Absolutely jaw-dropping.
A Kat Person | Bay Area | 03/29/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the second review I'm writing for these guys, the first review having been a quick one for Spirit of the Forest, based on my first impressions. On many further listens, I maintain that this music is positively stunning. This album is every bit as perfect as Spirit. I know a lot of people refer to this as some happy - party - drunken type music, and to some extent this is true, but for me this music really touches the nature spirit, it makes me yearn for dark forests and native wisdom like nothing else! It is powerful, emotional, so full of energy, and touches my soul to the core.
Maybe this is just my reaction, I don't know, but for anyone else who feels it, Korpiklaani has 2 other albums under the name Shaman that also have this amazing nature energy, and I recommend them wholeheartedly. Over the few months that I've been listening to them, those 4 albums put together are rapidly becoming my most cherished among *hundreds* of CDs! Straight-up metalheads beware though, the Shaman albums are not that heavy at all, and emphasize the folk part even more - including a lot of really amazing native chanting... of course it's not in English, but this does not matter to me, the music and chanting are Magickal without having to be understood in a literal sense...
"
Finns rule!!
Analog | Planet Earth | 01/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"At first I did not like this album as much as their last, but after listening to it over and over, I now consider it equal. It is, as some stated before, a lot heavier and faster and the vocals aren't sung much, they're a lot grittier. The melodies are still here, which is the most important part. I don't think Korpiklaani sound that much like Finntroll, they're a lot more melody oriented and use traditional instrumentation in favor of cheesy sounding keyboards, and they don't have that whole black metal sound going for them. Every song is unique, and full of traditional sounding Finnish folk blended with melodic metal touches. Don't listen to the person who said all the songs are written in the same key, they're not. Korpiklaani are one of the most original and innovative bands around in today's metal scene, and this album is very good. I would recommend this to fans of anything from Frigg to Finntroll, people into medieval music will probably enjoy this also."