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Rating: I think it is unusual to start a review this way, but I don't know how to define it: Visor om slutet is incredible. I didn't expect much from the Finntroll, the fathers of the most carefree black/viking, the stormy version of their cousins Moonsorrow.
After Jaktens Tid, I was expecting another sonic explosion, but after listening to Visor om slutet, I was impressed. The only negative note can be found in the reasons that led the Finntroll to "dare": the vocalist Katla's vocal cord cancer (now fortunately out of danger) and the guitarist's death (a funny prankster who walked on the edge of a bridge completely drunk and practically "straightened" a curve, taking a significant flight), events that forced the rest of the band to temporarily change the singer and aspirations.
So what is Visor om slutet? The sharp guitar riffs are missing, the violent percussion... yes, exactly! It is a splendid Scandinavian folk album (no, it's not Bob Dylan who spent his holiday in Stockholm) embellished with the most disparate instruments with strong atmospheric components! We can summarize the album in three parts: there are sung tracks, some instrumental interludes, and other tracks that serve as a middle ground. On one hand, the album can leave you bewildered, on the other, listening to it reveals the merits of a fresh and pleasant release like this (and unique), starting with the frogs ruling in Suohengen Sija (I forgot, the lyrics are all in Swedish, so don't try to translate them...) to the melancholy of Den Sista Runans Dans (beautiful), passing through the festivity of Försvinn Du Som Lyser.
Good also are the performances of the musicians and the very raw singer, which allows us to "live" in the Scandinavian forests even if only for half an hour (this is the album's length).
Think that initially, it was supposed to be released only in Scandinavia: what we would have missed!
In conclusion, although it cannot be called a masterpiece, it is certainly an album that stands out among all releases of the last ten years for its originality and the pleasure derived from listening to it. On the first listen, it was disorienting, on the second surprising. And it continues to grow every time: in one word, unique. Recommended even if you do not know the genre.
Tracklist and Lyrics
03 Försvinn du som lyser (02:38)
Ett skri nu ekar, midnatten vrålar
Svart ondska, himmelen målar
Brutit sig loss, sina bojor lämnat
Snart gamla onddåd hämnat
Marken skakar där ropet hörs
Allstans mord och ondskap görs
Gyttja dränker skog och berg
Svart må bli nu himmelens färg
Korp och kråka sina mat nu får
De följa stigen där döden går
Solen täcks, ej lysa mera
Den höljd är nu, med blod och lera
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