''Folkémon'' is a studio album by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

band Skyclad. It is the last album the band recorded with

Martin Walkyier Martin Walkyier (born 20 September 1967) is an English singer, known for his participation in the heavy metal bands Sabbat and Skyclad.Detlef Dengler: ''Martin Walkyier''. In: ''Metal Hammer'', February 2009, p. 129. The late ''Metal Hammer'' j ...

as vocalist. As is normal with the band's works under Walkyier, the album's lyrical themes deal with

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks ...

, spirituality and personal issues. The album's title was thought up after one of the band members read in a newspaper that, according to a survey, more children recognised the Pokémon character

Pikachu is a fictional species in the ''Pokémon'' media franchise. Designed by Atsuko Nishida and Ken Sugimori, Pikachu first appeared in the 1996 Japanese video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' created by Game Freak and Nintendo, which w ...

than the current

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

. The theme is continued in the liner notes, with the band members listed, for example, as 'Folkémon trainers'. The front cover art and the three illustrations in the lyric-booklet are by Duncan Storr, longtime Skyclad collaborator.

Critical reception

'' Exclaim!'' wrote that "the sextet prove that metal, fiddles, smart lyrical waxing and the occasional lager can mix neatly; the best examples being the sweet, sweet mayhem of tracks like 'The Great Brain Robbery', 'Think Back and Lie of England', 'The Anti-Body Politic' and 'Any Old Irony?'"

Track listing

Personnel

Skyclad

*Martin Walkyier – lead vocals *Steve Ramsey –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

, slide guitar, acoustic guitar,

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

*Kevin Ridley – rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, #2 solo on middle-section of 'The Disenchanted Forest' *Georgina Biddle –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, fiddle, backing vocals *Graeme English – classical guitar, acoustic guitar,

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, backing vocals *Jay Graham – drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

, keyboards, Jew's harp, hunting horn, backing vocals

Additional Musicians

*Tirza Abb – "Horny Huntress" on "Polkageist!" *Averre Graham – penny whistle & Cor anglais

References

External links

Folkémon by Skyclad @ Encyclopaedia Metallum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Folkemon 2000 albums Skyclad (band) albums Nuclear Blast albums Albums produced by Kevin Ridley