I remember the first time I ever got to hear Finntroll. It was shortly after Jaktens Tid had been released and it absolutely blew my mind. It was like the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard: oompah and metal, all tied up in one over-the-top packaging, complete with joik! Many have approached Finntroll as though they’re a joke band, but honestly since Nattfödd, they have been a very serious band in my mind. They took it to the next level with Ur Jordens Djup, which was as dark as anything the band had produced up until this point. And honestly, I don’t think a lot of fans were sure of what to expect next from these Swedish speaking Finns. The answer to that question is Nifelvind… which may be Finntroll‘s finest record yet.
Everything about this record oozes excellence, honestly. I would even go so far as to say a return to form, if Ur Jordens Djup hadn’t also been a pretty damn solid album. The band approaches their perverse form of folky blackened metal with what almost feels like a fresh energy. The instrumentation and melodies are as catchy as they’ve ever been the songs pop out of the speakers with wonderful energy. From the obligatory introduction track “Blodmarsch” to the final orchestral notes of “Dråp,” this record is littered with amazing songs. Every single track has at least one part that I can point out as the thing that catches me and keeps me around, like the chorus from “Solsagan,” which superbly blends the drunken male voices into the darktale. The introduction to “Den Frusna Munnen” is possibly one of the coolest hooks that they’ve ever worked into a track and that is only outdone by the amazing violin melody that comes in later in the pre-chorus of the song. And that’s just the first three tracks, I can literally sit through this record and point out everything that makes me excited like a little giggly school girl.
This record is probably most comparable to Nattfödd in the Finntroll catalogue, but I think it is actually a stronger album than that one. The song-writing feels more mature and the production is leagues beyond what the band could afford in 2004. The soundscapes have gotten better (as have the costumes) and the band seems to have really gelled around this newer, more mature sound and the (not-so) new vocalist. But mainly, this record is just all-around darker, more dynamic and pretty riffy. The instrumentation is still quite dynamic and varied, with haunting melodies (I particularly the track “Galgasång” which is reminiscent of Visor Om Slutet), but also with unbridled rage and a sinister bent at times. Andwhile the band isn’t really bringing anything at you that you haven’t really heard from them before, this is exactly what you want from them: huge, epic, folky and catchy.
Nifelvind is what heavy metal should be about in 2010, in my opinion. While at the same time being interesting to listen to and in front of everything fun to listen to, the music is also remarkably unpretentious and honest. It’s probably just projection, but it sounds to me like the band is having a lot of fun while still managing to produce something that can be taken seriously—because it can’t possibly have not been a total riot to produce something that is so fun to listen to. Fans of the band will be more than pleased and this is a good place to start for anyone who hasn’t given these guys a chance, yet.
Holy shit, Finntroll has posted a new video for the track “Solsagan” from their forthcoming record Nifelvind (which I will be reviewing soon!!) and it’s actually really good. There is so much potential for cheesiness with these guys but somehow they manage to avoid it these days. Win for Finntroll!
You know what’s a stupid metal trend? The 3.5 minute interlude with stupid soundscapes–these days, the trend is actually always involving the forging of iron or the angryness of trolls somewhere. I don’t know where this started, so I’m going to blame Ulver. Yeah, sure, Bergtatt was a great record. It was really interesting and it had lots of cool stuff going on. The stupid soundscape interlude, however, wasn’t. Nope, just some guy running on crushed boxes (OK, maybe it was supposed to sound like snow, but it was definitely crushed boxes). Vintersorg used it with great stupidity to interrupt one of his songs on Ödemarkens Son with the trickling of water because nothing screams metal like.. TRICKLING FOREST STREAM!! (RAAAH!) It was used by Agalloch, but that was pretty much just them copying Ulver (actually, wasn’t The Mantel just them copying Ulver? Huh. How ’bout that shit?). In any case, in those cases it wasn’t super bad. Just one or two places.. one could easily get through them without problem. Just skip it, no biggy. Right?
Well, the idiocy hit its zenith with Finntroll‘s very “interesting,” but immensely annoying, use of 4 minute interlude tracks which were apparently of people eating beans around a fire on Visor om Slutet. What. The. Fuck? Seriously, what an incredible waste of fucking space, plastic and time. It is obvious that the band had only 25 minutes worth of acoustic material to record, but instead of just putting out a cute little EP where Finntroll goes “folk” or whatever, they decided to make it.. I dunno… Annoying? Yeah, pretty much. Or stupid. The annoyance that I had with this record, was fortunately tracked–that is, I can skip the crap. On the other hand Ásmegin did them one worse and putting a fucking crying baby throughout the whole second half of their otherwise AMAZING album Hin Vordende Sod & Sø. How irritating is that? Totally irritating. I mean, I know you guys are trying to be original and interesting.. but stop. Please, stop. It hurts my brain.
I’ve been listening to Crimfall‘s newest record, and it’s good. But seriously, I’ve heard so much of this stuff before and it just makes me want to scream. Since when did it become necessary and/or OK to put these stupid interlude tracks in everywhere? Yeah, the album intro with the over the top orchestra or some stupid gore movie quote is now apparently obligatory.. I guess it’s not going anywhere, so I’ll have to live with it. But can we stop with the “gazing into the past” sounds created in the studio in order to give your record some sort of stupid feel that doesn’t go at all with your over-produced orchestrations? My god! Just fucking stop it. Not only that, if you’re going to include this stupidity for no apparent reason at all, then FOR THE LOVE OF THE METAL GODS: TRACK IT! Make it different tracks so that I can skip your efforts to take yourself seriously as artists. Stop it. Stop. Stop. STOP!
I urge Steven Colbert to put these people on notice. And I openly condemn this stupid metal trend. Soundscape interludes: go fuck yourself!
I remember the first time I ever got to hear Finntroll. It was shortly after Jaktens Tid had been released and it absolutely blew my mind. It was like the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard: oompah and metal, all tied up in one over-the-top packaging, complete with joik! Many have approached Finntroll as though they’re a joke band, but honestly since Nattfödd, they have been a very serious band in my mind. They took it to the next level with Ur Jordens Djup, which was as dark as anything the band had produced up until this point. And honestly, I don’t think a lot of fans were sure of what to expect next from these Swedish speaking Finns. The answer to that question is Nifelvind… which may be Finntroll‘s finest record yet.
tale. The introduction to “Den Frusna Munnen” is possibly one of the coolest hooks that they’ve ever worked into a track and that is only outdone by the amazing violin melody that comes in later in the pre-chorus of the song. And that’s just the first three tracks, I can literally sit through this record and point out everything that makes me excited like a little giggly school girl.
while the band isn’t really bringing anything at you that you haven’t really heard from them before, this is exactly what you want from them: huge, epic, folky and catchy.
