Scott Wilson

3 weeks ago | distortedsoundmag.com | Scott Wilson

That ELUVEITIE have stayed faithful and true to their formative blueprint over 20-plus years could be considered a crutch. The sub-genre they operate in – folk metal – has its limitations, as all sub-genres do. This is a double-edged sword: fans come looking for and typically find well-trodden tropes from the scene, but artists are hemmed in by its framework.

1 month ago | distortedsoundmag.com | Scott Wilson

Under a clear night’s sky, bards, barkeeps and warriors are queueing outside Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo. All these tunics and braids can only mean one thing: WARDRUNA are in town. Spring has arrived in Scotland’s largest city, and with it, the Norwegian troupe who draw inspiration from the elements, the land, and its traditions.

1 month ago | distortedsoundmag.com | Scott Wilson

Folk horror is thriving in the 21st century, with even those who usually avoid scary stories showing up for the Wicker Man-indebted Midsommar in their millions. It’s no surprise this renaissance is inspiring a new generation of rockers: Ben Wheatley’s A Field In England has influenced modern riff masters GREEN LUNG, for example, who sing of rituals and pagan gods. Now, FORLORN pay tribute to the elements on Aether, blending the old ways of the world with the metallic intensity of the new.

2 months ago | distortedsoundmag.com | Scott Wilson

MARKO HIETALA, now in his fifth decade as a musician, is having a period of clarity. Since leaving symphonic metal stalwarts NIGHTWISH in 2021, he has publicly reconnected with Tarja Turunen, who the band fired in 2005 via an open letter which Hietala had co-signed. Last February, Hietala appeared at one of Turunen’s solo shows in Argentina, where they gleefully revisited some of their former band’s classics, including Wish I Had An Angel and their stellar arrangement of Phantom Of The Opera.

Feb 9, 2025 | distortedsoundmag.com | Scott Wilson

Make no mistake: The Poisoned Ascendancy tour, on which BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM are celebrating their seminal records’ 20th anniversaries by playing them in full, says more about the metal scene in 2005 than 2025. Both The Poison and Ascendancy are major stops along the way in the story of 21st century metal and both attracted different audiences at the time. But, 20 years later, all tribalism has been put to the side, trumped by nostalgia for another era.