Mileth are as Galizan as they come. Says a Galizan.
Galiza is a stateless nation – currently an autonomous territory with partially devolved powers – in the north-west corner of the Iberian Peninsula, with a language and culture very much of its own.
Among other things, we love to boast about our folk music, so welcomed in major Celtic music festivals and where not.
Yet while my folkie side has always been more than content with our traditional music, my metalhead soul felt something was missing…
Sure, I have enjoyed others’ fantastic Folk and Celtic Metal for many years, but I’d always wondered why was it that we couldn’t produce our own breed having all the required elements: talented musicians and bagpipes, check; forests and rivers, ravens, mountains, dark oceans and stuff: check; kick ass mythology and legends, hell, double check!
And then Mileth came
To be fair they have been around since 2009, but it is now, when they’ve had the chance to record a proper album with decent production, that they have unleashed the talent, plenty of it.
“Catro Pregarias no Albor da Lúa Morta” (Soundage Productions – Darkwoods, 2019) brings the richness of our music to the international Metal scene, and it’s refreshing.
Mileth’s music combines the right mixture of genuine native folk, in Galizan language, and raw unapologetic Metal that can be understood by all.
The opening track, O Son do Buxo Baixo a Sombra do Xistral, is an early statement of what this is going to be about: a number of voices (screeching and clean, male and female, choirs and not), rhythmic and melodic progressions, and an overall tasteful musicality.
De Bruma e Salitre is the chosen single and deservedly so. Do yourselves a favour and watch the evocative official video in order to get what Mileth’s proposal is all about, musically and conceptually.
Do Morto e Espiral Silencio (Interludio a Bríxida) is a bridge song, an invocation (nothing wrong with that), linking to Esperta, Letárxica e Erma Fraga! which, if you are Galizan and you are a metalhead, and you have functioning ears, will make your hair stand on end as you’ll immediately recognise many typical Galizan folk elements.
Ela, Que Camiña Sobre as Raíces do Frío Inferno is a nice instrumental gently leading us to another jewel, the mammoth of a song that is Petros, Axioma da Terra. The lads and lasses open the flood gates here. This song alone is a testament to contemporary Galizan – and I dare to say Folk Metal – music. Period.
Da Mitolóxica Errante: ITH is the last big firework, citing some of the greatest characters of our ancient mythology. The last two tracks, No Albor da Lúa and Cuarta Pregaria na Lúa Morta, smoothly glide into a quieter beautiful place, carrying you in that spiral. I can’t have enough of the vocals and the bagpipe solo (yes!) in the last one.
Is it a perfect album? If I’m to be picky and nasty and snobbish I could say I would have done this or that differently, maybe changed the bass and drum sound a tad, the only reason why I give it a 9 out of 10.
So we had in Galiza all the right ingredients to do this all along, but Mileth were the first to somehow conjure the spirits up. Well done. March on!
Find Mileth at:
– Bandcamp: https://mileth.bandcamp.com/ (the album can be bought through here)
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/mileth.official
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mileth.official/