10 Best Metal EPs Of 2017 (So Far)
7. Forefather - Tales From A Cloud-Born Land
Despite possessing a fan-base nowhere near as massive as what they deserve, British thrash/black metallers Forefather have released six albums over the course of their twenty-year career, capped off in 2017 by their new EP, Tales from a Cloud-Born Land.
Like the rest of Forefather's output, this release is one loaded with Pagan brutality, medieval cues and, surprisingly for newcomers, more than its fair share of melodies. Raw and visceral, Forefather's self-professed Anglo-Saxon stylings prove a perfect counterpoint to the European phenomenon of Viking metal.
The harmonic guitar riffs are doubtlessly the biggest highlight of this EP, as well as the choir-like chanting that forms choruses like those on "Two Sacred Oaks". Tales from a Cloud-Born Land, then, is the perfect blend of extreme metal with the classic NWOBHM, demonstrating what would happen if Iron Maiden and Carcass jammed together during the Middle Ages.