Jack Clark (backing vocals, guitar)
– Peter Szypulski (bass)
– Mikey Ciancio (drums)