HAND OF KALLIACH - Corryvreckan (CD)

Scotland's Hand of Kalliach's brand of melodeath-by-way-of-folk-metal is exceedingly difficult to define. Corryvreckan is a startlingly dynamic album, built on the implicit play between seemingly disparate elements. Hand of Kalliach has certifiably elevated themselves to another level altogether to make them one of the newest bands of folk metal that absolutely needs to be watched. The name Hand of Kalliach is borrowed from the legend of the Cailleach, the ancient witch god of winter from Scottish Celtic mythology. One of the stories goes that she lives at the bottom of an enormous whirlpool, Corryvreckan, which lies between some of the western isles of Scotland, where John's family is from. As the herald of winter, she rises from the depths to wash her plaid (cloak) in the waters of the Corryvreckan. Once washed and restored to a bright white, she casts it across the earth where it lands as snow. This is done at the start of Samhainn (beginning on 31st October, which was the Celtic precursor to Halloween and the name of our debut album). Her reign ends as spring arrives with the festival of Bealltainn in May, and she turns to stone to await the next winter.