Finnish Metal

Korpiklaani – Ukon Wacka Review

By Steel Druhm on February 7, 2011 in 2011, 4.0, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Folk Metal, Heavy Metal, 10 comments

I’ve always said there can never be enough folka/polka humppa drinking metal from Finland. Go ahead, ask my friends, I’ve always said that! Thankfully Korpiklaani feels much the same way so they keep churning out albums at a highly dependable rate (seven albums in seven years). If you heard any of the previous albums you know what to expect here on Ukon Wacka. If not, imagine a far less serious and way more drunken Finntroll. This is filled to the brim with ridiculously catchy humppa/polka styled folk metal meant to be played whilst hoisting huge frothy mugs of foaming ale. That’s entirely appropriate since Ukon Wacka was an ancient pagan festival where the beer flowed muchly. If such beer soaked party music from 1099 doesn’t sound appealing to you, go home and tell your mom you’re a loser not a boozer.

Omnium Gatherum – New World Shadows Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 4, 2011 in 2011, 4.5, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Lifeforce Records, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 24 comments

There was a time when melodic death metal was every breath I took. While it’s been a long time since that was the case, I certainly can say that I spent the late 90s and early 00s listening to my fair share of melodic Swedish death metal and loving it. But since then melodic death metal has kinda fallen off a cliff. This is partially due to the dawning of metalcore and the co-opting of Swedish thrash and death metal by hardcore kids, but I think it’s mainly because just like every scene after a while you start growing tired of the sound. Every new album that gets released gets a “Yeah, well, I’ve heard this before.” While there have been some notable melodic death metal records in the last couple of years, Barren Earth and Be’lakor come to mind, only the former has really stuck out as truly remarkable. That is until I checked out New World Shadows from Omnium Gatherum.

Battlelore – Doombound Review

By Steel Druhm on January 27, 2011 in 2.0, 2011, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Heavy Metal, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Folk Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 5 comments

“What’s the catch of the day today?”

“Well sir, we have some Tolkien themed, gothic-tinged, epic fantasy metal by the Finnish group Battelore.”

“Is it fresh?”

Stratovarius – Elysium Review

By Steel Druhm on January 14, 2011 in 2011, 3.0, EarMusic records, Finnish Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 20 comments

Stratovarius is a name synonymous with European power metal and right up there with Gamma Ray and Helloween. Over the course of their long recording history they’ve created stellar examples of the style and several of their albums reside on my all time power metal playlist (Destiny, Visions, Episodes, Fourth Dimension, Infinite). Along with these past successes, Stratovarius had their share of ups and downs, including their infamous and acrimonious split with founding member/guitarist/chief songwriter Timo Tolkki (Revolution Renaissance). Both before and after this split, Stratovarius released some uneven albums and went through a phase where they indulged in bloated, overly orchestrated symphonic styles and for many long time fans, this was regrettable (Elements Parts I and II). While 2009’s Polaris seemed to right the ship, Elysium shows considerable backsliding toward these past missteps. While still a decent album with some great moments, it fails to rise anywhere near the level of past triumphs and ultimately bogs down amid ponderous pacing and overwrought orchestration.

Impaled Nazarene – Road to the Octagon Review

By Steel Druhm on December 20, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Heavy Metal, Osmose Productions, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, 4 comments

Well, this album CLEARY isn’t in the spirit of the holidays! Christmas-unfriendly band name aside, it’s apparently time for another goat worshipping blast-fest from these blasphemous and blackened Finns. The Impaled ones have created an odd, morphing catalogue over their long life and drifted from pure black metal into something way more like punk-infused black thrash. That continues here as it did on 2007’s Manifest but with more energy and urgency this time out. At a scant thirty three minutes in length, this barely qualifies for a full-length and it goes by mighty fast, but if savage black/punk metal warms the cockles of your heart this time of year, then scream BAH HUMBUG and read on.

Gloria Morti – Anthems of Annihilation Review

By Angry Metal Guy on July 29, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, Black Metal, Cyclone Empire, Death Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 2 comments

One of the best parts about being a reviewer, honestly, is getting a hold of records that you’d’ve never thought to buy on your own and really enjoying them. 2010 hasn’t actually had a lot of those for me. The year has gone pretty much as expected (and a little worse for certain bands, unfortunately). But one of the big disappointments has been the number of bands that I’ve gotten who I’d never heard of that just never pan out to anything. Because obviously it’s newer bands that keep things going and some of my favorite records of the last few years have been from bands that I didn’t even know existed until I got the record to review (Istapp for example, or In Mourning). Gloria Morti is one of those bands that I’d sorta gotten wind of, but never really heard before. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received Anthems of Annihilation but I was pleasantly surprised.

Amorphis – Forging the Land of Thousand Lakes Review

By Angry Metal Guy on July 5, 2010 in 2010, 4.5, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Nuclear Blast, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, 2 comments

Amorphis is a band that needs no introduction, particularly if you’ve been reading this zine for more than a few weeks. When Skyforger came out in 2009, I was fortunate enough to be able to catch it on MySpace at the time and put up a review of it on this site: it was actually one of the first things that started increasing traffic to this site. At the time that I wrote the review I was particularly laudatory of the band’s new material. Despite the wave against them because they never re-wrote The Karelian Isthmus or Tales from the Thousand Lakes again, I have been nothing but enchanted by the last three albums. They are, for lack of a better word, genius. Modern, melodic metal done with class and style, Eclipse, Silent Waters and Skyforger are three of the best album from the 2000s and have re-established the legacy of a band that has seemed to have lost its way at times.

Thunderstone – Dirt Metal Review

By Steel Druhm on June 16, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Finnish Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, SPV, Power Metal, 0 comments

Whenever an established band parts ways with their original vocalist and brings in a replacement, long time fans rightfully get concerned. How will the new singer impact the band’s sound and style? Will he fit in or change the dynamic too much? That’s the situation facing Finland’s Thunderstone for their fifth album, Dirt Metal. After four pretty solid albums of Euro power metal with original frontman Pasi Rantanen, Dirt Metal starts the era of Rick Altzi on vocals. With this new era also comes the much dreaded and despised shift in sound and approach as well. Are you scared? Are you on edge yet? Read on.

October Falls – A Collapse of Faith Review

By Angry Metal Guy on June 1, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Black Metal, Debemur Morti, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 0 comments

Depressed Finns are really no surprise in metal these days. It seems like Finns are a pretty morose bunch in general. A country famous for bands like Poisonblack, H.I.M., Sentenced, Insomnium, Black Sun Aeon and Swallow the Sun, it shouldn’t be terribly surprising that some pretty bleak and depressing stuff comes out of Finland. And let me be clear, that’s not even naming huge groups of bands that I’m sure others could probably come up with. But October Falls isn’t your standard “depressed metal” band from Finland. There are no silly ESL lyrics about being buried in a plastic bag or any of that jazz. Instead, October Falls is a “depressive” black metal band with folk sensibilities.

Kiuas – Lustdriven Review

By Steel Druhm on April 20, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, Finnish Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Melodic Metal, Power Metal, 1 comment

As a young lad, my dear mother strove to teach me two important things: first, don’t be an angry metal boy/guy, and secondly, never judge others. Well, as an angry metal guy reviewing albums I’d say I’m a major disappointment, but I really can’t say that I’m as big of a disappointment as the meaning of the Finnish band Kiuas’ name. Kiuas is a Finnish word that roughly translates into sauna stove or stove of sauna. So, in essence, this band is called “SAUNA STOVE?” These guys lose Angry Metal Points.