Where the growth is

[Conservationist]

Let's be honest -- metal is now

(a) Indie/hipster/emo/twee/metalcore
(b) Folk metal

I'm thinking that although (b) is really cheesy, it might be worth pursuing.

[Nimbostratus]

Anyone into Fejd?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOPQoSR9jvs

I like the way they don't use electric guitar, and the way they aren't that bouncy (as lots of chuga chuga folk metal). Still, they sound metal, and IMO they are good.
Any other recommendation? Metal with the quality and spirit of Vassen would be awesome

[Jim Necroslaughter]

(b) Folk metal

and lets make Ildjarn and Graveland the pre-eminent figureheads here.  with folk metal, the metal needs to "come first."  Like Fenriz says in UtLTU, Metal is OUR folk music (or something to that effect).

[UmlautsForEnglish]

The best folk metal is usually those who use it the least/most tasteful way.  It begs the question, why even bother with adding folk?  Leave folk music in folk music.  I could see a good genre emerging that used the scales and the general mentality of folk music. Instead, most bands focus on how many weird and gimmicky instruments they can cram into a record.  Until it moves beyond that, I see even less musical growth and potential in it than the tweebo shit.

[scourge]

The Hungarian band Forest Silence has a vanilla or better black melodic/folk metal album called Philosophy of Winter.

[Examiner]

Anyone into Fejd?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOPQoSR9jvs

I like the way they don't use electric guitar, and the way they aren't that bouncy (as lots of chuga chuga folk metal). Still, they sound metal, and IMO they are good.
Any other recommendation? Metal with the quality and spirit of Vassen would be awesome

Otyg is quite similar in style and instrumentation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r30_e2LhZkg

[aquarius]

Folk could be useful in order to loosen up the instrumentation and technique, making the music more organic again. Isengard is a good example this, though it's equal parts DOOM and trash as it is folk. Really I'm more in favour of expanding metal structure to become closer to neo-classical/ambient than folk.