Review by SilentScream213 for Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja (2003)

Very epic. Does an excellent job in putting the listener right where they want them – some ancient pagan winter where polytheistic Gods intervene for fun as mankind struggles against the natural threats of the wilderness. In every way, the atmosphere and sound succeed at what they set out to do.

The layers here are fantastic. Walls of heavy rhythm guitars are interspersed with folky acoustic guitars, choral and string synths, and more traditional instruments here and there. Vocals are also epically stacked for a powerful effect. There are plenty of quiet sections, but even those are beautifully laced with soft strings, pads, and quiet plucked traditional instruments.

The compositions and songwriting are strong as well. The progressions are satisfying, and despite the extreme length of some of these songs (the opener is over 13 and a half minutes) they never feel overlong.

So what’s lacking here? Well, when I’m listening to this kind of music (extreme Folk Metal?) I want to hear more darkness, more melancholy… more negativity. Like on the band’s Tämä ikuinen talvi demo. Harsh vocals plus jolly fanfare music doesn’t really mesh well for me. Some of these end up sounding like heavy drinking songs (which I hate).There are also some quieter, synthesizer driven sections that I feel clash with the otherwise very medieval/pagan atmosphere. Synthesized instruments are fine, but synths that just sound like electronics take me out of it a bit.

Also, your mileage may vary, but the last two songs are by far the weakest to me. I hate when albums have weak endings.

Overall a strong album with a wonderful number of layers to get lost in as the atmosphere takes you to another time and place.