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Samhainn

by Hand of Kalliach

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darrenr3526
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darrenr3526 Opens with a very melodic intro and an air of expectation for a big drop. The anticipation builds, and builds, and builds, and... doesn't disappoint! High energy delivery, sustained right to the end with an excellent balance of aggression, emanating from the drums, and calmness from the crystal-like vocals cutting through. Favorite track: Beneath Starlit Waters.
JD
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JD Entrances you with it’s ethereal beauty, envelopes you in mist then rends you limb from limb. One of my most anticipated debuts this year that far exceeded my expectations Favorite track: Cinders.
bmurator
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bmurator UK Folk Metal. This is a wonderful duo singing a mixture of DM & ABM with Celtic influences throughout. I absolutely love the contrast between the two voices. This is their debut full album & it is stunning! I definitelly want more! No faves & highly recommended!!!
more... more...
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  • Streaming + Download

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  • Other Apparel + Digital Album

    Save on shipping and get the vinyl and new Each Uisge shirt together, plus a free patch!

    Includes one of the Samhainn limited first-edition oceanic black and blue vinyl, limited to 250 copies worldwide, along with a very limited run Each Uisge shirt, screen-printed with three tones in high resolution on a Gildan softstyle tee. Also includes a black fabric patch with iron-on backing. Vinyl in printed 3mm spined sleeve, with white inner.

    Each Uisge lore:

    The tales from Scottish mythology say the shape-shifting Each Uisge lives in the sea and lakes of Scotland, disguising itself as a fine stallion. If a human mounts it in view of the sea or a lake, the Each Uisge's skin becomes bonded to the rider and the creature gallops into the deepest part of the loch to drown it's hapless victim, before devouring it's corpse... Behold the legendary demon!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Samhainn via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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    ships out within 10 days

      £34.50 GBP or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    The first pressing of Samhainn, on limited first-edition blue and black oceanic vinyl. Limited to 250 copies worldwide. Vinyl in printed 3mm spined sleeve, with white inner. Packed with vinyl mailer and x2 stiffeners for extra protection.

    Ships untracked to reduce costs, if you require tracking please let us know before placing the order. Sorry about the prices for our worldwide supporters - we're taking a loss on the postage and it's still expensive!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Samhainn via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days
    edition of 250 

      £19.50 GBP or more 

     

  • T-Shirt/Shirt + Digital Album

    High resolution three-tone screen printed Gildan softstyle shirt. Very limited run, also available as a package to save on postage with the vinyl version of Samhainn.

    The tales from Scottish mythology say the shape-shifting Each Uisge lives in the sea and lochs of Scotland, disguising itself as a fine stallion. If a human mounts it in view of the sea or a loch, the Each Uisge's skin becomes bonded to the rider and the creature gallops into the deepest part of the loch to drown it's hapless victim, before devouring it's corpse... Behold the legendary demon!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Samhainn via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days

      £15 GBP or more 

     

  • T-Shirt/Apparel

    9cm/3.5inch diameter woven patch with iron-on backing.
    ships out within 7 days

      £2.50 GBP

     

  • T-Shirt/Apparel

    High quality print metallic Hand of Kalliach logo on 100% cotton shirt. Available in mens and womens cuts and sizes. If we're out of your size, let us know and we'll get in touch when we have new stock in! Please note that this design is matt printed and not reflective.
    ships out within 10 days

      £12 GBP or more 

     

  • Samhainn 4-sided long sleeve t-shirt
    T-Shirt/Apparel + Digital Album

    An awesome reversal and reimagining of the figure on the 'Samhainn' cover art, this design by ultrariot depicts the ancient Cailleach witch-god awakened and enraged with the coming of winter - which brings the best weather for long sleeves!

    Professionally screen printed on Gildan GD14 Ultra Cotton, with the main artwork on the front, the Hand of Kalliach logo on the back and a Bethir-Nimh (12-legged wingless dragon) on each sleeve.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Samhainn via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Limited Edition CD
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Professionally manufactured.

    Limited to 50 copies.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Samhainn via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Standard CD
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Professionally manufactured.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Samhainn via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
Deep in the heart of these Whispering dreamscapes The currents bear to me the call Songs from a season Lost under seas These still waters conceal Colder, the waters that Bring the night closer The waves like rhythms Stir my soul Dark beneath silver Covers the wrecks Of summers lost Once more Scents of the past filter Down to my slumber Slake the thirst with Moonlight cold Lifted on wings Through currents beneath This starlit sea I rise Drawn from the depths Piercing darkness above Raising staff, and hammer from the beds Plaid to cast over Land that decays This cycle must commence Bha mi an sin Èirich Reòta teachdaire Thoir dhuinn an sneachda And now To raise hammer high And cast down your plaid Awakened and enraged Lift me From slumbering sea so dark Let me behold The sky again Now seas Give to you The sweet release That winds bring this land Once more And rise The seasons pale Futures fade by frosts The omens cold embrace And now At this beginning The horrors are unleashed Repeated on this world In ice Staff high And hammer to shape these skies A loss, a cry heard far From here Grasp tight To these precious sands you hold Breathe in this night So cold No Beneath starlit waters The judgement rises now The warmth all but lost Agus Ro mhadainn Aon gealladh Cha ghabh a shàbhaladh A chur gu bàs
2.
Wake From dreaming The warmth departs these shores From eightfold crones the chants are heard The sand inverted once again The grace unseen As paper fingers snap The night encroaching all too fast A blink, a moment, lifetime spanned Held tight By bone, and in fur clad A mourning bell tolled slow by shades Who came before, now looking in Weighed down Cast to the silent deep, and found her there Now cast in stone with hammer forged From shards of stars Eyes high Transcending this mortal veil Let it go Strength now Pull free from the waters hold Return me Reach out Where hearts lie in anchored rest Keep it near Let go Of these ashes Set them free from you Lights Now waning And soon to be undone As silvered eyes to winter sun The interlopers earned their ends A cast that falls On frost to fill a glen The sign of darker days, an omen Sent by emissaries cold The time a stream Escaping from your grasp The bloodied waters fill the cup Now filled with hate of seasons past The world is changed The warmth that fades with time The iron turns the earth again And this strange light now fills the sky Eyes high Transcending this mortal veil Let it go Strength now Pull free from the waters hold Return me Reach out Where hearts lie in anchored rest Keep it near Let go Of these ashes Set them free from you But all this So dreadfully in vain The truths of the unknown The staring at the void Bored through the core The revelations That cannot be reversed The answers now regrets A book that should remain forever closed The knowledge that is held As I watch that star descend To mark the close of these long days I will bury this in iron At the bottom of a loch Under skies of silver grey To the nothing I'll become These ashes over eyes that fade The journey at an end The writings go unread The marks now left in sand and earth The strangest light to end the page A beauty clasped in teal Beneath the morning waves The light enchanting in this dawn A bone white face that stared to shore
3.
Listen on the wind, the voice It calls you Let it lead you here, to me Be guided Lost, so far from home, alone And weary Ache of flesh and bone, your heart I feel it Let me bear you now, to rest At long last Ifrinn deamhan An Each Uisge Foul deceiver Bound by this demon flesh Hooves drive me, merciless Dragged under churning waves Foul air marks cursed day From wrecked ship, I lost my way We sailed against malicious waves That dragged the crew to jagged graves Voices, on the freezing air Compelled the horses, white of hair The ocean, spiteful, drove us back Into the rocks, and sea pitch black Lost, starved, parched, alone Desperate now, so far from home The voices called, so sweet and clear Drowned out the warnings I wouldn't hear Then, behold, merciful steed Salvation found in time of need But fate has found me, cursed fool Bound to a demon dragging me to the waves Ifrinn deamhan An Each Uisge Foul deceiver Bound by this demon flesh Hooves drive me, merciless Dragged under churning waves I approached, I felt it's stare The sense of malice in the air Trust to me, now lay to rest The ache of years fall from you Weak, fool, I did not leave But mounted up, in sweet relief Feel the desperation wane Drifting from this coil Horror, no, now sealed my fate The realisation came too late It's flesh began to meld with mine Infernal spawn, in form equine True face revealed, the mane ablaze Towards the waves it fixed it's gaze And galloped there with demon's haste To drown me there, and on me feast Ifrinn deamhan An Each Uisge Foul deceiver Bound by this demon flesh Hooves drive me, merciless Grasping for silvered blades
4.
Roil 03:28
Awaken Ready for dawn Prophetic the skies Resistance in hand Defiance in eyes That purpose clear Deafening now rings Send gifts of iron Through skulls of kings The march to the edge Borne on currents of hate The will to endure To reach glorious fate To cast aside False peace been had And end the journey In crimson clad Go Turn this glass to bloody roil Fuel Bring these waters to the boil Tear the pillars down Collapse the monuments Stack the structures high Ignite the effigies Break the chains of slaves And with that gifted steel End the reign of gods Restore the destinies Strands of fate Woven through these waters Lead you here To those shores forgotten  Into the roil Facing falsehoods frail That crumble to dust Watch resolution fail Thirst, the call to Taste ichor near To topple the idols And devour their fear The spines pulled up By thin coils of lies See realisation dawn In these incredulous eyes These creatures breeding fear This pious hate they bring This can't be ended now Without more suffering Go Turn this glass to bloody roil Fuel Bring these waters to the boil Tear the pillars down Collapse the monuments Stack the structures high Ignite the effigies Break the chains of slaves And with that gifted steel End the reign of gods Restore the destinies Strands of fate Woven through these waters Lead you here To these shores forgotten  Deep below Sunken hearts will harden Take hold now Let the mirror darken Into the roil Grey and red once more The demagogues now fled The brave now blood and gore The salt in their wounds Well worn the hopes Still blind to the truths That hung from the ropes The towers scarred the earth Now torn apart and burned Their cursed ashes left Into the soil turned The summoning now answered Legions leave the shore Waters glass again Until fate calls once more
5.
Cinders 03:02
Torn Pulled from the void Blackened the gift Wrapped in the bloodied cloak Lost Awake in the dark Shadows that move Clawing the eyes can't see Found Hearing the voice Louder now screams Echoing endlessly Caught Thrown in a cage Circled by drones Ripping the flesh from me Hope Denied by cuts Turning the blades Shackled by destiny Husks Dripping with fear Sensing the end Tasting the suffering Chance Cast from the throne Sand in the glass Loss of the calling fuels Rage Vanishing time Ticking away Ignition certainty Fuel for the pyre now A blast to ignite, madness as a charge A gasp in the dark, delirium waits A flare to reveal, alighting the path Fate falls, unmasked A promise of hosts, now broken as ghosts Departure betrayed, the godflesh now flayed And in the wake, of heaven ablaze May these cinders guide you Bones Holding their peace Silence a curse Secrets forever held Heart Beating at speed Hearing it push Feeling it strain against Mind Finally lost Crumbling stones Sanity rupturing Feòil Dèanta bho Amadan agus Losgadh e an grain seo Ash Cremated past Fabric tears Magma now runs through veins Souls Wreathed in the flame Horrors released Within these Sacred walls Fire Calling the flames Summoning strength Primed now to Burn out bright Face Desperate truth Reach for the light Know that this time has come Put torch to pyre now A blast to ignite, madness as a charge A gasp in the dark, delirium waits A flare to reveal, alighting the path Fate falls, unmasked A promise of hosts, now broken as ghosts Departure betrayed, the godflesh now flayed And in this last light, now drowned in the stars May these cinders mark the end But not yet Through immolation, redemption For all the stars I will not see For all the faces that have passed I will savour every second As I watch it all collapse No candle burnt out brighter No darker tragedy Now this doomed fate befalls us Adrift in blackest sea Immolation as a virtue Inverting to ascend In this race to destruction May these cinders mark the end
6.
Seall Tha I dorcha a-nis An seo, aig bonn An locha seo Èist Tha iad a 'tighinn Bho fad às Ist An tàirneanach Hearts Aglow in rains That fall to wash The wounds from you Hush A time to rest A space to heal Be still with me Feel The waters stir The knowledge pours The truth unfurls Rise Above this calm Empowered Go Rejoin the stars Go Rejoin the stars
7.
Ascendant 03:13
Shatter the bonds Under lunar eyes Your wings the blades Eviscerate the skies Devour the silence That chokes the air The glass that shatters from a single tear Fervent Blows from the hammer while Servants Gazed through the earth over Seasons Enrage the waters as Reasons Fade from your memories The Visions remain Burnt through your core Searing agony Of one thousand more Above bloodied land Under moonlight glow See the horrors wrought In the fires below Mercies Withheld upon high by this Tyrant Sycophants clamouring Price paid With blood and with gold was this Flesh flayed Butchered for vanity Cut free Pretence of innocence Guilty, in Court of the coldest sun Judgement Shipwrecked and dragged beneath Sentenced Condemned to deepest graves Arise, now, arise, now Through darkest moments Through walls of loss Under weight of grief You are not yet lost Through smoke of futures Burning underfoot Through the paths that stem From this deepest root You are not alone In this endless storm Become ascendant  Arise reborn The revenant howl The vengeance long Justice returns Six thousand strong The debt to pay In blood and bone Now raze the idols Shatter this throne Cast from the cliffs And fed to the deep Their wretched bones Now the earth may keep Upon the pillars Rising from the graves Take your hallowed place Above the churning waves
8.
Churn Bring the wood to burn Drive the auger on Smoking from the turn Cold in every hearth Frost in every breath Eyes upon this Single Ember Rope Holding onto hope Woven with a prayer Lashing to the post Ring to bind them strong First begotten sons Eighty one to Bring this Neid-Fire Churn Beckoning the flames Summoning to save Step between the smoke Pull between the space Calling to the night Bring to us the Ritual flame Turn Bring the wood to burn Warm a hundred souls Spare a thousand hearts Light a candle pure Set the hearths again Starting with this Ancient augur Scars Marked upon the stake Each a blazing gate Each a village raised Each a future saved Each a quiet plague Cast into the Fires higher Rage Heard across the waves Heralding the days Marshalling the storms Crying out in vain Bring the stricken near Blades to sever Through the aether Hope Ashen the line Ripping the night Tearing the malice out Flames Cleansing the land Curing the ills Radiant providence Churn Driving it on Lashing the post Bringing salvation near Burn Neid fire burn Relight the hearths Banish the fatal plagues Stars gaze unblinking Fuath rage unshackled Cursed and corrupted May this save you
9.
Listen To the mountain Through the rain clouds Through the thunder Something stirring Something moving Something waking Something old as Earth is trembling Mountain shaking Time unmaking Seconds running Out from under Burrows deeper Ancient horror From a darker age Thunder It is nearer Storm heralder Lightning lights the way Searching It is hunting Now approaching With the scent of prey Pinned down Feel the hellsting Venom searing Now the mortal chase Escape From the madness That has found you Pray to win this race Storm clouds Beckoned tempests Darkened Answers to these Questions Waking dreamers Summoned Nightmares racing Fear now Counting blessings Summing nothing As the storm sings Eyes that open Under duress Signed in breaths now To a grave test To break curses Win the races Down the mountain Swifter paces As the clock strikes As the sands run Be the victor Or the victim Fly now As the landslides Over Through the cliff sides Under Drives the Beithir Racing To the waters Bha mi air chall anns na cnuic sin Agus fhuair an dealanach mi Twisted pact, a serpents ire To race against this future dire Whispers From the corries Offer challenge To the heedless Delving Ever deeper Through the burrows Of the reapers Vengeance On the hunters Who have made them With their hubris Venom Laced with malice Of a serpent To repay this Charges Hold the air still Thunder Echoes fell will Coiled In deeper ground Waking Horror unwound Bha mi air chall anns na cnuic sin Agus fhuair an dealanach mi Twisted pact, a serpents ire To race against this future dire Dragon, scorned of wings or flame The thunder bellows out it's name A venom only with one cure To win a race to waters pure Severed by the hunter's blade, Under the lightning, form remade, The fated spin, to die or live, The twisted trial, the Beithir-Nimh
10.
Lost On waves Of an endless sea Under starlit skies It returns to me The strength from steel And peace from blade The calls now warped The mind now frayed Still as glass This ocean deep These answers drowned Abyss to keep Gently now That promise made The time, the strands Of the fates to braid A tender glance At a weathered face As the summers fade And dissolve this space The seasons turn The warmth behind The light of spring Now repaid in kind The void, that calls The hour, that's near Under watchful skies That song, so clear The hand that weaves The skin, and bone It binds you now Return to stone Silver from the skyline Mercury from ocean Blackened as the remains Ashen as the new day Earth that lines the graveside Waters at the high tide Fire marks the turning Air to fan the burning Brighter as the light shines Colder from the insides Deeper as the waves break Harsher spirit to wake Faster for this last time Longer hear the steel chime Higher as the shade flies Louder as the winds rise Aon, Da, Tri, Ceithir Silent cries, calling you Ancient weights, release you Rising now, to unfold Whispering, let it go The memories I cannot find The faces of those left behind The rage against the cruelty here The hope gave way to hate and fear This last farewell, a final gasp As that cold hand, tightens its grasp I will not bend, I will not break Ready I stand, to face my fate The void, that calls The hour, that's near Under watchful skies That song, so clear The hand that weaves The skin, and bone It binds you now Return to stone

about

The debut full-length album from Hand of Kalliach, Samhainn takes it's name from the ancient Celtic festival of winter (pronounced ‘Sah-win’), marking the beginning of the dark months and the the reign of the witch-god of winter, the Cailleach. This album represents a huge gear change in the writing and production from the duo's initial work, bringing a darker and more aggressive energy to their hybrid sound of melodeath and folk metal.

MEDIA FEEDBACK:

10/10
"a hauntingly gorgeous Celtic sound interwoven with ferocious death metal savagery...For me, this is a strong contender for debut album of the year."
Lindsay C, This Day In Metal

10/10
"...portrays beauty and power, deliverance and destruction. As far as standout tracks, I loved every track on this album. This is simply an 11."
Gary Hernandez, Metal Temple


"From our objectivity we stand before one of the best albums of the year 2021 without a doubt"
ROCKVIP

9.5/10
"This is 100% going into my top 5 Album Of The Year list"
Rick Eaglestone, Ever Metal

4.5/5
"The pacing and songwriting are excellent...Hand Of Kalliach have delivered one of the best debuts of the year"
Heavy Music HQ

"With Samhainn, Hand of Kalliach deserve to be propelled out of the underground and into mainstream consciousness."
A Certain Taste

9/10
"vibrant, lively atmospherics...manages to combine two essentially opposing vocal styles and make them work, within a genre-straddling sound, whilst staying true to its Celtic roots...an evocatively haunting listen." Rock Queen Reviews

4.7/5
"Absolute brilliance! Last year's EP was a breath of fresh air, and Samhainn is set to eclipse it by miles." VUK and Serena, The Metal Wanderlust

9/10
"Listening to this on release day blew me away... to come out the gates coming this strong for a debut... one of the strongest folk metal albums I've heard in a while"
URN Headbangers Hideaway

"While this album is, in this scribe's opinion, an absolute smash, part of my enjoyment stems from the implicit fact that Hand of Kalliach are perfectly poised to make it big... This album has made a substantial splash here and elsewhere for very good reason... They are on the cusp of something great, and that you can print. Hand of Kalliach could have gone half as hard and I'd still be singing this album's praises."
Sleeping Village Reviews

"… a powerful effort that has more than enough reason to capture any ear… certifiably elevated themselves to another level altogether to make them one of the newest bands of Folk Metal that absolutely needs to be watched …"
Head-Banger Reviews

9.45/10
"Every track slaps with a whimsical and heavy atmosphere that I haven’t quite heard anywhere else...Samhainn is a masterpiece"
Mack Samson, Weeb Revues

"Hand Of Kalliach impressively prove that Folk Metal doesn't always have to be happy and kitschy, but can also be frosty and brutal, without having to forego the necessary melodies."
Crossfire Webzine

"one of the most authentic and innovative bands in the Atmospheric metal scene...The combination of these elements is done in a magical way and the result is something that requires listening, since simple words do not justify it"
FuzzyHound

8,25/10
"…made of charming and fine contrasts…with very good melodies entangle with brutal parts…for a first album, it’s an excellent result, so the future is pointing to the duet as one driving force in the Folk Metal scene." Metal Mind Reflections

"sophisticated and inspired assemblage…lot of elegance and strength…very interesting and well done …without fear of being wrong, I can say that Hand of Kalliach are one of the pleasant surprises of 2021 …" (El Lado Oscuro Metal)

8/10
"great amount of melody...very powerful sound...this is another great sounding recording from Hand of Kalliach and if you are a fan of Celtic folk metal, you should check out this album"
Adifferentshadeofblackmetal

credits

released October 22, 2021

All songs written and performed by Hand of Kalliach
Mixed and mastered by Wynter Prior at Sphynx Studios www.metalrecordingstudio.com
Released by Trepanation Recordings
Artwork by VHummel

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Hand of Kalliach Edinburgh, UK

Hand of Kalliach play a blend of melodic death metal with atmospheric Gaelic and Celtic influences, inspired by Scottish folk music.

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