Taipei Metal

Review: Eskhata - One with the Earth

Young Serbian folk metal band Eskhata’s debut EP, One with the Earth, brings the spirit of the Balkans to the great frozen north as this promising quartet showcases a fine knack for combining battle ready riffs with melodic death and power metal leanings. The EP kicks off with the upbeat track “The Falcon Spirit”—pure Ensiferum worship with growled black metal vocals, back end keyboard support sweeps, and some Amon Amarth thrown in for good measure. It’s a spirited track to get the crowd jumping.

Next up is “Sinister Waters”, which has a darker, slower vibe, and tilts decidedly toward the melodic death end of the band’s influences. Here the keyboards play more of a supporting role as Eskhata strikes a balance between symphonic black metal tendencies and steely eyed folk metal. Samples of trickling water and other sounds of nature can be heard along with an acoustic interlude. The only downside is that the drums sound a bit programmed. The production is also a trifle raw, but that doesn’t seem to detract from the atmosphere at all.

The instrumental title track follows, with samples of drizzling rain alongside an acoustic guitar and atmospheric keyboards. And finally, to close things out, Eskhata selects its strongest song, “The Feast”. This one invites images of a towering stage bathed in eerily incandescent green light. A huge intro riff brings the house lights up as the rampaging double bass frolics over the crowd, whipping them into a lust-driven frenzy. This one wouldn’t be out of place at any of the big European summer festivals. That being said, the guitar riff during the verse could use some beefing up, and the backup vocals on the verse could use a little more punch too. As is, they sound a bit too mournful, and could do with some added power.

One with the Earth is an excellent first salvo from a band that is bursting with raw potential. Fans of Ensiferum, Kampfar, and any of the kilt wearing, ale swilling Scandinavian folk bands should keep the name Eskhata in mind when the European summer festival season kicks into high gear in the coming years.