If we'd played this riff more punk,
than may be we'd have had a million seller.
But this piper's tune is not for sale,
(I'm glad to say I'm not that kind of fella).
— "Penny Dreadful"
Skyclad is one of the original Folk Metal bands, founded in 1990. Their early albums show strong Thrash Metal influences as well. Their songs tend to be about social and political topics such as poverty, commercialism, urban decay, and environmentalism. While they have had a number of changes in their line-up, arguably the most important was when vocalist Martin Walkyier left in 2001.
Members:
- Steve Ramsey - Guitar since 1990
- Graeme "Bean" English - Bass,acoustic guitar since 1990
- Georgina Biddle - Violin since 1994
- Kevin Ridley - Vocals since 2001, Guitar since 1998, Producer since 1990
- Arron Walton - Drums since 2001
Studio Albums:
- 1991 - The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth
- 1992 - A Burnt Offering for the Bone Idol
- 1993 - Jonah's Ark
- 1994 - Prince of the Poverty Line
- 1995 - The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea
- 1996 - Irrational Anthems
- 1996 - Oui Avant-Garde á Chance
- 1997 - The Answer Machine?
- 1999 - Vintage Whine
- 2000 - Folkémon
- 2004 - A Semblance of Normality
- 2009 - In the... All Together
Skyclad has examples of the following tropes:
- Gratuitous Latin: This bit from "Worn Out Sole to Heel" is in Latin:Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero,Persta et obdura omnia vincit amor! translation
- Lyrical Dissonance:
- Their catchiest, most upbeat-sounding song, "Penny Dreadful" is anti-pop music.
- "Great Blow for a Day Job" is a mix of a really catchy and upbeat tune with lyrics about dealing with the Devil.
- Pungeon Master: This list
says it all. - Shout-Out: "Folkémon" has a yellow cat in the cover, just in case you weren't completely sure if it was named after Pokémon.
- Small Reference Pools: Despite being the first folk metal band who kickstarted the genre, they've gone on to become extremely obscure and unknown with the passage of time, with other folk metal bands like Finntroll, Ensiferum, Turisas, and Eluveitie completely overshadowing them in popularity and name recognition in modern times.
- Trope Maker: For the whole Folk Metal genre.
- Undead Child: "Catherine at the Wheel" is about a vampire who looks like a young girl who hunts pedophiles for their blood.Her flesh was all he wanted but his blood was what she got,And did he dream of scenes x-rated when she showed him Salem's lot?Now the hunted is the hunter with a heart as cold as steel,See the empty rear-view mirror showing Catherine at the wheel.
