VOIMASTA JA KUNNIASTA

Voimasta Ja Kunniasta is the debut album from Moonsorrow. Moonsorrow is a folk/ Viking metal band from Finland. The album was released in 2001.

The music on Voimasta Ja Kunniasta is pretty basic mid paced heavy metal with lots of nordic ethnic folk influences. The vocals are excellent IMO. Ville Seponpoika Sorvali has a great aggressive rasp ( black metal style). The best thing is his Infernal screams which there is a good example of in the begining of Sankarihauta but they appear now and again to my great joy. The lyrics are in their native finnish language so I don´t know what they are about, but my guess would be the Viking culture. Besides the raspy vocals from Ville Seponpoika Sorvali there are also some grand choir sections which at times remind me of Rhapsody and at times give Voimasta Ja Kunniasta a power metal feel. I can´t help also thinking about Amorphis when I listen to the album. There is something in the folky parts that reminds me of Tales From the Thousand Lakes or Elegy from that particular band.

The musicianship is great on this album. It´s not unique and most of what´s played has been heard before a thousand times but sometimes it´s not what you play but the way you play it that matters. Note the mouth harp which appears in some songs. A really fun feature.

The production is good.

Moonsorrow has been a pleasant surprise for me even though I can´t claim to be a big fan of this genre. I´ll definitely be checking out the rest of their discography though. I think 3 stars are well deserved for this album. It´s not excellent by any means but certainly very good. Fans of folky/ viking metal will probably love this one.

8/10

"Voimasta" is a perfectly balanced interconnection between the Viking muscles and the guiding hand of Nordic Folklore.

The (possibly) greatest Finnish band of all time, Moonsorrow, in 2001 were able to release two albums: the first one was "Suden Uni", the second one, "Voimasta Ja Kunniasta". The latter is possibly the most mature one and the first album by the band that is immensely successful in terms of quality: although maybe not the most recognized and famous release of these Folk Metallers, it is definitely one that opened the path to all of the following Moonsorrow albums and all the other bands that followed them.

Folk Metal's basics are all down here in an incredibly precise way: here we have the epic feel and melodies of the rough guitars, the Black Metal shrieks, the additional, folkloristic instrumentation (flutes and accordion mostly), the atmospheric synths, and the straddling rhythms. So many Folk Metal bands have used only a portion of these characteristics, but most of the time, the best result will occur if all of these elements are properly incorporated. The songs themselves are structured in a very thought-provoking way, because of the shifting tempos and passages ( from a folkloristic one to a harsh, black Metal burst, enlightened moments later by elaborate, acoustic instrumentation).

The spirit of all Moonsorrow albums is here found in great abundance: the Northern lands, the Vikings, the battles, the Gods. In "Voimasta Ja Kunniasta" there seems to be a more frequent and specific theme of battles, plunders of villages, pride and honor of warriors. "Aurinko Ja Kuu" is however the odd one: its an interesting description of a man who roams in the woods without ever encountering men, and that sleeps in the beds of bears. In 50 minutes of length, "Voimasta" manages to stay quite consistent, and at the same time, the songs have enough variation one another to have a fluent flow. Nearly each one of these six songs can be considered a highlight: "Sankarihauta" and "Kylan Paasa" are generally more muscular, raw, and harsh songs, which still do not lack of intelligence. "Sankaritarina" however, the thirteen minute closer, has a great riff that echoes throughout the entire song and still manages to have the most thought-provoking and elaborate structure here. The remaining two songs, "Auriko Ja Kuu" and "Hiidenpelto" are great as well, incorporating more folkish elements yet without losing the grit.

"Voimasta Ja Kunniasta" can be considered essential listening not only for Moonsorrow lovers but also for Folk Metal fans; an album that uses all of the canons and brings them up at a quality that not many other bands of the genre can do.

Considering themselves 'epic heathen metal,' the Helsinki, Finland based MOONSORROW followed in the footsteps of bands like Skyclad and Amorphis to incorporate local folk music flavors into extreme metal and in the process found ways to carve a new niche for themselves. While the band began more as a Norwegian second wave black metal clone, brothers Ville and Henri Sorvali really stepped up their game for the debut 'Suden Uni,' which showcased a more sophisticated approach of melding together the aforementioned elements however on their sophomore album VOIMASTA JA KUNNIASTA ('Of Strength And Honor'), MOONSORROW really took a quantum leap in quality and although i didn't find the debut the least bit uninteresting, on this this one a new synthesis of the disparate sounds certainly did rise to the next level.

While 'Suden Uni' was profound, VOIMASTA JA KUNNIASTA introduces the world to a more epic approach of black metal and ethnic folk fusion with a step towards more progressive pastures. One of the distinguishing features of this second full-length offering is the arrival of second guitarist Mitja Harvilahti who along with Henri Sorvali gives the band a much fuller twin guitar attack sound. Dare i say that VOIMASTA JA KUNNIASTA also dishes out much more memorable folk hooks as well? Everything seems to click for the band and their much lauded and idiosyncratic approach to folk metal comes into fruition here. Except for the short instrumental intro, the tracks are quite lengthy ranging from seven and a half minutes to nearly fourteen, however the repetitive folk hooks are mesmerizing even as the black metal bombast pummels the senses.

Generally speaking, MOONSORROW at this stage are clearly a black metal band with the characteristic traits of orotundity that includes incessant tempos, buzzsaw guitar action and tremolo picking as well as shred vocals, percussive blastbeats and muddy distortion however the folk elements take it into an entirely new direction and not just for novelty's sake. This is a true marriage of ethnic folk and black metal. The folk aspects take the metal into more melodic sophistication that allow the chord progressions to carry a deeper meaning as well as the keyboard rich atmospheric backdrops that have been toned down since the previous album. While 'Suden Uni' allowed clean vocal non-metal segments to find their way into the mix, VOIMASTA JA KNNIASTA is pretty much an intense black metal fusion all the way through with only a smattering of acoustic guitar intros and breakdowns popping up from time to time. Clean vocals are reserved for the backing vocals only.

MOONSORROW mastered here a nice collection of five tracks that each have a distinct personality. Some such as 'Hiidenpelto - H'pe'n Hiljaiset Vedet ('Field of the Devil/The Silent Waters of Shame") focus more on the melodic developments while some like 'Aurinko ja Kuu (The Sun And The Moon)' break out a more thrashy metal heft and emphasis on the heaviness without sacrificing the folk intricacies. The true treat is saved for last as the sprawling epic 'Sankarihauta (Warrior's Tale)' begins with sensual ocean wave sounds and slinks on through several developing features which include a health dose of blackened folk metal prowess, a distinct folkened melodic escapade sallies forth into the heat of battle and nice a alternating mix of atmospheric oomf between the metal stomps and acoustic folk inserts. Overall VOIMASTA JA KUNNIASTA is an excellent development in MOONSORROW's history but personally i don't think it's better, just a nice different path to embark upon.

Onto the next potential heap of Euro-Folk Metal cringe: apparently the debut (I don't care that I got that wrong on my last review), Voimasta Ja Kunniasta: Seriously, doesn't that title sound Rastafari to anyone else?! haha. I'm really actually kind of sorry to fans if they see this if this goes as poorly as what I thought was the debut: Suden Uni.

"Tyven": We actually have quite a bit of loveliness, with soft piano on this introduction.

Rolling right out of that gate is "Sankarihauta", with grandiose chording and swelling keyboards. Ultimately though, it's pretty flat. The ending: pretty good.

Then we have the clanging of... swords... over a classic trudging guitar intro on "Kylän pääsä". I really can't stand their use of accordion. It's just way too hokey for me. Almost better than the last...

"Hiidenpelto" certainly starts off strong enough. Good riff. I appreciate what they're doing in the mix. A pretty classic sound. Compositionally, this song has more to offer than most of their early stuff, apparently.

What feels like Eastern sonics and a Jew's harp head off on the next, "Aurinko ja Kuu". Very folksy. It was alright.

Finally, "Sankaritarina": Sounds like a beach-side campsite with rolling waves and seabirds and a crackling fire. A bit more going on, but just not entirely for the whole journey throughout.

True Rate: 2.5/5.0