First heard in Europe in the early '90s, folk metal takes uptempo folk rock—think Thin Lizzy’s take on the Irish traditional “Whiskey in the Jar”—to an unbridled extreme. Many trace the subgenre’s origins to the Newcastle band Skyclad, who incorporate folk music into their baroque style of metal, and count a fiddle player amongst their ranks. Since that band’s debut in 1991, folk metal has spread across the globe—from Sweden (Vintersorg) and Switzerland (Eluveitie) to Israel (Orphaned Land) and China (Tengger Cavalry). But the subgenre’s epicentre is undoubtedly Finland, home to such prominent folk metal artists as Korpiklaani, Turisas and Finntroll, among others. It’s a style in which violins, accordions and mandolins abound, as each band incorporates traditional instrumentation, musical overtones and lyrical themes from their respective country’s medieval history. And deeper in, there's even room for the odd hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes and Mongolian throat singing.