The debut full-length album from Hand of Kalliach, Samhainn takes it's name from the ancient Celtic festival of winter (pronounced ‘Sah-win’), marking the beginning of the dark months and the the reign of the witch-god of winter, the Cailleach. Originally released by Trepanation Recordings.
John Fraser - vocals, guitars, drums
Sophie Fraser - vocals, bass
"I loved every track on this album. This is simply an 11" - Gary Hernandez
"...a damn near perfect debut album, a magical and heartwarming piece of art that went far beyond my expectations. Samhainn is certainly one of my favorite releases of the year across a wide breadth of utterly unrelated genres"
"...a fascinating and intensely gripping song by an equally fascinating and gripping Scottish band..."
"The pacing and songwriting are excellent... and the mix strikes the perfect balance between clarity, atmosphere, and power. The crystalline gossamer of harp sits atop the raging drums and roaring guitars like a thin layer of frost, occasionally taking over for brief moments of respite. Meanwhile, Sophie Fraser’s beguiling clean vocals alternate with her husband John’s death growls, both delivering excellent performances. Hand Of Kalliach have delivered one of the best debuts of the year."
"Hand of Kalliach has certifiably elevated themselves to another level altogether to make them one of the newest bands of folk metal that absolutely needs to be watched."
" A multi-layered album, with vibrant, lively atmospherics, it manages to combine two essentially opposing vocal styles and make them work, within a genre-straddling sound, whilst staying true to its Celtic roots. Marrying melody with rhythm, throughout, it makes for an evocatively haunting listen." - 9/10, Jenny Tate
"this is 100% going into my top 5 Album Of The Year list... the album weaves perfectly between history, mythology and land/seascapes of the Scottish islands." - 9.5/10, Rick Eaglestone
