Delving Into the Sorrow of the Moon

After getting waaaay too excited about Paganfest 2009 a few days ago, I decided it might be a good idea to check out the bands (who are not Eluveitie; they're half the reason I'm so psyched to begin with) on the bill. My download site of choice's musical association algorithms called up Moonsorrow, so I started with them, grabbing the AMG-recommended Verisäkeet and taking it out for a spin. First time through, I wasn't particularly impressed until I got to "Jotenheim," when the band's combination of the metallic (death metal vocals, some blast beats, plenty of high speed riffing, some balls-out rock 'n roll screams), the epic (Viking choruses, symphonic strings, Pagan instruments, Emperor-style marching bridges), and the atmospheric (well-placed acoustic/clean electric lines awash in reverb, sound samples of sighing wind, crackling flames, and quorking crows) all lined up to create the type of immense experience that generally tickles my auditory fancy. Think Braveheart or Lord of the Rings in album form and you'll get the picture.

Along the way, I noticed that Moonsorrow doesn't deviate from their native Finnish in their lyrics...so I have literally no idea what these songs are about. To be honest, it doesn't matter too much: I normally can't understand a death metal growl, even when the singer is croaking along in English; why should it matter if they're choosing to do in another language? Either way, I'm excited to see these guys next spring.