This is a list of (celtic/medieval/extreme) folk metal albums (in alphabetical order) based on their artwork. It includes iconic cover art from classic albums as well as fascinating work from more recent releases.
There is a saying that "you should not judge a book by its cover", which is of course also true in the case of music albums. However, the artwork can complement the production and give a visual introduction to the musical theme and atmosphere. More than for any other kind of music, this may be true for metal.

(Updated 19.02.2023)

1.Arkona - Гой, Роде, Гой!

2.Brymir - Voices In The Sky

3.Cnoc An Tursa - The Giants Of Auld

4.Eluveitie - Helvetios

5.Eluveitie - Slania

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1.Avantasia - Death Is Just A Feeling

2.Dream Theater - Beneath The Surface

3.Evergrey - Free

4.Firewind - Edge Of A Dream

5.Myrath - Sour Sigh

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1.Vintersorg - Till Fjälls Del II

2.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

3.Myrath - Tales Of The Sands

4.Finsterforst - Zerfall

5.Eluveitie - Ategnatos

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1.Kamelot - Silverthorn

2.Serj Tankian - Harakiri

3.Firewind - Few Against Many

4.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

5.Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol

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1.Epica - The Quantum Enigma

2.Within Temptation - The Unforgiving

3.Caladan Brood - Echoes Of Battle

4.Leah - Kings & Queens

5.Eluveitie - Helvetios

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My Favorite Albums Of The Year \m/

1.Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lost In The New Real

2.Eluveitie - Helvetios

3.Kamelot - Silverthorn

4.Wintersun - Time I

5.Witchcraft - Legend

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This is a list of all the folk metal albums I have listened to that I found to be of at least marginal quality. It is purely for my own organizational purposes and is not meant to be a definitive statement about the genre; for that reason, there are some entries that don't entirely fit the description, including some neofolk albums and bands that don't exactly play "folk metal" but are close enough.

There used to be a good amount of crossover with my black metal list, but I have since cleaned house and removed anything labeled "pagan" or "Viking" to this list. Personally, I'm very skeptical of the idea that "pagan" anything is its own genre, and unless you're Bathory, the Viking shtick doesn't really work with me. I file it under blackened folk or folk black metal or something like that; if it has any ties to traditional music, I've decided simply to add it to this list and not bother with splitting hairs.

The first section of albums represents my favorite albums - sometimes just within the genre, sometimes overall. Beyond that, they are divided into sections by rating going down to 6/10, and within those sections in alphabetical order.

This list was last updated August 8, 2021.

1.Elvenking - Secrets Of The Magick Grimoire

2.Forefather - Ours Is The Kingdom

3.Forefather - Steadfast

4.Forefather - Last Of The Line

5.Dalriada - Áldás

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1.Mors Principium Est - ...And Death Said Live

2.Destruction - Spiritual Genocide

3.Kamelot - Silverthorn

4.Hunter - Królestwo

5.Bloodbound - In The Name Of Metal

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1.Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Piñata

2.Periphery - Periphery II: This Time It's Personal

3.Woods Of Ypres - Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light

4.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

5.Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind

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A bunch of albums with a big circle on the cover

1.Karnivool - Sound Awake

2.Skyclad - The Silent Whales Of Lunar Sea

3.Death - Scream Bloody Gore

4.Pentagram - Pentagram

5.Russian Circles - Empros

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...And since that day, he was never the same.

"He who speaks without an attentive ear is mute."

1.Across The Sun - Before The Night Takes Us

2.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

3.Agent Fresco - Destrier

4.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

5.Angel Vivaldi - Universal Language

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1.Avantasia - The Mystery Of Time

2.Equilibrium - Erdentempel

3.Orden Ogan - To The End

4.Eluveitie - Helvetios

5.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

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My personal best 10 albums from 2012!

1.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

2.Kamelot - Silverthorn

3.Wintersun - Time I

4.DragonForce - The Power Within

5.Eluveitie - Helvetios

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1.Baroness - Yellow & Green

2.Katatonia - Dead End Kings

3.3 Inches Of Blood - Long Live Heavy Metal

4.Eluveitie - Helvetios

5.Acyl - Algebra

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Whenever making general lists like this, I try to include as many genres I listen to as possible. There were so many good doom/gothic/symphonic albums last year, but I didn't want to include them all, even though they deserve a high place on the list. I'll explain the reasons behind my selection, a few words for each album.

1.Woods Of Ypres - Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light

2.Wintersun - Time I

3.Kamelot - Silverthorn

4.Swallow The Sun - Emerald Forest And The Blackbird

5.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

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