There’s a tendency amongst folk and folk-adjacent metal bands to become goofier over time. Bands like Alestorm and Wind Rose began their careers with a semblance of seriousness before walking the plank into potty humor and/or covering YouTube Minecraft songs. The Netherlands’ “epic party folk metal” band Mourning Wood are the first I’ve encountered to have started here on purpose. Having shared stages with the aforementioned bands, and given their name that’s got the whole sixth grade laughing, Mourning Wood have the sophomoric mentality to fit within this particular niche of the sub-genre. Sporting their debut record Rise & Shine, Mourning Wood promise “the perfect foundation for a great night with unexpected turns, alcohol, and bad decisions.” But does Mourning Wood rise to meet the party’s energy, or does Rise & Shine fall limp at the first sign of action?
Mourning Wood’s up for some fun, but Rise & Shine’s party angle feels half-cocked. Energy’s no issue, though; Mourning Wood peddle a brand of high-octane extreme-power-folk metal. “Heathen Hooray” and “The Vikening”‘s sword-swinging heroics recall the frantic melodicism of Ensiferum and Æther Realm, and the lighthearted jauntiness of Korpiklaani turns up on “Behind Enemy Lines” and “Seaman Shanty.” Rise & Shine also goes down easy enough for a party atmosphere, because while many of its songs run long, they are well-paced and shockingly well-produced and mixed. What crashes Rise & Shine’s party is comedy. It’s not funny. Now, comedy is as subjective as it comes, but besides some low-hanging jizz puns (“Seaman Shanty”) there aren’t really any jokes. “American rednecks are ridiculous” (“Redneck Redemption”). “Nordaboos are silly” (“Modern Day Viking”). That’s about it. Musically, Mourning Wood takes some turns that could inspire a chuckle, but most are too obvious—banjo in “Redneck Redemption,” EDM in “Dwarven Dance”—to do much for me. I love the energy, but the goofy side of Rise & Shine fails to excite.
But don’t sleep on Mourning Wood, ’cause Rise & Shine still has bangers. Epic in scope and immediate in appeal, Rise & Shine is a head-bobbing joy ride more often than not. Mourning Wood know their way around a chorus, whether it be mead-quaffing ragers like “Heathen Hooray” or simply epic peaks like “Rise & Fall.” More surprisingly, Rise & Shine’s bridges are consistently its high points. Surefire crowd-pleasing group vocals in “The Vikening,” a theremin solo in “Modern Day Vikining,” an unsurprising-yet-effective break into reggae in “Blastafari;” Mourning Wood can’t be accused of phoning it in. Rise & Shine’s musical eccentricity recalls Diablo Swing Orchestra on occasion, not because Mourning Wood necessarily sound like DSO (though “Redneck Redemption” swings quite hard) but because it feels like nothing is ever off the table. Album highlight “Blastafari” alone shifts between meloblack blasting, Finntrollesque folk, power riffing, and the aforementioned reggae bridge. Not every swing is a hit, but nobody can say Mourning Wood ain’t swinging it.
I’ve found a good rule of thumb for Mourning Wood: the longer, the better. The epics of Rise & Shine are routinely engaging, managing their girthy runtimes with rock-solid songwriting. Viking bravado fuels the dynamic opener “Behind Enemy Lines,” and “Rise & Fall” marches with the slow-burn glory of Caladan Brood into a gangbusters climax. At its grandest, Rise & Shine puts out whiffs of Equilibrium’s Sagas, and that’s no small feat. Even songs that aren’t at typical epic lengths fill the niche. I keep forgetting “Heathen Hooray” and “Blastafari” are only five and five-and-a-half minutes respectively, not because they’re slogs to get through but because Mourning Wood pack so much into them it feels like they should be twice as long. Funnily enough, Mourning Wood are significantly more fun when they’re treating Rise & Shine with a modicum of seriousness than when they’re acting a fool.
My time with Mourning Wood was but distinctly frustrating, but unquestionably enjoyable. The highlights of Rise & Shine are some of the best folk metal I’ve heard in years, while its lowlights are some of the most tedious. I don’t want to suggest to Mourning Wood to cut the comedy out of their music entirely, because that’s clearly something important to them. Instead, if they treated their gags with the care, precision, and fervor they put into their metal work, their next album could be hilarious. I know in my heart they can nail being funny and epic. Regardless, let it be known that the next time I chance an encounter with Mourning Wood, I will seize upon it posthaste.
Rating: Good
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: mourningwood.nl | facebook.com/mourningwoodparty | mourningwoodband.bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026
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