Reviews list for Moonsorrow - V: Hävitetty (2007)

Moonsorrow are among an elite group of artists across any genre of music that I can honestly say have shown great maturity into their later years. This group around the mid 1990s as a fairly decent pagan black metal band who occasionally delved deep into soaring song construction associated with the atmospheric side of black metal. Of course, it was only a matter of time before Moonsorrow refined their sound and gave it more progressive elements and would essentially place themselves firmly in my wheelhouse when it comes to my favourite styles of black metal. What I am basically saying is...my very unique appreciation for black metal is attributed in large part thanks to Moonsorrow.

I discovered them in 2011 with the record Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa which I view as the culmination of their sound, and one of the best albums in all of that year. Most of the general consensus among fans is that Verisäkeet is the tops, but very few people talk about V: Hävitetty. This record is a daunting one; only two tracks, but both eclipse twenty-five minute runtimes. Of course, most Moonsorrow fans should not be surprised by this since they have always engaged in ten minute plus endeavours. And with this? I feel like Hävitetty is more of an experimental project rather than one that Moonsorrow would continue down. A very good experiment mind you, but not one that I see as the pinnacle of Moonsorrow's discography.

So to start, let's talk about these song forms. The first track is actually broken up into two distinct sections: "Jäästä syntynyt / Varjojen virta" breaks right around the twelve minute mark. The first is slow and drawn out for quite some time, only truly growing into a black metal mold around the seven minute mark. The buildup is tremendous and each of the following transformations hit like a freight train! The soaring melodies in the guitar complimented by some very prominent bass allow for this track to become a true "epic"; you will not even notice where all the time has gone.

The second track, "Tuleen ajettu maa" is far more straightforward and may be seen as the lesser of the two tracks. With it being only one continuous idea, it can become repetitive if you are not listening in the right places. The main melodic passage is passed around the ensemble and is transformed through a number of different time signatures and stylistic changes; it's actually quite impressive. There are some classical composers who cannot hold onto a melodic theme for that long! And just like the opening of the first track, the gradual cool down from the massive cataclysm of sound ends the album the same way that it began and it helps bring these two separate ideas together without ever having to cross reference each other.

There are a couple of problems. First and foremost, the mixing of the percussion is quite lackluster. Most notably during any softer portions when Marko starts incorporating more lower toms and kick drum, they seem to pierce through the mix and clip over any clean guitars or synths that might be playing at the time. The only other big issue that I have is the incorporation of these folk elements. First and foremost, this is a black metal record with folk elements, rather than a unification of the two. Perhaps a little bit ironic since one of my favourite records of all time is Ashes Against the Grain, but it has been dealt with by groups such as Saor later on, and I can't help but feel a little underwhelmed.

That being said, if you want an album that has stood the test of time by combining the elements of atmospheric black metal, progressive metal and folk together, then Hävitetty might be the album for you. The sounds on display here are some of black metal's finest. This truly feels like the warm embrace of a fire while the rest of the world around you is entrenched in the coldness of winter. It might not be as mature as Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa, but a step in the right direction nonetheless.

I'd suggest that 2007's "V: Hävitetty" album from Finnish folk metallers Moonsorrow is one of the most definitive releases for The North in that it really encapsulates elements of all three major genres housed by the clan. It never feels like black metal however it certainly borrows plenty of tools from its more evil brethren. To my ears it's just as much of a Viking metal record as it is a folk metal one though as it's not only got plenty of theatrical hints at longboats & the like but it's also got that rolling, epic feel you expect from Viking metal. You'll also find some progressive flourishes in the synthesizer use at times although anyone suggesting that this is a progressive release is overstating things.

I first encountered Moonsorrow very quickly after my return to metal in 2009. I'd noticed that their 2005 album "Verisäkeet" was very highly regarded so I thought I'd better check it out. Unfortunately I found myself struggling with it for all of the reasons that I struggle with folk metal in general. The folk melodies just don't appeal to me & I find that this takes most of the intensity out of the music for me. But after experimenting a bit more with the rest of Moonsorrow's back catalogue I'd find that they'd undergone a gradual transformation that would see me identifying more & more to grab onto with each subsequent release. I utterly despise their first couple of albums "Suden uni" & "Voimasta ja kunniasta" but 2003's "Kivenkantaja" & 2005's "Verisäkeet" both saw them edging progressively a touch closer to my affection without ever really threatening to become something I'd class as being genuinely enjoyable. Looking back now I can easily see that Moonsorrow's ability to provide me with any sort of value is generally dependent on what the ratio of folk-to-Viking is like. They seem to have gradually added more of the Viking-period Bathory influences in over time whilst toning back the folk metal cheese & that's definitely a good thing for me. And this bring us to their fifth album "V: Hävitetty" which finally sees Moonsorrow breaching my tough exterior & offering me some sort of appeal.

"V: Hävitetty" is a little bit of a frustrating album for me though. It starts off in the most awe-inspiring fashion with the first third of the immense 30 minute opener "Jäästä syntynyt / Varjojen virta" being nothing short of mind-blowing & leading me to question whether I'm in for a significantly more noteworthy experience. The next ten minute section sees the quality dropping back a bit but maintaining a solid level before the last third unfortunately signals the arrival of some of those cheesier folk metal extravagances that I find so grating. Overall it makes for an enjoyable listen but I can't help but feel that it was a missed opportunity. The other huge track "Tuleen ajettu maa" sees things dipping a little further with several sections that are just so consciously trying to sound epic & the heavier sections being almost cancelled out by the most unintimidating synthesizers & folk instrumentation. It's beautifully produced, performed & executed of course which is always the case with this band but it just sits so far outside of my comfort zone that I find myself squirming all the time even if I can appreciate the clear artistic value. So my main concern with "V: Hävitetty" is that I find it progressively less appealing across the span of its run time & it leaves me feeling a touch disappointed at the end even though I never feel my effort was wasted. Thankfully "Jäästä syntynyt / Varjojen virta" is strong enough to make this the first Moonsorrow album to offer me a reasonable level of appeal as an overall package.

For fans of Falkenbach, Finsterforst & Månegarm.