I guess there really isn’t much you can count on in life - things can just get fucked up and ruined so easily. On the plus side at least you can always count on Moonsorrow delivering an extraordinary album and with their latest, 'Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa' they've done just that and then some.
Continuing along the same aesthetic road as their recent musical monuments, 'Verisäkeet' & 'V: Hävitetty' the new Moonsorrow is an absolute strike of brilliance within the epic heathen metal sub-genre and quite possibly the bands best album yet.
With a title that translates to, 'As Shadows We Walk in the Land of the Dead' this is one of Moonsorrow's darkest and most melancholy records to date and for the first time I think they really live up to their name, Moonsorrow - This album is like walking in utter darkness with only the moon as your guide and a heavy burden of sorrow upon your conscience.
The opening song, 'Tähdetön' bares a strong resemblance to, 'Jäästä syntynyt / Varjojen virta' with its epic structure and occasional flashes of folk music, while the following song, 'Muinaiset' is a majestic anthem that's so strong that it brought my senses to place they've never been to while watching it live at Tuska festival last month and it continues to do the same sitting here in my apartment. The monumental sorrow of, 'Huuto' is almost overwhelming and every time I hear it I just instantly think of the good times of being in Finland - the things said and done, the moments spent gazing off into the watery landscapes and just the thoughts of wishing that I could call this place home. 'Kuolleiden maa' clocks in at over sixteen minutes and although it takes time to reveal itself it becomes obvious soon enough that its another perfect heroic hymn from these guys... it's just... I can't even put this one into words... Additionally three other short interludes appear on the album and while they don't add much musically they seem to continue the story that's being told.
Sure to please all fans of epic music with folk and and black metal tinges, 'Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa' is quite simply massive. As a whole they've created a perfect balance between epicness, melancholy and blackend heavy metal that is by far one of the best Moonsorrow records to date.
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