Marrasmieli - Between Land and Sky (2020)^{Release ID: 16920}

This is the Finn's debut album, released two years after 2018's fairly well-received two-track EP. It evokes the spirits of the natural world with it's blisteringly-paced, atmospheric, yet melodic, black metal. Lyrically it's themes are reverence and respect for the natural world, it's timelessness and unforgiving nature. The songs are moderately lengthy but never boring, with more than enough going on for even the most impatient metal fan. The vocals are savagely ragged as a counterpoint to the melodic nature of the music. Keyboards are used fairly sparingly and when they are they bring another layer of texture to the paganistic sound. I don't wish to give the impression that this is all atmosphere and somehow lacking on the metal front, there are some great riffs too - check out the pulverizing opener, Embrace the Eternal, for example. An extremely accomplished example of paganistic Black Metal.