Review by Daniel for Moonsorrow - Tulimyrsky EP (2008)

Soooo… The completist in me simply wouldn’t allow that I let this one pass by after I’d listened to all of the full-length Moonsorrow albums (a feat which required quite a bit of dedication at times). Despite my aversion to the first four Moonsorrow albums I had high hopes going into this EP as it was released between 2007’s “V: Hävitetty” & 2011’s “Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa” (i.e. the only Moonsorrow releases I have much time for). On first inspection the “Tulimyrsky” EP seems to have been an avenue for the band to release the half hour long title track & that observation doesn’t end up being far from the truth. However as a sweetener we have the inclusion of a couple of re-recorded tracks from the bands demo days as well as a couple of cover tunes. With a running time of around 70 minutes there is potential for some pretty decent value for money here.  

Moonsorrow have always juggled two distinct sounds. Each release has seen them combine the somewhat cheesy melodies of folk metal with the epic Viking metal of latter day Bathory. I’ve been told that they initially started life as a generic black metal band & this EP sees them toning back the Viking influence so that they can breathe new life into their black metal roots. The EP opens with the epic title track which is a prime example of this. "Tulimyrsky" can really be broken down into three parts with the opening section being comprised of pure black metal. I quite enjoyed this section & it raised my hopes that I might enjoy the rest of the release. The second section unfortunately heads in more of a folk metal direction which is not to my taste so I found my attention drifting a bit before the final section saw them combining their black & Viking metal sounds fairly effectively. Taken as a whole l I found it an interesting & generally enjoyable experience. The opening black metal material was strong enough to keep me going through the cheesier middle section before offering me some relief in the back end.  

I’ve never been a huge fan of recorded cover versions but I find them a lot more respectable when a band attempts to make a song their own rather than simply recreating the original & that’s what Moonsorrow have attempted to do here. The first cover was always going to be a challenge as pretty much every metal fan in the world grew up listening to Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls” but they make an admirable attempt at making it into one of their trademark epic black/folk anthems. It’s not really to my taste but I’ve got to respect their efforts. I would’ve liked to see them take the idea further by using their standard black metal vocal style rather than using a cleaner singing style to provide a closer match to the original. It’s not a shade on the Metallica version but I’d imagine it would satisfy die-hard Moonsorrow fans. The second cover version is their reworking of “Back To North” by Swedish death metal band Merciless. I hadn’t heard this song since the mid-90’s & have to admit that Moonsorrow’s version left me no closer to remembering it. I dug out the Merciless album afterwards so I could remind myself what it sounded like & I found it to be a fairly standard death metal track with an unusually folky interlude in the middle which is more than likely the reason they decided it was a suitable track to cover. Again Moonsorrow have recreated it in their own style & have done a reasonable job at it although again I find the death metal style of the original to be more appealing.  

The two re-recorded demo tracks present an early Moonsorrow that was clearly still finding their identity. There’s very little of the folk/Viking sound they're renowned for & plenty of blatant early-90’s black metal worship. “Taistelu pohjolasta” (originally from 1999’s “Tämä ikuinen talvi” demo) is clearly the better of the two. It’s actually quite brutal at times & the slick production, quality musicianship & overall energy help me to overlook the fact that it rips off so many great bands. I’m sure that even the most enthusiastic of Moonsorrow fans would have to admit that the opening two riffs are very close variations on parts from Mayhem’s “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” & Cradle Of Filth’s “The Principles Of Evil Made Flesh”. “Hvergelmir” (originally from 1997’s “Metsä” demo) is a more symphonic affair & isn’t quite as exciting or effective. It opens with a riff that could have been pulled straight from Darkthrone’s “Transilvanian Hunger” & the remainder consistently reminds me of Emperor. Both demo re-recordings make up for their lack of originality with enough enthusiasm to warrant their inclusion here though.  

Most of the songs on “Tulimyrsky” have parts that I really like but they generally also include those cheesy or generic moments that prevent me from ever fully committing. The two re-recordings are a bit of fun without breaking any new ground whilst the title track is sprinkled with quality but fails to fully capitalise due to the folky mid-section. The two cover versions are both interesting on first listen but neither has much staying power & they could probably have been omitted. Regardless of these criticisms I still find the high points to be strong enough to draw me in. It’s certainly worth a listen for the casual fan & die-hards will probably find it essential.