1. Sunrise
2. Born to the Fight
3. With Veins Afire
4. Emain Macha
5. Gaelic Dawn
6. Once Upon An Era
7. A Hero’s Lament
8. King of the Fairies
9. Keen of knowledge
10. Victory Feast
11. Awakening
ReAwakening Pride Once Lost (1998)

LINEUP:
Den Ferran (drums and percussion)
Mairtin Mac Cormaic (tin-whistle)
Ciaran O’Hagan (vocals)
Dermot O’Hagan (guitars)
Michael Proctor (bass)
Release Date: 1998
Re-Release Date: 2006
Label:
Century Media 1998
Midhir Records 2006
Lyrics
1. Echoes of the Sidhe
Through the starless night time air they glide
Beyond the valley to the mountainside
Bright colored haze of luminosity
Enigma from which mortal senses flee
Open your inner eye and you will truly see
Leave this walking world and dare, dare to dream
Echoes of the Sidhe – Resounds eternally
Echoes of the Sidhe – Reverberates in tragedy
Prophets of doom or people of the light?
Contradictory theories, who is wrong, who is right?
Our mortal existence is but a blink of the eye
To those who are perennial and rarely do die
Bow your heads in shame, you who desecrate
You who violate our sacred seats of power
Your actions alone have sealed your fate
An ancient curse will stalk your life for ever more
2. Lámh Dearg
Accept the challenge, to contest for this soil
Victory will come, with blood sweat and toil
Knife through the waves, a province to claim
Defeat unacceptable, can’t live with the shame
Sever the word hand, hurt to the shore
Infamous sacrifice of legend and lore
Anointed in blood, an ill-omened fate?
Strife without end which nothing can sate
Rise above that, which divides us
True love for this land must sustain
Bow to the goddess both planter and gael
True love for our land must sustain
Lámh Dearg – Raise the red hand high
Lámh Dearg – Abu
Lámh Dearg – Ulaidh Go Brea
Lámh Dearg – Abu
Conflict, oppression, atrocity, pain
Dwell in the past with nothing to gain
A bloody hand to unite us, lessen the strife
A true king who takes this land as his wife
A hero reborn from an age now past by
Who embraces the truth and never will lie
Adapt to the paradox we have become
Accept that the evils can’t be undone
Embrace the future, learn from the past
Unite the clans, the die have been cast
3. Twin Fires of Beltíne
Extinguish all flame, ritually renew
Arise with the morning, gather the dew
Fire on the water, healing our ills
Cast spells of protection, gather your will
Call calm from the waters, the Earth and the sky
Invoke the patrons of kin and of tribe
Banish ill fortune, put paid to all pain
The circle keeps turning again and again
Sunwise in the circle turn, twin fires of better turn
Skyclad, to the beat of the drum
Twin fires of Beltine burn
Sun and moon, Earth and stars, twin fires of Beltíne burn
A new dawn heralds the triumph
Cold winter melts away
Aeonghas Magóg Agus Anú
On this day hold sway
Make love in the forests, cavort in the fields
Anoint the blossom, increase the yield
Give toast to the gods and imbibe the wine
An Cailleach transformed to maiden divine
The rhythms of the seasons
The cycles of the moon
Feel the power of the elements
Sun shines on you
As the sun shines down on you
By Oak, give strength
By Rowan, grant magic
By Hazel, bestow wisdom
Spring from winter’s darkness
Into invigorating light
And bathe in the warmth of the summer sun
Faoi dair, labhair neart
Faoi caorthann, deontas draiochta
Faoi coll, bhronnadh eagna
Earraigh ó dorchadas gheiinhridh isteach i solas briomhar
Agus folcadh sa teas na grêine tsamhraidh
4. Of Fear and Fury
The beast of pride has awoken in me
Tremble now for my rage knows no bounds
And though my limbs, they tremble with fatigue
And throbbing pain battles my desire
I invoke the fur within
And hold fast to my iron will
And though you stand before me
I will know thee not
Of fear and fury, fear and fury I’m possessed
Odds insurmountable I face
Drowning in a flood of fear
Visions of mortality and loss
The craven cancer consumes
The bards they speak of heroes pure
Who stand up tall and conquer fear
Invincible, in thought and deed
The calm amid the ebb and flow
Trust not in hope for it, is a dangerous thing
Dare not to dream for shattered hope devastates
Believe in the toil which has prepared you for this day
Put bridle to rage, nerve and skill will see you safe
In my mind’s eye, I recall
All that I have known
I reflect upon the legend of he who stood alone
Summon Cu Chulainn’s spirit, so I may make it home
5. Grave of Giants
Deep they dug, the giant’s grave stood alone
Ravenous for profit, they coldly quarried all the stone
They sneered at the whispers of ancient magic
They launched as they counted their ill gotten gain
But the gods of the land, unconquered
Spoke with elemental clarity
A reminder of the true power
That endures beneath our feet
And from the depths the waters
Flowed and rose and rose again
And drowned the dreams of those who did not believe
6. A Path Well Trodden
Bisected by an icy wind, assaulted by the snow
In battle with the elements, whichever way I go
Blinded by remorseless glare, relentless summer sun
Rain lashed intermittently resilience the key
I have flown uncontrolled through the astral plain
Exhilarating pleasure, a prelude to pain
With numerous diversions, upon my pathway stand
Knowledge is my quest, of astral self and land
And rocky is the path, well trodden by me
Fly with me this night, see what I can see
And rocky is the path, well trodden by me
Take me by the hand see what I can see
Adapting ancient ways, absorbed in new beliefs
Systematic infiltration, secret shrouded supplication
Hysteria looms with menace
Spawned of poisoned tongues
Meticulous misinformation, velvet gloved manipulation
Embrace the sorrow, lie down with the pain
Master emotion, cast off all shame
7. Quest for Immortality
An ominous grey blanket moves with case across the sky
And I, sat here, I wish that I could fly
If wishes were nations, then it’s I who’d rule the world
My subjects mankind? I’d scatter and hurl!
Embrace the words of wisdom, thus fill the armory
Sharpened tongues like keenest edge cuts so deep
Rip down the hall of mirrors with subtlety and guile
Re-humanize mankind from role of sheep
Immortal am I – No fire, no sun, nor moon shall burn
Immortal am I – No water, no lake, nor sea shall grown
I will weep not, like the willow tree, relentless in my aim
Ascension towards divinity, no remorse, guilt or shame
And while I rise, I leave behind
Ideas of mundane conscience
The fickle wants of humankind
Presents to me a nonsense
Infantile, the children rape
And in a frenzy feed
Some people cry for vengeance
But there will be no need
Reprisals will be merciless
Of this there is no doubt
Negligence, the vilest crime
But I will find you out
8. Erdath
Scarlet, foreboding, deadliest of signs
The dawn drips blood on the day of doom
The stars above, they flicker threatening to fall
Dreaded sense of fear consuming us all
The stars they paint pictures in the night time sky
Those who watch, with trepidation, rightly recognize
A foul formed misalignment, this can be no lie
A morbid prediction of our impending demise
Erdath – End of days
Erdath – Eiireann drowns
The sun boils as the tides turn
The seas rise as the winds howl
Fires rage from the Earth below
The land sinks into the waves
The fires of destruction relentlessly it burns
As it licks the western ocean with it’s savage red tongue
A catastrophic conflagration sweeps across the land
Devastating touch of fates all consuming hand
In caves on mountain summits we must endure
Rebirth of mankind in the druid’s hands
Knowledge gathered since the dawn of days
A legacy of hope for those who have survived
Held upon the day that will surely come
When the lands arise from beneath the waves
9. Kindred Spirits
Who are you? What dwells within?
Collective memory borne of kin
Transcend the animal instinctively bred
Question, ponder then ascend
Seek out the energies, ancient, profound
Assemble together, upon hallowed ground
Recite the lore, in memory preserve
Homage to the deities that each of us serve
We are kindred of spirit
Our thoughts are as one
Like mountains we stand
We are never alone
We see magic in the sunrise
We see magic in the trees
As the bud it turns to blossom
We feast upon it’s yield
And as time rolls by
Flowing like eternal streams
Our bonds transcend the centuries
An everlasting tie
Replenish the Earth for the gifts
So easily taken away
Plant deep the seeds
Lest they wither in the sun
Free your will and elevate
Listen to your heart
Let truth emerge from darkness
Casting light upon our way
With courage in our hearts we face
The judgement of the soulless ones
The land pulsates beneath our feet
Energizing those who seek
Reviews
Makes me proud to be Irish... - 90%
Waylander are a blackened folk metal band from Ireland, taking a traditional heavy metal style and having a raspy harsh vocalist to create a sense of harshness and to equal it out have a flute player on top of it all creating wonderful melodies that flow in one year and exit your other leaving you with a smile. There seem to be a lot of bands nowadays (even though Waylander released this almost a decade ago) that follow the trend of being folk metal with harsh black vocals but still compromise the melody with folk instruments like fiddle, flutes, and whistles, and Waylander seems to be at the top of the list of these bands definitely with the album alone being one of the best. I’m stuck between headbanging madly on songs like Emain Macha and With Veins Afire, or jigging along to songs like Born to the Fight or being subdued with the perfectly calm melody of the interlude song Gaelic Dawn.
Reawakening Pride Once Lost is Waylander’s debut in 1998, being very unique almost a decade ago I still think it stands being one of the best folk metal albums I’ve heard in a long time despite being very unknown, which is a damn shame. These guys have the true spirit of metal, Celtic folk, and the overall blend of the traditional spirit. The musicianship here is adequate and passable, with nothing being overly amazing or skilled but at the same time not being ‘bad’ in any sense. The guitar and bass is standard fare, having very speedy and fast riffs, sometimes galloping, and all being very traditional but varied as well from fast to mid-tempo in the more folksy songs. The drums range very nicely from standard double bass and such to even some tribal type drums found on King of the Fairies, which is probably the second best song on here; it’s all here, tribal drums, mood setting back up chanting and the ever present tin fiddle that keeps the melody flowing and picking up again and ending off as a metal song.
The songs on here are mostly short, featuring faster and more metal driven type songs with flute and whistle melodies on top and still mingling well, as well as an interlude song/opener song featuring acoustics and folk instruments highest in the mix. The majority of songs follow the formula of being straight up faster songs right off the bat but still continuing with a combo of harshness and melody, but A Hero’s Lament starts off slow and acoustic with clean sung vocals and a minute or so in turns fast and up beat and a guitar solo mixed well with the harsh vocals.
Drawbacks on this album are few, the lack of variation and apparent formulaic approach to most of the songs can be a drawback to some, fortunate for them though they have done most of these songs well and making them memorable. The vocals here are done very well, O’Hagan would fit well in a black metal band, but the attempts at clean vocals are few and would that helped the album out. Also I would have liked to have more songs with a fun sing along chorus or similar to that, being able to yell and sing along, Born to the Fight, the best song, features a fun sing along part in the opening, “Born to the fiiiigght!” but not many other parts similar to that are found, which hurts it a bit.
In the end, Waylander’s debut is successful at creating a great folk atmosphere with memorable songs and a great combination of harshness and melody. It’s a fun album, not a masterpiece but far from terrible, it’s just a fun and enjoyable release. Released in ’98 you can be well assured this isn’t another one of the bands nowadays jumping on the bandwagon playing a similar style (even though I don’t really mind it). I suggest picking this up if you’re a fan of blackened folk, Cruachan, Primordial, and newer bands like Eluveitie.
Mystic Celtic Metal - 95%
This is an album of pure greatness. Pure Black Metal mixed with ancient Celtic Folk. The best tracks are “Born to the Fight” and “King of the Fairies”. Born to the Fight is a strange song as it could be headbanged as much as it could be jigged and that is the greatness of the band, they arn’t afraid to mix things some might consider polar opposites. King of the Fairies is one of the best songs I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear. It begins with very chunky riffs, but then a tin whistle is added to the mix and continues that way until the chants come in, which sound very cool and mix in well. Overall, a few words to describe this album would be: mystical, beautiful, intense, and of course, just AMAZING.



















