The debut album from Cellar Darling is perhaps perfectly titled . This is the Sound introduces the band and their unique blend of folk, metal, and rock and showcases the talents of the band in a way that should create a sizable fan base.

Cellar Darling traces its roots back to the Swiss folk metal legends Eluveitie and the summer of 2016 when Anna Murphy, Ivo Henzi, and Merlin Sutter left the band but realized they still wanted to craft music.  Fusing metal, folk, and alternative styles with traditional instruments like the hurdy-gurdy, ethereal vocals, powerful drums, and heavy riffs, Cellar Darling began crafting their songs of lyrical tales of old.  In fall of 2016, the singles “Challenge” and “Fire, Wind & Earth” were released and the band signed to Nuclear Blast Records in January 2017.  Three more singles followed and This is the Sound was released at the end of June 2017.

One of the great things about reviewing albums is when you get a new artist you haven’t heard of, to just fire up the album and start listening.  That’s what I did with Cellar Darling’s This Is the Sound and this is one of those albums that grabs you immediately.  After seeing they are on Nuclear Blast, I had a feeling I likely knew something about the band, and after a bit of google, suspicions were confirmed as the band is made up of former Eluveitie members.  While they can’t escape that, make no mistake, this is not Eluveitie-style folk metal.  I would best describe this as folk-influenced almost hard alternative or perhaps radio-friendly metal, heavy enough to keep the metalheads engaged  but not heavy enough to drive off the casual metal listener. Continue reading »