Moonsorrow
V : Hävitetty

This delightful Finnish group seems to have found the right path to follow, or almost. Surely, 10 years after the release of their first CD "Metsä," we can say that Moonsorrow have come a long way, and despite experiencing various ups and downs, they have managed to produce their masterpiece. Not this "V: Hävitetty" but the previous album "Verisäkeet!"

To talk about "V..." we should be a bit more cautious, not so much because of the quality of the songs but due to other factors that we will analyze. It’s obvious that after the aforementioned masterpiece (which lasts 70 minutes and consists of only five wonderful songs), much was expected from Moonsorrow, and they have satisfied us with this new work. Where is the problem? Well, it’s difficult for me to remain impartial when, after much effort to find said CD and paying quite a bit for it, I found myself faced with a stunning piece of work lasting 56:30 minutes with only 2 (and I say TWO) tracks and discovering that the first track has a beautiful 10-minute intro composed of noise and arpeggios in Queensryche style... But seriously, is this a joke??

Regardless of the beauty of the CD, which I emphasize is truly fantastic, does it seem reasonable to spend 18€ for a CD containing a 30-minute song where the first ten minutes are an introduction and another 24-minute track (beautiful, epic, and all you want) but which also takes at least 4 minutes to actually start? Would it have been so difficult to lower the duration of these two songs and add at least another one?? Aside from critique, analyzing the CD more closely we cannot fail to recognize that the evolution of Moonsorrow seems not to have reached its end, the songs are "intricate" but truly exciting and even Ville Sorvali has slightly changed his singing style. Listening to the first song, it does not initially seem like you are listening to Moonsorrow, also because the traditional instruments are almost entirely absent, but we do find them in the second track, delighting us considerably with exceptional melodies and folk parts.

If it weren’t for the initial deception, I would consecrate this CD as yet another absolute masterpiece by Moonsorrow, but for now, I'll just describe it as a beautiful CD capable of giving me chills and making me dream of snowy forests, even if I am by the sea and it is starting to get really hot!!