### Avven: Kastalija

#### 10/07/12 || Cobal

Folk metal. Did you get it? Folk metal, I said! If you have any experience listening to it, and to the most representative bands of it, then you’ve listened to Avven before.

Yes, “Kastalija” is well recorded and produced; yes, songwriting is fine, and yes, if I were a few years younger, I would probably be caught by the catchiness, choruses, melodies and stuff. Truth is I’m not, and these kind of releases hardly impress me these days.

Ten years ago, I could have said this is innovative and fresh, but at this point folk acts really need to make a bigger effort to get any attention. Is it horrible? No, in fact I found it both inspired and inspiring. Will I listen to it again? No, I’ve had enough of it, and in spite of some exceptions, I think I prefer to stick to the classics of this sub-genre.

5/10: So sad to see such a good-mediocre-good effort. Almost made it. They didn’t, though.

(perhaps it’s just me getting old…)