The past few days I have been in a pretty deep funk for music. I have been enjoying it somewhat, but I normally have a deep love for the medium... and it just has not been there. I have been going through different genres trying to find the album, that one that will bring me back to where I know I can be. Today that task fell to Moonsorrow.
On their third album Moonsorrow expanded their sound from viking influenced black metal to full on epic viking metal. These compositions are more grandiose, more expansive, more... everything than the previous two albums.
The sheer scope of this album is what moved Moonsorrow from a cool band to a band that would go on to release some of my all time favorite metal albums. On Kivenkantaja they managed to combine the incredible epic scope of Bathory's mid period works with modern production, incredibly cheesy keyboards, and songwriting that is in the realm of the elite.
The songs are long, and they use that length to the utmost. Many of them have moments of peace and quiet in them, these are in stark contrast to the bombast that so much of the rest of the album contains. In addition to the metal and aforementioned keyboards, we have a LOT of choirs on this record. These choirs are part of what makes this record larger than life. It's not just vocals, its an entire battalion of vocals.
Moonsorrow would go on to release several albums in a row that simply could not be touched. Almost everything that they released from this point forward would not only be some of the best viking metal ever released, I would argue that the band has cemented its legacy in a way that few others ever could. Easily one of the most important (and best) metal bands in the 21st century.
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