Vetten Aparat - Syntyi Talven Kyynelista
Inverse Records
Folk Metal
13 songs (58'13")
Release year: 2016
Inverse Records
Reviewed by Alex

For once I wanted to be consistent and follow up listening to a full-length after hearing a single some time ago. The name of Finnish Vetten Aparat stuck with me, and their single Sydantalven Viha was not too shabby, although I could not call it mind-blowing either. Name me also a metal fan who does not like Finnish folk metal, at least on some level, so sampling Syntyi Talven Kyynelista was an easy choice.

Even if I did not hear Sydantalven Viha before, just looking at the cover art, the band’s pictures, wearing fur and face paint, folk metal would be an easy genre to diagnose for Vetten Aparat. So when after introductory narration and soft acoustic piece a warrior chant on Ancients’ Call followed the scene was set. Exile then unleashes thrashy folk and I was not surprised. Vetten Aparat, on their more muscular tracks, show off a more punishing brand of folk metal, trending closer to early Children of Bodom, with less guitar acrobatics and less keyboards wizardry, but with more emphasis on slamming it harder, and vocals dipping ever lower, at times to hardcore depths. Brothers of Hate finally braids in a strong flute melody into an otherwise bonkers crazy Korpiklaani-like tempo, to elevate the attraction factor. Many a song here – Sydantalven Viha, Swords’ Dance, Wind of Exhaustion – try to oscillate between dreamier (with some clean vocals) folk melodies and harsher realities (with required screaming). While everything is supposed to be obviously epic, somehow Syntyi Talven Kyynelista does not come off as immediately catchy, and I had to work for a while to be taken up by Exile or Sydantalven Viha, the earlier single, the song again sounding to me as less direct Korpiklaani . It is when Vetten Aparat throws their epic mantle to the wind and brings out some folk naiveté (Ice Made New Kingdom), it is in those moments when the album’s embrace was more immediate for me.

For many, I have a feeling, Syntyi Talven Kyynelista will turn on how they will accept interludes the band disperses throughout the album in between more full-bodied songs. Winterheart’s Silence is cold rain drops, Grief of Woods is woody and soft and closer Vala is a nice polyphonic eulogy. These pieces are what the band relies on to create necessary atmosphere. It is a little weird, however, when darker shamanistic incantation takes more than 5 minutes on Heratys and I did not realize we have been dealing with a tragedy all along until Rhapsody styled narration of I Heard Them.

Trying to carve a niche next to earlier Ensiferum albums, Vetten Aparat does have some of their own unique ways to get there, but just like the single before it, I find Syntyi Talven Kyynelista worthy of a listen, yet it is not something I will be coming back to over and over again.

Killing Songs :
Sydantalven Viha, Ice made New Kingdom
Alex quoted 72 / 100
Other albums by Vetten Aparat that we have reviewed:
Vetten Aparat - Sydantalven Viha reviewed by Alex and quoted no quote
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