The latest from Finland's Moonsorrow is epic, symphonic, and crushing...yes, V-Havitetty is two LONG tracks clocking in at just under 57 minutes, and the band have more than given us a solid follow-up to their splendid Verisäkeet. Moonsorrow deliver very progressive Viking metal with more than a touch of folk influence, sure to please fans of Finntroll, Enslaved, Agalloch, Amon Amarth, and Thyrfing. The title of the album translates to "ravaged", and overall you'll need to set aside some serious time with this one, but it will be all worth it. The opening piece starts out gently, then morphs into an orchestral yet folky metal epic, filled with crushing riffs, keyboards, flute, black metal growls, and mysterious chants. The second piece, which is a few minutes shorter at just under 27-minutes, employs acoustic guitars, mouth harp, accordion, waves of keyboards, tortured growls and soaring clean vocals, and tremendous riffing. It's all highly symphonic, and there are plenty of "folky jig" moments as well, but the end result is nearly an hours worth of Viking metal that is head and shoulders above much of what you will hear this year. V-Havitetty is probably not the CD to play if you are just cruising around town or entertaining company, but if you are ready to spend some quality time and journey into a serious head trip, take the plunge with Moonsorrow and their latest. It's adventurous stuff, and well worth the time.
Track Listing
1. "Jäästä Syntynyt ("Born of Ice") / Varjojen Virta ("Stream of Shadows")" – 30:10
2. "Tuleen Ajettu Maa ("A Land Driven into Fire")" – 26:19
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