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Release Date: March 9th, 2010
Record Label: Century Media
My rating points:
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The Finnish extreme folk metallers Finntroll return to the folk metal scene after a gap of almost 4 years with their 5th studio effort entitled Nifelvind. It comes out in the middle of the second week of March (March 9th 2010 to be precise). I was never a huge fan of finntroll before I heard this album. The band has definitely grown musically and lyrically on this one. The mix and production for the album is near perfect with a few songs with the guitar turned down in the mix. There were a few moments on this record that reminded me of Ensiferum if they were less progressive.
The album opens with Blodsmarch which is a very ominous album opener. It is epic on many levels. It has the typical folk / battle feel to it. Horns, horses, swords can be heard. This is something that would really get the audience's adrenaline going live. I believe every album should have a short intro/intro song which can be played on the PA before they come out and start ripping it out live. This is a perfect example of exactly that. The song ends with a very fitting keyboard riff.
The intro takes you straight into Solsagan which hits you like Thor's hammer. The vocals are absolutely top notch here. Most people would have already heard this song because a video has been made for it. This is by far one of the best folk metal songs I have heard would have preferred the second guitar to be a little louder here. The melodies are absolutely brilliant. Folk metal assumes the presence of an excellent drummer who knows his double bass. This song will definitely slay live. The lyrics for this album have been once again done by Jan "Katla" JŠmsen (the bands ex vocalist).
The next song on the album is Den Frusna Munnen. This song starts off with a tune that will take you deep into the jungle with monkeys and such. Don't be fooled by that. This song is the strongest song on the album in my opinion. The main riff starts building with the keys and drums. Once the guitars come in you feel like you're home. One thing that really stands out on this song is the main riff and the keyboard parts that are thrown in now and then. The structure of this song is nothing great but then again most great songs have a standard structure. 2:49 onwards is where this song really shines. A riff that promises to be engraved into your head forever and some more great vocals that lead into the intro of the song.
Ett Norrskensdad starts off with a very folksy tune that goes straight into Vreth's growls. This song is mainly built on the intro tune. One thing that I've noticed with finntroll is they're song bridges tend to be very catchy and have brilliant melodies in them. As with the previous song, this one takes it to a whole new level. The keyboard and guitars complement each other perfectly here with Vreth growling away.
The next song is I Tradens Sang. This song also has a very jungle-y intro to it. After a few seconds of the intro the drums come in with Vreth's vocals. This song is more extreme metal than folk metal. It has excellent blast beats and the vocals that would make any Dimmu Borgir fan a fan of finntroll. The guitars in this song are very monotonous.
Tiden Utan Tid is the next song on the album. It starts off with some clean vocals with a battlefield-esque scene depicted the music. This goes on for a good minute before the drums and the guitar come crashing down. This song will go really well live with some nice pyro. It is one of the weaker songs here. The orchestration and vocals shine here. The guitars are generic folk backing guitars here.
Galgasang has one of the best intros on the album. It starts with some nice acoustic guitar. This intro is what I call Wild West Folk music. The clean vocals shine on this one. The accordion in the background adds to the folk effect of this song. Not much else to say about this song besides the vocals and guitar melodies.
The next song is Mot Skuggornas Varld. The song picks up from the get go. There's no slowing this one down. The guitars and drums complement each other very well. If the rest of the album had the guitars as loud as they are here, they would have stood out instead of taking a backseat to the other instruments. This song is the most progressive song on the album. The song gets really interesting once the keyboard comes in.
Under Bergets Rot has the most annoying intros on the album according to me. That is until the main melody is introduced by the brilliant Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali. Other than the keyboard melody this song is very weak and doest suit the rest of the album. I wish they would concentrate on the major portion of the song instead of the bridge which is awesome here. I have been skipping the first few sections for the bridge when I've been listening to this song.
Fornfamnad starts with a brass and woodwind riff. The orchestration and guitars go very well on this song. It is another progressive song. This is one of the few songs on the album where the guitar stands out.
Drap is the longest song on the album clocking in at 7 minutes. It has a few moments that remind me of Moonsorrow and even dare I say dream theatre. The keyboard parts are very reminiscent of Jordan Ruddess. There is a break in the middle of the song that features familiar melodies used over the rest of the album which is a very nice touch. The rest of the song is the guitars and drums building on those melodies followed by a very nice tune that reminded me of a battle victory. This song closes and album that will definitely stand to be one of the better folk metal albums.
This is definitely an album for someone with a vivid imagination. The songs paint pictures that almost match the artwork. Nifelvind could definitely have been used for a movie soundtrack to one reminiscent of Lord of the rings. With all its folk elements the album still maintains its Metal heart which some folk metal bands seem to forget. The carousel ride orchestrations with vocals form a nice combination here and this album is definitely high up on my top 10 albums released so far this year.
Usually I recommend listening to an album from start to finish with a nice pair of headphones to fully soak what it's about but with a few weak songs this album tends to bore. I hope the next album by the Finnish sextet has a few more EPIC songs as they call them. My picks for this album are Den Frusna Munnen, Solsagan and Galsgasang. This album should appeal to all Folk metal and extreme metal fans since it has a nice combination of both metal subgenres.
To buy the CD and for more information, check out their official website www.finntroll.netLooking for the best cable deals? Check out Cox Phoenix!