Ceolskog - Album Review: Made In My Bedroom
02 Aug 2016 // A review by Kerry MB
Ceolskog is the brain child of solo artist Adam Helliwell and
Made In My Bedroom, is, as the title suggests, a home made album.
I'm always open to listening to genres that not often cross my path and I liked the cross pollination assault that Adam has created. It's a unique Folk Metal offering that is as polished as it is whimsical. It's like hearing a Viking Metal musical, and it's really damn good.
There is a lot of story telling going on here, and its pretty clear cut with a strong traditional Scandinavian influence, which is something you don't come across very often, and I like that.
From opening track,
Leif Ericson to the sweet (and actual) cover of a lullaby,
Trollmors Vuggesang its definitely a journey, and as amusing as it is to listen to, there is real talent here. Adam is a self taught guitarist, and the quality of this album is pretty outstanding with minimal gear. Vocally, Adam shows a nice range, and although Folk Metal can be limiting in terms of ranges for a singer, there are some stand out tracks throughout.
Adam clearly shows a natural talent, and I would love to see what else Ceolskog could bring, as a fully fledged band. The potential and creativity is there, although, this album definitely deserves more thought into its title, because it simply doesn't do it any justice (although I can appreciate the obviousness).
About Ceolskog
Ceolskog is the solo project of Adam Helliwell, a singer and guitarist from Hamilton (formerly of IronStein and Z Amigos). Ceol means music in Irish Gaelic, and skog means forest in Norwegian and Swedish. The name also doubles as his hiking and nature-themed YouTube channel.
The primary genre of Ceolskog is folk metal, a cross between heavy metal and traditional folk music (particularly Celtic and Nordic), but also touches upon other genres, such as country rock, power metal and acoustic folk. Think of it like The Proclaimers meets Falkenbach meets Creedence Clearwater Revival meets the Viking metal albums of Bathory.
Adam is a self-taught guitarist, and studied music at Vision College where he took a vocal major. He didn't buy his first guitar until age 19, a year after he joined his first band. He has recorded four Ceolskog albums and three EPs in his bedroom, released between 2015 and 2022.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Ceolskog