Today for “Under the Covers,” we have a really special look. And that is a cover from folk metal act Forgotten Shrine of the traditional Scottish tune, “The Parting Glass.” But before I get into the details, I think I need to take you back just a little bit and give you some context as to why this kind of has a bit of significance for me. This song caught my attention in an unexpected way, and there’s a story behind why.
For those of you who’ve been with us since the early days, and I mean, this is when the Playstation 2 was brand new, you might recall that our site wasn’t always the wide-ranging music hub it is now. Back in the beginning, we had a much narrower focus. Our bread and butter was Celtic punk, and only Celtic punk. That was the one and only fusion genre we wrote about.
But things didn’t stay that way for long. We soon decided to broaden our horizons. We took our Shillelagh – figuratively speaking, of course – and swung it at the gatekeepers and let the metalheads and others in. And I was the one who made this decision, as a life long metalhead.
This shift allowed us to explore so many more sounds and styles. It opened up a whole new world of music for us to share with you. Such as your garden variety primary genres, to folk fusion genres all across the world. This expansion allowed us to explore a much wider range of music styles and traditions. We began covering everything from mainstream rock and pop to more niche fusion genres that blend folk music from different cultures with contemporary sounds.
But during that time, we must have gotten countless submissions, and I can’t even tell you the number of Celtic punk covers of traditional Celtic and Scottish folk. To this day, and still to this day, I have heard so many versions of, for example, “The Wild Rover,” “Finnegan’s Wake,” and “Galway Girl.” (The Steve Earle version, the good version, not the completely different Ed Sheeran abomination that shares the same name.)
You see, it’s very common for Celtic punk acts to cover one or even up to several traditional Irish or Scottish folk songs whenever they put out an album. It’s almost become a rite of passage for these bands. They’ll have their original tracks, sure, but you can bet there’ll be at least one familiar old tune given the punk treatment.
And it’s not just punk, either. We have Celtic folk metal bands like Cruachan who’ve done their fair share of traditional Irish folk covers. They take these songs we all know and love, and crank up the distortion, adding growling vocals and thunderous drums to create something awesome.
Then we have Celtic folk metal bands like Eluveitie, who were truly unique because almost every single one of their songs, like 99% of them, kind of is a cover to a certain degree. They take it even further back in time. They dig into ancient Celtic melodies, the kind that predate even your traditional Irish folk tunes.
These are melodies that have been around for centuries, passed down through generations. Eluveitie takes these ancient tunes and mixes them with their own flavor of death metal. It’s pretty wild when you think about it. And they do this for almost every single one of their songs.
So while covers exist in the world of folk metal, they’re not as common as they are in, say, Celtic punk. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t heard other traditional Celtic songs fused by folk metal, and non folk metal bands. They are plentiful. Heck, even Metallica did a cover of ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ and Týr has done ‘The Wild Rover.’
But something dawned on me when I came across this cover of ‘The Parting Glass’ by folk metal act Forgotten Shrine. I’ve heard a few hundred million versions of this in other fusion sytles, but I’ve never heard a folk metal cover. And that is incredibly bizarre given how popular this traditional track is. And I’m a guy who thinks I have heard it all.
It’s strange to realize there’s still something new to discover in a genre I’ve been following for so long. You’d think with how often ‘The Parting Glass’ gets covered, someone in the folk metal scene would have taken a crack at it before now. Unless there’s some obscure YouTube version I’m missing out on. But here we are, with Forgotten Shrine apparently being the first (or at least the first I’ve come across).
To be fair, Subway to Sally have done a German version of this in their language titled “Auf Wiedersehen”, and our favorite Musketeers d’Artagnan have done their version as well titled “Das letzte Glas”. Though they kind of walk between the worlds of folk rock and folk metal.
But I found it to be really odd that, given this song’s immense popularity, there is no folk metal cover of it in English. Well, now we have one and I am extremely excited to talk about it.
Now, this song actually goes way back to the early 17th century, and was known by a slightly different name and tune, “Good Night, and God Be With You.” And of course it had gone through various name changes and lyrics. The first known printed version would hit within the 1700s, with various fragments of longer versions which would be a part of the song’s ever-evolving history.
It’s pretty cool to trace the lineage of “The Parting Glass” back through time like you’re Marty McFly. Like many traditional songs, it’s been shaped by centuries of singers and musicians, each adding their own touch to the melody and words. The fact that we can pinpoint its origins to the 1600s, and see how it’s changed over the years, really highlights the living nature of folk music.
Now fast forwarding way into modern times. The song originally became popular by Celtic folk outfit The Clancy Brothers. With the first version being sung by Liam in 1959. It would then again rise to popularity by, oddly enough, the founders of Celtic punk, The Pogues, who have one of the most popular versions of the track.
But for now, instead of raising our glasses, we’re going to raise our horns and talk about this more Metal Edition. The song was covered by folk metal act Forgotten Shrine, which features Josh Alexander and Sofia Frasz of Exiled Hope, with a guest appearance by flutist Ember Belladonna.
One of the things that’s so great about blending and using the lyrical content of either traditional Scottish or traditional folk songs with heavy metal, is that if you look at the lyrics generally from one of these songs, you’ll realize they’re pretty brutal. So it’s always exciting to see where a metal act can take it, however, this song opens in that old familiar, beautiful way, and it feels a little bit cinematic.
The way Forgotten Shrine has structured this cover is really interesting. They’re not just slapping metal instruments onto a folk song, but really building up the atmosphere layer by layer. Her voice here is simply stunning, especially with the sounds of deep orchestrations in the background. And the very light harmonies here, and Ember comes in pretty shortly here dropping some serious flute work.
Right when we hit the chorus of the song, we get some more of those folksy elements coming in on the arrangements, some really beautiful chime-like sounds, and at this point, you’re thinking you’re probably going to be shedding a tear, but you end up getting ready to head bang. There’s a great transitional drop here to a little bit of a more heavier style, and a bit more celebratory feel that has come through some of the more actually Irish interpretations of this song.
You might be wondering how a song like “The Parting Glass” could be celebratory. It’s about saying goodbye, after all. But the thing is, in Irish versions of this tune, you’ll often hear subtle ornamentations that are typical of traditional Irish music. Forgotten Shrine has picked up on these and incorporated them into their cover. As for the celebratory aspect, well, that’s where the Irish wake comes in. If you’ve never experienced one, it’s quite something.
Sofia’s vocals grace the second verse, setting up for Josh’s entrance. His baritone delivery, enhanced by a vocal echo effect, is deep and powerful – you can almost feel it in your bones. This section marks a turning point as the riffs kick into high gear, plunging into full-blown folk metal territory.
The track features a great break with thunderous, tribal-like drums that. Ember’s flute work shines once again, adding a touch of ethereal beauty that contrasts beautifully with the heavier elements. The guitar work that follows is simply awesome.
This rendition of “The Parting Glass” by Forgotten Shrine shows how well a traditional tune can blend with metal’s intensity. It’s easily one of the most heartfelt versions I’ve come across, and again, I’ve heard an endless list of different variations of this song.
This song works so well with a metal twist. The marriage of “The Parting Glass” with metal amplifies its emotional impact. The heavy guitars and thunderous drums don’t overshadow the song’s essence; they emphasize its core themes of farewell and remembrance. It’s as if the metal elements are the equivalent of shouting your goodbyes, rather than just a gentle spoken ‘see you on the other side’.
This version by Forgotten Shrine has quickly become one of my favorites. It’s a great interpretation that really hits you. If you’re in the mood for more traditional takes on “The Parting Glass,” I highly recommend checking out the High Kings’ rendition. It’s a great example of the song in its more familiar folk style.
For those interested in hearing how Celtic punk handles this classic, the Tossers have a great version worth a listen. Despite their punk roots, they’ve taken an unexpected approach with an acapella arrangement.
But as for this rendition of “The Parting Glass,” Forgotten Shrine’s version is simply amazing. They’ve created something that is a powerful reinterpretation that honors the original while carving out its own identity. They’ve given a heavy arrangement, to a lyrically heavy song.
