Moonsorrow - Tulimyrsky EP
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Published May 16 2008
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*=Staff's pick
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Tulimyrsky*
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Taistelu Pohjolasta (2008)
Hvergelmir (2008)
Back To North*
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Genre |
Epic Pagan Metal |
Ville Sorvali
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Vocals
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Tracks |
5 |
Henri Sorvali
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Guitar
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Runningtime |
68 Min. |
Mitja Harvilahti
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Guitar
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Label |
Spikefarm
Records |
Ville Sorvali
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Bass
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Release |
30 April 2008 |
Marko Tarvonen
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Drums
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Country |
Finland |
Markus Eurén
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Keyboard
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Similar artists |
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Monsorrow is already known as a band with epic proportions
to say the least. Their latest effort V:Hävitetty for instance
included only two songs clocking in at 30 minutes a piece. But with
this "EP" they take the word extreme into another dimension
since the length of the disc in total is 68 minutes! A justified question
to ask is why this is labelled as an EP with a running time that surpasses
most full length albums. But when you take in consideration that the
title track is the only new song on this output it's quite more understandable
why they made this decision.
The EP opens with the most interesting track of this release
in the shape of the 30 minute title track. This composition captures
the essence of Moonsorrow from the very beginning of their career to
where they are now. After a narrated intro the fury is unleashed with
swarming riffs, hammering blast beats and dedicated growls from Ville
Sorvali. This is Moonsorrow's reinvention of Nordic black metal and
the chorus of this section is nothing but brilliant and sticks instantly.
After a while the aggressiveness is toned down in favour of progressive
and epic song structures with touches of folklore. This is more in the
vein of the Moonsorrow we have came to know from their latest albums.
Even if Tulimyrsky is a long track it certainly doesn't feel that way
since it's enormously dynamic with a lot of changes regarding tempo,
melody and arrangements and the diversity makes it interesting all along
the way. In short - a fantastic composition!
This EP also offers a couple of covers and re-recorded
songs. Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls has been "Moonsorrowed"
in a splendid way without losing the trademark of the original. The
vocals on this track however feels a bit strained and the feeling that
Ville Sorvali isn't too comfortable singing this way is ever so present.
The other cover is a version of Back To North, originally written by
the Swedish death metallers Merciless, and this one is a real gem and
the second highlight of the record. Taistelu Pohjolasta and Hvergelmir
are two old demo songs that have been re-recorded but they don't impress
me at all. The song structures of these two songs are obviously quite
old school and personally I prefer the dynamic Moonsorrow of today much
more.
Tulimyrsky is one of, if not THE, best tracks ever written
by Moonsorrow and solely makes the disc worth buying. The cover songs
are much more than interesting as it usually tends to be with covers
and in my opinion they should have skipped the re-recorded songs since
they are holding the final grade down a bit, but I have a feeling that
the old schoolers won't agree with me on that one
See
also review of: V:Hävitetty
Performance
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Originality
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Production
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Vocals
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Songwriting
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Summary
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