Verenpisara
Aamunodottaja

Like a silent snowfall at the dawn of a long winter.

Such is the presentation of the debut album (2002, BMG) by Verenpisara, a combo that includes three members of Amorphis and for which elegance is the main element of their proposition.

Gentle pieces, seductive harmonies, sleepy rhythms that rarely break into accelerations, distancing the quintet's sound from the metallic contaminations of their much more famous cousins and fellow countrymen. In fact, at the core of the album we find strong doses of vaguely progressive rock, shy dreaming keyboards, acoustic folk-tinged guitars, and a sweet and velvety voice, enriched by the exoticism derived from the use of the Ugric-Finnic language. Intimate, very melancholic lyrics, between loves veiled in autumnal nostalgia and deep personal reflections, give an elitist aura to a product that, undoubtedly, does not suit the general public.

The ten tracks flow sinuously, free of unnecessary symphonic or pompous ornaments, based on the choice of refined melodies filled with Floydian and folk-progressive contaminations, all under the banner of a truly effective essentialism.

The opening entrusted to the duo "Sinun Tyyneytesi Vie Voiton Kaikesta"- "Aamunodottaja" languishes between soft "crying guitars" with barely hinted distortions duetting with the confident and robust throat of the talented singer Rami. In the second, a dreamy female voice appears in the wonderful chorus that lends the amalgam a touch of exquisite class. "Nuoli" presents vaguely "heavy" connotations in the rhythmic-guitar work while "Kun Uni Kuolee" and "Inhimillisyyteni" take us back among graceful harmonies, soft drums, and a very heartfelt vocal narration.

The compositional masterpiece comes, however, in the two concluding tracks where they reveal great charisma and a genuine infatuation with national prog-folk. "Harvoin" is presented brisk and pressing only to relax in a verse dominated by atmospheric keys and, subsequently, explode in a powerful and intriguing bridge. Tomi and Santeri's guitars chase each other among harmonious riffs and twin-solos bordering on '80s hard rock where Mr. Särkima’s drumming hits precise and aggressive. "Syntyminen" soars in a flight of ethereal hammonds and tender acoustic embraces reminiscent of traditional music. A dark yet very melodic singing guides us through guitar deliriums reminiscent of Amorphis’ "Tuonela" period. The piece ends alone among tears of distorted keyboards like a small organ and a vaguely hinted female choir.

The last notes leave us gently cradled by such refinement and with the sense of having in our hands a culturally evolved and original work. A sweet appetizer for a long winter of blinding whiteness spent admiring large flakes of untouched snow dancing among dense forests.