NETHERWILDS
"Peasant Rising" (King Volume
Records; 2026)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Netherwilds' "Peasant Rising" is a fascinating combination of driving hard rock, crushing metal, folk metal and Monty Python-like spoken word breaks. Just reading that description should spark your interest. It isn't every day that you come across an album as varied, as complicated and as successful an experiment as this one.
"Peasant Rising" starts off with "Peasant Pit," a fast, throbbing rock'n'roll tune that starts with a glorious, almost-Gregorian chant, morphs into a galloping metal march, and dissolves into a skit (for lack of a better word). "Peasant Pit" is up next and this is when Netherwilds is at their best. It's a tune that uses folk instruments, used as rock instruments (at least to start things off), and then morphs into a track that, for whatever reason, reminds me of the Beastie Boys.
What follows are twenty more tracks, most of which are straight-forward metal with a folk twist, mixing vintage instruments with electric ones, and ballads that boil into hardcore rockers. All of this interspersed with those spoken-word bits, the longest of which runs 35 seconds. All combined, they create an atmosphere, a universe a concept album that dares you not to listen.
My favorite tracks were the fist-pumping anthem, "Helm, Yeah," the sludgy and daring "Siege Proof Hovel," and "Heretic," which begins with more of those chants and choruses before boiling over into a pummeling metal tune. But all of the tracks are important here; skipping one would be like skipping a chapter in a book.
If you're looking for something new and unique, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything more original than Netherwilds' "Peasant Rising."
For more information, check out https://netherwilds.bandcamp.com/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
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Copyright © 2026 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
