We’d be lying if we didn’t acknowledge that metal loves to follow trends – and we’re not just talking about the scene kids and their ridiculous hairstyles, this “nu-metal revival” that certain sectors of the metal media seem convinced is on the horizon, or the hipster pile-on that Mastodon unintentionally encourage. Even the tr00est of the tr00 catch a ride on a bandwagon from time to time.

Right now it’s Pagan Metal that seems to have got people’s juices flowing. Just a quick look at the line-up to this year’s Bloodstock shows more Pagan Metal creeping on to the bill than ever before – last year Eluveitie stood out among a largely pagan-less line-up, but this year there’s Amon Amarth, Battlelore, Equilibrium, and even Turisas (insofar that any band that covers ‘Rasputin’ can claim to be folkmetal…) and you can bet there’ll be more still to come.

Paganfest is going from strength to strength, with its second outing in the USA set to kick off next month with a line-up that includes Korpiklaani, Primordial and Moonsorrow (that’s them in the picture). Hell, earlier this year when Thrash Hits decamped to Finland for Spinefeast at Sea 2009, the Finns were going seriously apeshit for the folk-metal of Metsatöll.

Does Pagan Metal live up to the hype? Or is it never excusable to play metal while dressed up as an extra from Lord Of The Rings? What do you think?

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