Looking to storm a keep or entertain a party of wood nymphs in the near future? Look no further than The Palms Of Sorrowed Kings, the third album from Minneapolis “castle” metal ensemble, Obsequiae. On this latest album, the band seems ready to ascend and take their rightful place on the thrown of folk metal. Sure, they sound like a renaissance fair gearing up to storm the county fair across the freeway and plunder all their funnel cake, but if anything is going to make your respect a crowd of LARPers, it’s sacking a place where White Snake is supposed to headline just after happy hour. Inspired? Sure. Nerdy? Oh hell yeah, in the most badass way possible. A little Dragonslayer and a little Fire and Ice with a dash of Solomon Cane (the comic books, not that god awful movie). You’d be tempted to frame it as medieval, especially with all of the classic instruments and balladry (see the instrumental opener “L'autrier m'en aloie” for a taste of that ye olde dark ages charm), but they venture into all manner of folklore throughout the western canon, and not just the stuff from the black plague years either. An example of this is “Ceres in Emerald Streams” which recounts the Greek goddess Ceres’ search for her kidnapped daughter Persephone after she had been dragged down to the underworld. To be more specific about Obsequiae's sound you’d have to acknowledge that at their core, this is a black metal band. A black metal band with heavy folk influences in the vein of Enslaved. However, not even those Norwegian trailblazers managed to integrate the modern elements of their sound with the classical to quite the degree that Obsequiae has here. It’s really hard to pin down just how epic this album can be in parts. You have to experience the lofty bright leads and ethereal harmonies of the title track “The Palms of Sorrowed Kings” and the tremolo anchored sure-footed tribute to the Celtic war-goddesses on “Morrígan” first hand to fully appreciate their grandeur. With so many grim and dark metal albums released each year, it’s stupendous to see an album in the black metal lane that aims to inspire more than just dread in the listener.
Obsequiae's The Palms Of Sorrowed Kings is out now on 20 Buck Spin
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