The Scythe is not a clone of Heathenreel, or WYRD, but it damn sure carries parts of both with it into the songwriting. Yes, there is more straightforward metal than previous releases, but to say all Folk is virtually cut out.. how can you say that after listening to Riddle of the Stars, Dominhate, Totentanz, and Horns Ablaze*? I mean, these are just the songs that strike me as the most grassroots-ish on the CD, but the elements are all in place from most of the songs. I think the only song really lacking the way most people claim the whole CD is, would be The Divided Heart. The way people go on, it's as though it's 11 tracks of that very song.
No, it's not as folk-tastic as Heathenreel, yes it is an evolved sound, but I think asking Elvenking to re-hash (essentially) Heathenreel is like asking Nightwish to re-release another Oceanborn, or Blind Guardian to remake ITFOS. The sounds from these albums still exist in the bands current works. In fact, I think these 2 examples are far more dramatic changes than The Scythe.
Take for example Mercenary, then. Everblack and Architect of Lies are completely different beasts, but you can tell they both carry Mercenary's difinitive sound. Much like The Scythe does for Elvenking. Maybe i'm rambling, but I really do think The Scythe is no less folky than The Winter Wake, and only a little less than WYRD (which frankly, I don't really count as an EK release).
