Germany and Finland seems to almost have a stronghold of good folk metal bands as they just keep on coming and I keep on finding bands I’ve never heard of before from these countries that are great. From the same country that has given us the likes of Suidakra and Equilibrium Germany has a band that’s probably lesser known for most of you called Craving.

By the Storm is the bands third full-length release and since their formation in 2005 (as Erbos). The core three members Thorsten Flecken, Ivan Chertov and Maik Schaffstädter were together on the first two albums however with By the Storm the lineup has taken a big change. Craving now consists of Ivan Chertov on guitar/vocals, Leonid Rubinstein on bass and Tobias Petri on guitar, meaning Ivan Chertov is the only member left from the original lineup.

With the change though there isn’t really that much that’s different and fans of Craving will still feel right at home. Ivan is still a great vocalist, while Leonid and Tobias fills in the void left from the past members just fine. By the Storm is a really long album, the longest I’ve reviewed actually, clocking a whopping 1 hour and 18 minutes. I don’t think Craving offers anything extraordinary but at the same time it isn’t bad, it’s just compared to the likes of Equilibrium and Suidakra they are missing that little extra punch. For fans of said bands though Craving will be a nice surprise to anyone who haven’t heard of them before. If you have then don’t be alarmed by their lineup changes, they still still offers the melodeath/folk metal you’re used to.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CravingOfficial

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cravingofficial

For fans of: Suidakra and Equilibrium

Favorite song: Spirits of the Dead