Moonsorrow - Suden Uni
Spikefarm/Universal 2004
By Graham Boyle
'Suden Uni' is not a new Moonsorrow album as such. It's actually their debut, orginally recorded in 2000, re-released. However, the album has been remasterd by the golden touch of Mika Jussila at Finnvox studios, during October of last year. The album bookelet has been totally re-done, as has the artwork. The real bonus is a second disc, a DVD, containing two promotional clips and 4 songs filmed live at the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival in Helsinki last year, a performace that that I was lucky to have witnessed.
While 'Suden Uni' is not quite in the same class as the 2 albums that subsiquent to its original release, it stands as a solid album that would be a taste of bigger and better things to come. The beginnings of the epic, progressive, symphonic, bomastic, viking metal that would become Moonsorrow's trademark sound are in evidence here.
Don't be put off be the foreign song titles, though Moonsorrow do sing in their native tongue of Finland, Ville Seponpoika Soravli's vocals are at the extreme range of the spectrum, yet fit well with the rest of the music. Even so if the words are confusing when listening, the booklet provides an English translations for all songs, proof that Soravli isn't reciting the Finnish phone book.
All up, if you own Moonsorrow's 2nd ('Voimasta Ja Kunniasta' 2001) and third album ('Kivenkantaja' 2003), then 'Suden Uni' is well worth checking out. If you don't, then get those two first then come back to this one to see where it all began.
8/10
Official Moonsorrow Website
Official Spinefarm Recordings Website
Spikefarm/Universal 2004
By Graham Boyle
'Suden Uni' is not a new Moonsorrow album as such. It's actually their debut, orginally recorded in 2000, re-released. However, the album has been remasterd by the golden touch of Mika Jussila at Finnvox studios, during October of last year. The album bookelet has been totally re-done, as has the artwork. The real bonus is a second disc, a DVD, containing two promotional clips and 4 songs filmed live at the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival in Helsinki last year, a performace that that I was lucky to have witnessed.
While 'Suden Uni' is not quite in the same class as the 2 albums that subsiquent to its original release, it stands as a solid album that would be a taste of bigger and better things to come. The beginnings of the epic, progressive, symphonic, bomastic, viking metal that would become Moonsorrow's trademark sound are in evidence here.
Don't be put off be the foreign song titles, though Moonsorrow do sing in their native tongue of Finland, Ville Seponpoika Soravli's vocals are at the extreme range of the spectrum, yet fit well with the rest of the music. Even so if the words are confusing when listening, the booklet provides an English translations for all songs, proof that Soravli isn't reciting the Finnish phone book.
All up, if you own Moonsorrow's 2nd ('Voimasta Ja Kunniasta' 2001) and third album ('Kivenkantaja' 2003), then 'Suden Uni' is well worth checking out. If you don't, then get those two first then come back to this one to see where it all began.
8/10
Official Moonsorrow Website
Official Spinefarm Recordings Website
