Metalhead Series: 6 Celtic Metal Bands from Ireland
by Jacqueline Russe
by Jacqueline RusseBabylon Radio
Listen nowWe already talked about Celtic Metal bands from Dublin, but what about the rest of Ireland? I mean, it is pretty clear that metalheads can be found everywhere, not only in the biggest cities or capitals of a country. So I went looking for bands all over our beautiful Emerald Isle. And behold – here are six Celtic Metal bands from Ireland outside of Dublin for you.
Waylander
Waylander is a Folk, Celtic and Pagan Metal band that was formed 1993 in Amagh, Northern Ireland. It is seen as one of the earliest Celtic Metal bands, together with Primordial and Cruachan and have gained a prominent position in the folk metal scene. They have participated in notable festivals and tours all over Europe, including Summer Breeze, Bloodstock and Hammerfest. The band has their own tin whistle player, who also occasionally plays the Irish bouzouki, mandolin and bodhrán.
Recommended Album:
Ériú’s Wheel (2019)
Primordial
The band was formed in 1987 in Skerries, a coast town in County Dublin. They play a unique style of Pagan Metal, which is a blend of Black and Celtic Folk Metal. Primordial started out as a simple black metal band with some folk influences. But with their 1998 album “A Journey’s End” they underwent a strong stylistic change. It was more original, personal and darker than anything they had done before, which later became the trademark Primordial music style.
Recommended Album:
To the Nameless Dead (2007)
Darkest Era
The band formed in 2005 in Northern Ireland as Nemesis. But in 2007 they decided to rename the band Darkest Era, mainly due to the increasing number of bands using the Nemesis moniker. Yet the biggest reason was the desire to reflect the changing direction of their songwriting. Now, they developed a fresh Celtic Metal sound by fusing the twin guitar driven old school heavy metal styles of Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden with the darker side of Irish folklore and mythology.
Recommended Album:
The Last Caress Of Light (2011)
Na Cruithne
The youngest member of our list is Na Cruithne, formed 2012 in Galway. The band combines elements of Groove and Black Metal with heavy influences from traditional Irish, Scottish and Breton music. With their lyrics, the band steers away from the mythology/fantasy aspects of folk-metal and focus more on nature and animals instead. Additionally, they sing many of their songs in Irish (Gaeilge).
Recommended Album:
Gairm an Fhiántais (2017)
Belinus
The band Belinus formed 1995 in Cork and describe themselves as Celtic War Metal band. Their demo “Battlechants” has gained renown all over the world and has been played on radio stations in the USA, Austrailia, Norway, Ireland, UK, Brazil, Romania and Lithuania. There have been many lineup changes over the years due to various reasons. Generally, the band seems to be followed by a streak of bad luck – their 3rd demo “Tales of Bloodshed” was destroyed when the studio’s roof collapsed in a freak accident in 2004 before they could finish mixing them.
Recommended Album:
Battlechants (2002)
Corr Mhóna
The band formed 2008 in Cork. Corr Mhóna is the Irish word for heron, or, directly translated, “the twisted thing of the bog”. The band itself consists of two sets of brothers, the Quinns and the Farrows. Their music is a blend of different genres, with doom and death metal elements most prominent. The vocals are all sung in the Irish language (Gaeilge), which sets them apart from most other Irish Metal bands. You can find translations for the lyrics on their CD and also on their websites.
Recommended Album:
Dair (2014)