Moonsorrow are a "Spinefarm" band, who have been around since 1995, and produced four albums to date, "Verisäkeet" being their latest offering. The band consists of five members, and is centred in Helsinki, Finland.
Moonsorrow started off with more Black Metal elements, but has gradually evolved into a "Pagan"-Metal band, implementing traditional Finnish instruments such as the Kantele, and frequently using male voice choirs.
In a genre such as "Folk" or "Pagan" Metal which has spurned hundreds of bands, a band has to do something special to stand out from the others. Moonsorrow have certainly made a name for themselves over the years, and as a consequence many fans were eager but apprehensive of what Verisäkeet may hold.

Each album of Moonsorrow’s so far has been longer than the last. Verisäkeet is particularly noticeable in its length. It is a grand seventy minutes long, shared out over five tracks. Immediately, it becomes apparent that there will not be any of the short but sweet tracks that we have seen of some of their previous works. This, of course, does not mean that it will not be just as enjoyable to listen to.

The album begins with ‘Karhunkynsi’, a fourteen minute track. 
The song opens with the sounds of nature. This is joined by folk violins, gradually building up into a crescendo with heavy guitars, drums and the roar of Ville Sorvali. This catches the listeners attention straightaway. 
A Jew’s harp makes a return, and the track has now taken on a livelier and more folkish sound. However, the sinister riffing which we met at the beginning continues. Ville screams in angry defiance at those who ‘dare to cross the borders of his realm’. He is frequently broken up with musical intervals, and as a result the song moves along at a good pace. The drums sound like that of a marching army, adding to the warlike atmosphere of the song. 
After five minutes or so, the song slows down a little. Perhaps this is the eye of the storm. The bass really comes through well in this song. We are joined again by the strong vocals of the choir. 

“Tulen valtakunnasta veren valtaan / From the realm of fire to the rule of blood!” yells Ville, and suddenly the music speeds up, with Baron hammering on the drums. By ten minutes into the song, a new melody has taken over. The faster, heavier sound is relentless until the song ends. For the last minute of the song, we return to nature, but also to howling winds, and a battle being fought somewhere in the distance, as the storm surely rages on. 

 ‘Karhunkynsi’ is a very good introduction to the album and makes you want to hear more. Personally, I also found it reminiscent of ‘Dark Medieval Times’ by Satyricon.

It runs into the next track, ‘Haaska’. This song is reminiscent of Hammerheart – era Bathory. Embedded deep in the background, we hear acoustic guitar, throughout almost the whole track. The song is heavy and melodic for the first three minutes, but as always with Moonsorrow, is beautiful in its harshness. It then drops in tempo and we hear the acoustic guitar more exclusively for a moment, before the track comes pounding back in. It has the angry passion we are accustomed to hearing from Moonsorrow, with also a certain folkish charm. During the seventh minute, a great dark, spirited riff kicks in, like there is a surge of new hope amongst the warriors. 

 ‘Pimea’ certainly bursts out at you and forces you to sit up and listen, for Ville to let out a warcry. This song is my favourite on the album and really is fantastic. The bass is prominent here. It continues the sinister, melancholy atmosphere that the album has so far harnessed. There are quite a few slightly calmer, hymn – like parts in this song, sounding almost reflective. It continually changes slightly, like a chameleon, but never failing to inspire and capture the attention of the listener. It is also rich with synth use. Nine minutes in, and we hear a good keyboard and guitar solo, like they are duelling with each other. Eventually the track fades out and the listener is left satisfied.

 ‘Jotunheim’ is the longest song on the album, running to a lengthy nineteen and a half minutes. Commencing with the gentle, wistful sounds of an accordion, it takes till after three minutes for it to really start up, with the accordion joined by keyboards and double bass. The choir makes an offering just before seven minutes, slow and somewhat morose. Ville returns to the mic and whole band starts up again, and before you know it, over ten minutes has passed. Moonsorrow certainly prove to have the knack of making the best of their long track times, rather than leaving the listener to grow restless, silencing the doubters who voiced concerns after hearing of Verisäkeet’s format. At fourteen minutes, the accordion rejoins us. The choir later chimes in again, clean and strong, provoking you to sing along without even realising it. A few minutes before the track officially ends, it fades out again to the sound of a crackling fire. This is a bit of a gripe for me, because the fading out of each track grows a bit repetitive, and it would be nice to hear them close one off differently. Other than that, ‘Jotunheim’ has been a pleasure to listen to and you do not notice its considerable length. 

 We have reached the last track of the album, ‘Kaiku’. We are greeted with the sweet sounds of flutes, and the strummings of an acoustic guitar. Immediately we know this track will continue the sorrowful vibe present often in this album. The song is made entirely from folk elements, and the choir sound tired, as if exhausted from battle. This song is an appropriate choice to draw the album to a close, for it is brooding and introspective, but still pleasant to listen to. After a few minutes, it gives way again to the burning fire, which after a few minutes more will finally lead us out of the album.

 When the album is over, the listener is left content and replete. Overall it is very impressive and reaffirms that Moonsorrow are definitely one of the best at what they do. In certain ways it of course differs from the style of some of their previous work, but having heard it, you are assured that this is not a bad thing. Verisäkeet is very passionate and soulful, heavy but harmonious, strong and raging, but also calm and contemplative. In short, it is another masterpiece crafted by the members of Moonsorrow and I would be very surprised if any of their current fans were turned off by this album. It is not perfect, but it is close, and happily leaves you hungry for more albums, for more Pagan Metal, for more Moonsorrow.

Recommended track: "Haaska"

 Score: 9,5 out of 10 points                                                                       Review by Victoria

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