| The Living and the Dead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 March 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:55 | |||
| Language | ||||
| Label | Despotz | |||
| Cruachan chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Living and the Dead | ||||
The Living and the Dead is the ninth studio album by Irish folk metal band Cruachan. The album was released on 24 March 2023 through Despotz Records. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Rock 'N' Load | 8/10 [11] |
Rock 'N' Load praised the album saying, "In all, The Living and the Dead is a fitting way for Cruachan to celebrate the legacy of both the band and folk-metal as a whole. The blend of folk and metal instruments and styles is exceptional, even for a band that have been engaged with this style for three decades. While it is true that at times there seems to be imagination lacking when it comes to certain guitar riffs, the sheer creativity and intuition displayed elsewhere more than make up for this. The compositions and arrangements are at times absolutely masterful, invoking the talents of classical composers, and the range of emotions evoked throughout the record is certainly something for the band to be proud of. They are set to headline the revered Siege of Limerick festival on Easter Sunday, or, the Ēostre celebration of the Spring Equinox, if you're that way inclined." [11]
All tracks are written by Cruachan.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Living" | 2:57 |
| 2. | "The Queen" | 6:50 |
| 3. | "The Hawthorn" | 5:04 |
| 4. | "The Harvest" | 5:21 |
| 5. | "The Festival" (featuring Camillus Hiney) | 2:50 |
| 6. | "The Ghost" (featuring Mathias Lillmåns) | 4:22 |
| 7. | "The Crow" | 5:26 |
| 8. | "The Reaper" | 4:29 |
| 9. | "The Children" | 3:35 |
| 10. | "The Changeling" (featuring Nella and Jon Campling) | 3:31 |
| 11. | "The Witch" (featuring John Stuart Dixon) | 4:57 |
| 12. | "The Dead" | 2:33 |
| Total length: | 51:55 | |
Credits adapted from Discogs. [13]
Celtic metal is a subgenre of folk metal that developed in the 1990s in Ireland. The genre is a fusion of heavy metal and Celtic rock. The early pioneers of the genre were the Irish bands Cruachan, Primordial and Waylander. The genre has since expanded beyond Irish shores and is known to be performed today by bands from numerous other countries.
Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles. It also sometimes features soft instrumentation influenced by folk rock.
Orthodox Celts is a Serbian band formed in Belgrade in 1992 which plays Irish folk music combined with rock elements. Despite their uncharacteristic genre in their home country, the band is one of the top acts of the Serbian rock scene and has influenced several younger Serbian bands, most notably Irish Stew of Sindidun and Tir na n'Og.
The Waterboys are a British-Irish folk rock band formed in London in 1983 by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Mike Scott has remained as the only constant member throughout the band's career. They have explored a number of different styles, but their music is mainly a mix of folk music with rock and roll. They dissolved in 1993 when Scott departed to pursue a solo career. The group reformed in 2000, and continue to release albums and to tour worldwide. Scott emphasises a continuity between the Waterboys and his solo work, saying that "To me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys; they both mean the same thing. They mean myself and whoever are my current travelling musical companions."
Pagan is the fourth studio album by Irish folk metal band Cruachan released in 2004.
Folk-Lore is the third studio album by Irish folk metal band Cruachan released in 2002 on Hammerheart Records.
Cruachan are an Irish folk metal band from Dublin that have been active since the 1990s. They have been acclaimed as having "gone the greatest lengths of anyone in their attempts to expand" the genre of folk metal. They are recognised as one of the founders of the folk metal genre. With a specific focus on Celtic music and the use of Celtic mythology in their lyrics, Cruachan's style of folk metal is called Celtic metal. The band named themselves after the archaeological site of Rathcroghan in Ireland also known as Cruachan.
Primordial are an Irish extreme metal band from Skerries, County Dublin. The band was formed in 1993 by bassist Pól MacAmhlaigh and guitarist Ciarán MacUiliam. Their sound blends black metal and doom metal with Celtic music.
Grim Reaper were a British heavy metal band from the new wave of British heavy metal era. The band was formed in 1979 in Droitwich, England, by guitarist Nick Bowcott, and there have been numerous lineup changes over the years, with frontman Steve Grimmett being the longest running member, from 1982 to 1988, then 2006 until his death in 2022. They are best known for several of their 1980s songs, including the respective title tracks from their first three albums: See You in Hell (1983), Fear No Evil (1985) and Rock You to Hell (1987); each of those songs gained notoriety in the 1990s for appearing on Beavis and Butt-Head. After disbanding in 1988, the band reformed in 2006 around Grimmett, and due to legal issues surrounding the rights to the original band name, they went by Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper. Two albums under that name were since released: Walking in the Shadows (2016) and At the Gates (2019).
Grave Digger is a German heavy metal band that was first formed in 1980 by Chris Boltendahl and Peter Masson. Emerging from the early-to-mid 1980s heavy metal scene of their native country, Grave Digger has been referred to as one of the so-called "big four" of German power metal, along with Helloween, Rage and Running Wild.
Celtic fusion is an umbrella term for any modern music which incorporates influences considered "Celtic", or Celtic music which incorporates modern music. It is a syncretic musical tradition which borrows freely from the perceived "Celtic" musical traditions of all the Celtic nations, as well as from all styles of popular music, it is thus sometimes associated with the Pan-Celtic movement. Celtic fusion may or may not include authentic traditional music from any one tradition under the Celtic umbrella, but its common characteristic is the inspiration by Celtic identity.
Irish Stew of Sindidun is a Serbian Celtic rock band from Belgrade. While initially playing Irish folk music, the band later made a shift towards light punk rock, inspired by Irish folk music and other genres. Beside their own songs, the band performs covers of Irish traditional songs and songs by The Pogues.
Tuatha na Gael is the debut studio album by Irish folk metal band Cruachan released in 1995. In 2001, Hammerheart Records reissued the album with three bonus tracks.
September Mourning is a metal band, which incorporates a transmedia dark culture project created by Emily Lazar and Marc Silvestri. The conceptual project was formed by frontwoman, vocalist, and screamer Emily Lazar in New York in 2009. The concept narrative created by Lazar and incorporated in the band and their performances, centers around the fictional story of a human-grim reaper hybrid named September, as she navigates the worlds of the living and the dead. The character's human-side possesses the empathy to give some human souls a second chance. The story is presented on different media platforms, including music, comic books, and live concerts. The comic books are published by Top Cow Productions Image Comics.
The Dead Daisies are an Australian-American rock supergroup and collective formed in 2012 in Sydney, Australia by David Lowy. Musicians that have joined Lowy for the project have included Richard Fortus, Jon Stevens, Darryl Jones (The Rolling Stones), Dizzy Reed, Marco Mendoza, Charley Drayton, John Tempesta, Frank Ferrer, Alex Carapetis, Clayton Doley, Jackie Barnes, John Corabi, Alan Mansfield, Brian Tichy, Doug Aldrich, Deen Castronovo and Glenn Hughes.
Blood on the Black Robe is the sixth studio album by Irish folk metal band Cruachan. It was released in 2011 on Candlelight Records.
Triddana is an Argentinian Celtic power folk metal band formed in 2011, after several members departed from Skiltron. Triddana's music is a fusion of Scottish and Irish folk and powerful pure metal. The name of the band is taken from the Irish word "troideanna", which means "Fights" or "Battles". The current lineup consists of Juan José Fornés, Pablo Allen, Diego Rodríguez (bass) and Joaquín Franco (drums).
Blood for the Blood God is the seventh studio album by Irish folk metal band Cruachan. It was released in 2014 on Trollzorn Records.
Nine Years of Blood is the eighth studio album by Irish folk metal band Cruachan. It was released in 2018 on Trollzorn Records.
Hotel Kalifornia is the eighth studio album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead. It was released on August 12, 2022 through Dove & Grenade Media and BMG. The album was produced by No Love for the Middle Child.