TERVAHÄÄT: Virtus Release year: 2022Label: Anima Arctica Virtus is a Roman word signifying – and I quote Wikipedia here for the sake of simplicity – “valor, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth, perceived as masculine strengths”. In other words, a … Continue reading The virtus of Tervahäät
VESPER KENNINGS: Songs Of Verdant Bone, Eight Wreathen Hoorahs For Weary Hearts Release year: 2022Label: self-released It’s a couple of years now since I first became acquainted with the Finnish project Vesper Kennings through their two demos. Already on those, … Continue reading Singing of verdant bone
HATS & CAPS: Going Nowhere Release year: 2021Label: KB Records About a year ago, in my review of Laki & Järjestys’ 7″ (read here) I remarked that Finnish oi! has often been in short supply. Luckily, at the moment things … Continue reading Going nowhere with Hats & Caps
KAARNA: Väkipyssyvärssyjä ja kulkutautitarinoita Release year: 2021Label: Anima Arctica Even in the small and quite esoteric Finnish post-industrial neofolk scene, one-man entity Kaarna is a peculiarity. Known for his involvement in Tervahäät (among many other acts), and as the owner … Continue reading Plague tales and blunderbusses
WARMOON LORD: Battlespells Release year: 2021Label: Werewolf Records Three years ago, in my review of Finnish one-man band Warmoon Lord’s debut album (read here), I pondered lengthily on the merits and demerits of pandering to pure nostalgia. Ultimately, though, what … Continue reading Battlespells under the warmoon
ARCHGOAT: Worship The Eternal Darkness Release year: 2021Label: Debemur Morti Productions Finnish Archgoat are – as surely just about everyone reading this knows – one of the iconic names of Finnish black metal, and one of those hugely influential bands … Continue reading Worship the eternal arch goat
Kürøishi: Käärme sisälläsi, myrkyttää maailmani Release year: 2021Label: Break The Records/Fight Records/SPHC Records Behind the rather odd name of Kürøishi are to be found five Finns, whose collective CV is some kind of impressive: Terveet Kädet, Lapin Helvetti, Deathbound and … Continue reading Kürøishi with snakes inside
MASK OF SATAN: Underneath The Mire Release year: 2021Label: Iron, Blood And Death Corporation I’ll be honest with ya: the foremost reason I picked this album for listening was the cover. And, Hell, why not: it sports some great cover … Continue reading Black goats and masks of Satan
PYHÄ KUOLEMA: Uusi panssaroitu Suomi Release year: 2021Label: Anima Arctica Whilst there is neofolk from elsewhere too, in many ways the genre is a very European phenomenon. As a genre, it has always been tied to tradition, history and the … Continue reading A holy death and an armoured Finland
NAPALM TED: Cesspool Of Human Mind Release year: 2021Label: self-released/Mögähead Napalm Ted, whose name strikes me as a silly play on the name Napalm Death, have been going at it for six years. During this time, the crust and death … Continue reading Cesspool of napalm
Only Death Is Real 