Mustan Moukarin Legioona
(Morbid Chapel Records)
34:05min
“Mustan Moukarin Legioona” is the second album of this Finnish Black Metal band, that only the wolves in that area are able to conjure. There is a strong sense of melody in the music, and I will not be surprised if some influence also comes from local Folklore. The style is similar to early EMPEROR, with the vocals being the more Black Metal element found here, and quite possibly the weakest part of the band. Do not get me wrong, high pitched Black Metal vocals can be good, but not everyone is capable of doing it in a form that will add more power to the music, or capturing them in studio the right way, so it will not end by just adding another element. Something that captures my attention is the way they use the keyboards, like an old church organ following the music in a subtle way. The music is mostly kept in an upper mid-tempo and there is a very interesting use of the bass too. Melody is never a problem with a band coming from Finland, not even if there is an eerie and evil approach to it. And they seem to use many instrumental passages in their songs, mainly at the beginning, to set the mood for the listener. At the end of the day many parts will surely remind of some other band here and there. My main thing with this kind of Black Metal is that the vocals sound sometimes too one dimensional, the drums at times are a bit drowned and the guitars could be more powerful. At least here the guitars are quite up-front. Fans of the style of evil grim melodic Black Metal, I am sure will like this band, that on its own is quite enjoyable. www.facebook.com/uhrilahja, www.facebook.com/morbidchapelrecords
Julián “Nouse, Vaa'as!” Núñez