5 tracks, 70 minutes running time. That’s more than unusual and also a bit annoying; if you want to hear a certain part of a song again, you have to listen to the whole thing. That’s about all the criticism I have to offer, because what Moonsorrow presents here is first class.
With „Verisäkeet“, the five Finns have outdone themselves. The opening song „Karhunkynsi“ (= Bear Claw) begins with tjirping birds and other sounds of nature, very gentle and quiet, but be careful with the volume level, or the following guitar part, an intro to a piece that is partly folk, partly black metal, will make you spill your coffee – like I did. This song is really 3 good pieces in one. The following tracks „Haaska“ (= Cadaver) and Pimäe (= Darkness) can be compared to Bathory, which is absolutely a compliment. „Jotunheim“ (= one of the nine Nordic worlds and home of the frost giants) is 20 minutes long and foms the heart of the album. When you close your eyes, you can visit this place and the melancholy of this song leaves no one untouched. The last track „Kaiku“ is one of those hidden tracks that makes you think your cd player has given up the ghost, as it seems to stop running, but continues after a few minutes’ pause. It’s normal for the last track to be attached to the song before it, but beginning a song with a long pause, was new to me. Luckily, it was just a mean trick and my player was fine. It would have been a shame to miss out on „Kaiku“ (= Echo), since it’s a beautiful song to end the album with, and it makes anyone who appreciates that kind of thing, want to come and sit around the imaginary bonfire. A beautiful album. A half a point will have to be deducted for the fact that they crammed what are 12 songs into 5 tracks, and also for the confusion at the end of the album.
Samira Alinto
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