Svartby have in the past been derided as simply another derivative folk metal by-the-numbers band, a kind of budget Finntroll. On this, their third full-length, they have finally begun to answer some of those critics, and though Elemental Tales will win few awards for originality, it is the work of a band that is at last showing some desire to branch out and forge their own path. Gone are the broken Swedish lyrics, replaced instead with broken English....
