Folk rock musketeers dArtagnan bring us the album of the summer with Herzblut. This album has a whopping 17 tracks of pure energy, delivered right from the opening track, Ruf Der Freiheit. Upbeat and exciting, it’s sure to get the crowd on their feet and dancing without a second thought.
dArtagnan – Herzblut – (Hansa)
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Jodie Louise
The title track, Herzblut, is an incredible collaboration with Melissa Bony. The contrast of the vocals makes for a powerful duet that easily secures its position as the strongest and personal favourite of the three singles.
Demmel Himmel Entgegen takes an almost pop style to the chorus, along with pounding drums, to create a simple yet effective headbanging track. Mosqueteros is the first of many surprise tracks, with the lyrics entirely in Spanish. An anthem for the fans—affectionately called ‘musketeers’ by the band—it is sure to get everybody moving.
DArtagnan’s ability to perfectly preserve the folk elements of their inspirations without lacking that delicious heaviness is showcased throughout the album, especially in the track Rollt Rein. The song focuses on the acoustic elements and catchy choruses. Freudenhaus experiments in the other direction, with darker and heavier riffs coming together to create a simple but effective track.
The band continues to surprise with musical changes rising and falling like the sea, taking multiple languages and genres in their stride and experimenting with tracks like Rosenrot, which builds on acoustic elements with squealing guitars and powerful choruses. They also add strong bagpipe melodies in Klingen Kreuzen and combine pounding drums with call-and-response vocals in König Der Kosaren in a way that many bands are afraid to do.
Similar to Metzner’s other project, Feuerschwanz, the violins are also a favoured element for D’Artagnan, something that is showcased especially in Coeur De La Mer alongside a ripping guitar solo. Königin maintains this approach, easily changing the tempo, keeping interest in the song high with Western-style guitars towards the outro.
Closing up CD 1, yet nowhere near done, is one of my favourite metal covers of all time, Hey Brother. It feels made for the band and their energy in a way that the original can’t quite match, making it a great decision for both a single and an album track in general.
CD 2 is a fun take featuring two more collaborations – a wholly cinematic track, The Riddle (ft. Visions Of Atlantis), full of intensive Heavy Metal riffs and harmonised vocals, and a pirate-esque drinking song, Cheers My Friend (ft. Fiddler’s Green & Ye Banished Privateers) complete with pumping basslines and cheering lyrics, taking the spot as my favourite track of the entire album.
Finally, to close the album, we are treated to three final covers of traditional folk ballads (La Jument De Michao, The Two Ravens, and Greensleeves), maintaining that medieval energy but effectively combining them with perfect Heavy Metal twists that give the band a unique edge.
DArtagnan tackles music with a unique approach that truly means there is something for everyone on this album, no matter their preferred genre or language. It is hard to make an album that maintains such a high quality throughout, but they do it with ease, meaning the only thing left for them to do is bring the powerhouse album to a live audience in the coming months.
