FINNTROLL - Nattfödd

Posted: 10/9/04

Reviewed by: Goat

Category: Black Metal

Released: 4/21/04

Label URL: www.centurymedia.com

Artist URL: www.fintroll.net

What do you get when you combine extreme metal with “Fiddler on the Roof?”  Music only Satan’s Jewish grandmother could listen to, perhaps.  Or, maybe something like Finntroll’s latest album, Nattfödd.  Combining black metal with Scandinavian folk music, they bill their music as ‘Pagan Folk Metal.’  You’ll either call it crap or pure genius, depending on your listening habits.  (BTW, all the band members have offbeat one-word names, so to save everyone a lot of pain, from here I’ll simply refer to them by their position.)  The singer sounds just like every other razor-throated, black metal vocalist, and you won’t be able to make out a single word.  Not that it would matter if you could, though, since all the lyrics and song titles are in Finnish (I can tell you that the album title means ‘Nightborn,’ not that it matters much).  The guitarists, bassist, and drummer churn out some intense extreme metal, which is played well but sounds like a lot of other bands.  The difference here is with the keyboards, and the songs themselves.  The keyboardist uses a bouncy style that is highly reminiscent of Children of Bodom, but he also simulates various folksy sounds, including violins, cellos, accordions, and woodwind instruments, which give most of the songs an interesting spin.  Finally, the band’s use of traditional Finnish ‘humppa’ rhythms makes the tracks sound more like metalized folk songs than metal songs with an occasional folk instrument.  Overall, the short songs move along at a brisk pace, but they’re not blisteringly fast either.  Just right, I’d say.

The Bloody Truth:  If you’re into keyboard-based extreme metal, especially by bands like Children of Bodom, and enjoy an interesting twist, this album fits the bill.  The problem is, the pool of listeners that would find that style of music appealing is fairly narrow.  While I enjoyed listening to the album for this review, I doubt I’ll ever play it much again.  Sorry, my fine Finnish friends, but that’s the bloody truth.