A practical and spiritual guide to extreme folk metal fulfillment - A review of 暴君's / Bloody Tyrant's 葉隱 / Hagakure

Bloody Tyrant is a Taiwanese extreme folk metal quintet that has released four full length records and one extended play in its first decade of existence. The group’s last release Hagakure stands out for many reasons. 

The album title and some lyrics reference a Japanese practical and spiritual guide for a warrior and go away from the band’s focus on Taiwanese culture. 

Musically speaking, the band went away from its melodic black metal style and adapted a melodic death metal style with prominent folk influences that recalls bands like early Amorphis. The quintet slowed down the pace and opted for a mid-paced release. The folk instruments aren’t just additional elements in the songs but fully integrated and equally important as all contemporary plugged instruments. The eight new songs are the most melodic ones the band has ever crafted and several tracks even include quite catchy harmonies. 

While the pervious records were outstanding but needed some time to grown on the listener, Hagakure immediately impresses from start to finish and might even outclass the band’s creative predecessor Solitary Eagle. It’s hard to believe that the band went successfully through such courageous changes from one album to another in just a little bit more than a year but this is exactly what has happened. It’s rare that taking risks pays off so much as in this case. The band had excelled in its blackened folk metal genre and has decided to move on and ultimately excelled in its new melodic death metal style as well. 

The band hasn’t abandoned all its stylistic elements of yore however and still has a very unique identity. The blistering cold guitar riffs that contrast comforting folk melodies are still very present. The epic soundscapes have also remained as the band crafts cinematic tunes in concise running times around the five-minute mark. The band’s skilled musicianship also still shines through without drifting off into pretentious progressive territories. 

Bloody Tyrant’s Hagakure is a masterpiece that should equally appeal to extreme metal and folk metal fans. Chthonic is often hailed as the country’s great melodic extreme metal band but while the quintet from Taipei can be seen as its country’s pioneers and has shaped its own identity with strong patriotic messages, the quintet from Nantou is the more atmospheric, balanced and courageous band that deserves as much or even more credit. Hagakure is easily among last year’s very best releases and shows a band at the height of its career.

Final rating: 98%