I'm not sure how to rate a various-artists compilation, so I won't even bother.

In today's digital day, these compilation albums are not as invaluable as they were back in my days, kids, back when I would walk my fat-kid ass to K-Mart with five dollars in quarters to buy a cheap K-Tel cassette from the bargain bin. (Before you ask, it was uphill to that K-Mart, but only one way and only for a few hundred yards. I'm not that old.) I bought those tapes religiously because, in pre-internet suburban Tennessee, where there was no access to the metal scene save for the occasional magazine, they were the only way I had to hear bands like Flotsam & Jetsam, Nuclear Assault and Exodus and, on one tape somewhat inappropriately titled Thrash Metal, the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Without those tapes, I'd have likely never heard any band that wasn't on Headbanger's Ball or that my older cousins didn't already like or whose record I didn’t buy solely on faith because of a review or an awesome album cover.

But you kids today, I tell you what… You've got it much, much easier. You can hear about a band, maybe read some enthusiastic recommendation on a really awesome metal forum (like the one behind the Community link above) or maybe see some dude in your favorite band sporting another band's t-shirt, and then all you gotta do is run right to your computer and surf over to Myspace or Last.fm or the band's own website, and there you have it... Instant musical experience.

But enough nostalgic whining from the guy who just turned 31 and really isn't all that old anyway, what about Pagan Fire? Well, if you couldn't guess from the title, it's dedicated to pagan/folk metal, and unlike the Thrash Metal comp I mentioned earlier, it actually seems to understand its subject. Maybe the strictest delineators of all things metal may point out that Amon Amarth is Viking metal or that Unleashed is Swedish death metal or whatever, but all these bands are cut from the same furry loin-cloth, and all of what's here is inarguably folk influenced in one manner or another. As is usually the case with these comps, fans of the style will have ideas about better tracks than the one that's on hand, but again, whatever... (I myself would’ve liked something a little more metallic from Bathory, instead of "Song To Hail Up High." I’ll also admit that, although I’d run across them, I’d never really listened to Bal-Sagoth, so the inclusion of "Shackled To The Trilithon Of Kutulu" did something like what it was supposed to. Now I know that their brand of symphonic black metal is not my cup of tea.)

So, yes, Pagan Fire is a worthy compilation, but back to the first sentence of my trip down memory lane: it’s not invaluable. As good as Pagan Fire is—and it truly is a good listen, even if the peppiness of folk metal can be a little corny at times—ultimately, you don’t really need it. Technology has rendered it irrelevant in most every regard. But, as always, there’s a catch, and here it is: every band on here is killer, minus Bal-Sagoth. With recent deservedly ecstatic reviews on this very site for the likes of Equilibrium, Eluveitie, and Moonsorrow (although their track here is from 2001), as well as selections on hand from Metal Review favorites Enslaved, Unleashed, Primordial and Amon Amarth, Pagan Fire is comprised almost entirely of bands that many of us would enthusiastically encourage you to experience. So however you choose to explore these bands, be it by purchasing this one handy compilation or by writing down their names and tracking them down online—or, as you should in the case of  Enslaved, by buying their entire catalog—you should experience them as quickly as humanly possible.

Also, if you get the fancypants version of Pagan Fire, you get a DVD. But I didn’t, so I can’t comment upon it. I’m sure it’s nice.