Folk Metal for Forest Trolls
Metal has drawn on traditional folk music since the Led Zeppelin days -- appropriately, given its obsession with pagan mythology and times of yore. In recent decades (especially in Finland, apparently), folk metal has even evolved into its own sub-style. The jolly Finns in Korpiklaani, for instance, incorporate their homeland's polka-like humppa and indigenous Arctic yoik while primarily celebrating getting drunk. Other popular themes include dancing, imaginary tiny people of the woods (hence bands named Finntroll and Elvenking), and the wilderness itself: Folk metal doesn't ignore the forest for the trees! And when it can toss in a bagpipe or flute or bouzouki, it will. Here's a playlist to get you started.