KORPIKLAANI -“MANALA”
NUCLEAR BLAST (2012)
Folk Metal has evolved enormously since the early 90s, a period when bands like Skyclad gradually began convincing people that folk tunes and organs, such as the violin, in Metal can be an inspiring rather than an abhorrent concept. Following England’s example, Finland has been dominating this unique genre and rightfully so, as not only is it a country with a strong and very interesting Folk tradition but also the one place in the world where Heavy Metal music is stronger in terms of sales than Pop! One outfit that has dominated the media’s attention the past decade or so is the Lahti-based sextet Korpiklaani – a band whose eighth studio album “Manala” is only just released by the highly prestigious German label Nuclear Blast.
My one and only previous encounter with Korpiklaani’s music was last year when I wrote a review for their album “Ukon Wacka”, an album that I vividly remember not being particularly impressed by. So, what on earth convinced me that undertaking the task of reviewing “Manala” would be a good idea? Well, I do believe that sometimes not connecting with a certain band/album is simply a matter of bad timing. So, has “Manala” managed to change my opinion of Korpiklaani? Well, even though I still find it really difficult to connect with their ‘happier’ material I find the guitar-driven and slow atmospheric pieces on offer to be much to my liking. Let me explain further.
I know that there are many Metalheads out there who have associated Folk Metal with beer and partying and it is these people who will appreciate the accordion-infused tunes of sing-along tracks such as “Kunnia”, “Rauta” or the weird violin experimentations in “Husky Sledge”. Though I really tried to connect as a listener, I cannot say that my attempts were particularly successful. On the contrary, I found myself pretty impressed by the band’s more guitar-driven material, some of which are pretty heavy for the standards of the genre. “Petoeläimen Kuola” contains a solid riff and violin tunes reminiscent of those of early Skyclad, “Synkaa” is a slow atmospheric/epic gem while “Sumussa Hämärän Aamun” features a massive groovy guitar riff whose power is massive and whose nature is highly addictive.
It took me a few goods spins before getting to understand what Korpiklaani tried to achieve in “Manala” and even though I still don’t “get” their trademark sing-along tunes, I have discovered certain aspects in their music that are both interesting and enjoyable. Both by nature and choice, “Manala” is an album that lacks coherence and perhaps even direction but, on the other hand, maybe this is what will help the Finnish sextet become appealing to a much wider group of Metalheads. This is hardly the album that will turn me into a fan but progress has been made – who knows what the future holds!
John Stefanis
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5.0)
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