The first promotional package received from No Sign of Life Records included three CDs. Among the three, and the first to greet me, was the new Stormheit album Chronicon Finlandiae, which possesses an artwork that struck me the wrong way. Included in the package was a two page paper regarding this emblem on the front artwork, dismissing it from being the stereotypical Swastika design that many would immediately see, such as myself, though clearly Finnland is not Germany, but rather explaining that it is in the symbol of a creature from the Finnish lore, which is represented by the designo n the cover, or by four squares in the same pattern. With this fear quickly laid to rest, know that this is the farthest thing from any sort of Nazi-based ideals, but instead is based on the poem Tarina Suuresta Tammesta by the author Eino Leino. It's also the first album by the band to be performed in Finnish. With an interesting, as well as artistic design for the Folk Metal style, one would assume this to truly be a great work of art for the Metal world, right?
Musically, Chronicon Finlandiae is a fantastic piece of Folk Metal with Black Metal influence, though more of the first then the latter. The album mixes together the electric side of musical composition, as well as the acoustic side, and weaves together a beautiful piece that seems to be genuinely fueled by the band's rich Finnish heritage. The only real problem is that many songs lack any real transitions between the two, and it leaves the listener being jerked around sometimes. Of course, as the album progresses, the material slowly takes on a stronger Black Metal approach then Folk Metal, which really sets in around the time of "Turjan Tuulet, Homan Henget", a song that features a traditional Folk approach, having a little extra effort put into them, but not going off-key with the rest of the music. This is one of the more standout tracks due to the added intensity that adds a little more to the music then focusing on a simpler acoustic composition, though those do exist on this recording and, again, become very jerky due to the abrupt changes in music without any segway in and out.
So, what could possibly be wrong about this album? Well, the main vocal approach here is a traditional chant-like vocal approach, utilizing vocal harmonizations against the music to portray a more worshipping feel to the performance. While this works out well, the problem is that much of it is tone deaf and quickly torturous to go through for many of the songs. Sadly, this becomes the case with "Muinaisuuden Mustan Yössä". The song features some background vocals that utilize an echo effect on clean vocals, and they sound fantastic and fit with the music as well. However, when the vocals have a little more effort or heat in the performance, they sound atrocious and horribly off key. Luckily, if you can make it past this track, it's pretty much smooth sailing for there on out, as the rest of the release essentially is just your typical Folk release laced with Black Metal overtones.
The song "Uhripuu" really stands out on this effort due to the emotion shown in the vocals, and the haunting atmosphere produced along with the acoustic music of the track. Unfortunately, this is also the shortest portion of the album, and seems to act more as an introductory track to "...Ja Surua Solkikoivut Soi" then a stand alone track, though the two don't necessarily mesh with each other, or even have a transition, it's mostly due to the atmosphere they both share. That atmosphere and emotion greatly stands out on "...Ja Surua Solkikoivut Soi", leading to a very solid recording that has the strengths the earlier tracks had, consisting of solid musical compositions and strong performances, but meshes the electric and acoustic instruments better, and overall has a heavier approach that doesn't sound repetitive or similar to any tracks prior to it. Of course, these closing tracks really do end up sounding the best off the release, and it kind of makes since considering this is based on a poem, and the album was more then likely composed to follow suit with the progression of the poem itself. building to a dramatic climax.
Either way, Chronicon Finlandiae is an enjoyable album, though becomes rather repetitive after a while, only to be saved by the last half of the album that focuses more on presenting a heavier sound with plenty of Black Metal overtones duringt he electric instruments sections. Unfortunately, most of the album constantly jerks between that and acoustic music, and while it sounds good in some tracks, such as during "Suuri Suomen Kansa", the transitions are really lacking on plenty of others and makes it hard for any sort of flow to be established. For what it is, Chronicon Finlandiae makes for a good listen, but it's not the most impressive attempt by Stormheit, nor is it going to be an album that listeners will flock back to repeatedly due to these issues.
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