Moonsorrow - Tulimyrsky
Spinefarm Records
Epic Black/Folk Metal
5 songs (1:08:18)
Release year: 2008
Moonsorrow, Spinefarm Records
Reviewed by Goat

It’s not often that listening to a band can truly cause your jaw to drop faster than as though it were made of lead but it does happen sometimes, and those moments are what makes the long, slow, trudge through the legions of modern Thrash and dull Metalcore bands around these days worthwhile. The first time I heard Moonsorrow was around the release of their fifth album V: Hävitetty last year, where the length of the two tracks that made up that album ultimately put me off. Even though I did buy two albums from the band afterwards, 2001’s Suden Uni and 2003’s Kivenkantaja, it wasn’t until a recent forum request for a review of the band’s new EP that I gave them a proper chance and purchased Tulimyrsky on one of those mad impulses that you get sometimes as a Metalhead in search of fresh meat.

Putting it simply, Tulimyrsky (‘firestorm’) is amazing. An EP with a single new song that’s just under thirty minutes long, two covers and two re-recordings of demo songs; you get more Pagan-inspired bang for your buck here than you will almost anywhere. Sitting down and listening to the title track in all its epic length is a hell of an experience, from the ambient opening to the early-Enslaved feel of the Black Metal assault, to an acoustic break that introduces the Folky side of Moonsorrow’s sound… for someone who often gets restless when songs are more than five minutes long I was completely enthralled, literally unable to tear myself away. The further the track goes, the more complex the instrumentation gets, dipping into Prog at several times without once sounding forced or unnatural, and the epic final section is truly incredible.

That alone would be worth buying Tulimyrsky for, but the other songs are little short of fantastic, too. The first cover, Metallica’s For Whom The Bell Tolls, is lengthened, given a Viking overhaul and turned into an epic battle hymn; the chanted chorus sure to send shivers down your spine. Up next are the two rerecordings, Taistelu Pohjolasta and Hvergelmir, from 1999’s Tämä Ikuinen Talvi and 1997’s Metsä respectively; the first being a very Vikingligr Veldiesque song that’s nonetheless a great listen because of the individual spin that Moonsorrow put on it. Hvergelmir takes a slightly more epic tone, whilst the closing cover of MercilessBack To North is equally as great, old-school Death Metal given a Pagan coating that was just as effective for me without having heard the original.

EPs that contain this much of worth are pretty rare, most only being stopgaps. Moonsorrow, however, have created something here that’s worth a purchase as much as the albums are, and Tulimyrsky deserves attention from fans and newcomers alike. Recommended.

MySpace
Killing Songs :
Tulimyrsky, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Taistelu Pohjolasta, Hvergelmir, Back To North
Goat quoted no quote
Other albums by Moonsorrow that we have reviewed:
Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa reviewed by Aleksie and quoted 90 / 100
Moonsorrow - V: Havitetty reviewed by Alex and quoted 80 / 100
Moonsorrow - Verisäkeet reviewed by Jay and quoted 87 / 100
Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja reviewed by Jay and quoted 93 / 100
Moonsorrow - Suden Uni reviewed by Jay and quoted 90 / 100
To see all 7 reviews click here
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