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Post by illumina on Feb 27, 2005 0:42:26 GMT 2
Here's the review from Metal Hammer (just ignore the fact they can't spell....please....)
Voice of Wilderness:
Despite a long history sparked off by such diverse bands as Britain's Skyclad and the late lamented Bathory, despite recent brilliant albums by Finntroll, Glitertind and Turisas, the idea of "folk metal" still sounds like somebody is taking the piss. Finland's Korpiklaant - the name means 'forest clan' and apparently they live in the middle of the woods in the sub-arctic wilderness - unlike contemporaries such as Finntroll, acually play metal versions of traditional folk songs rather than adding 'folk' touches to black metal. The traditional Finnish accordion and fiddle driven 'humppa' touches - a kind of music that sounds exactly that - is quite unsettling in an extreme metal context while there are moments of icy calm, full of soaring melodies that evoke the mysterious pagan woodlands wherein they dwell. Few bands that feature in these pages have such charm.
written by Tommy Udo [7 out of 10]
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Post by Humppaporo on Feb 27, 2005 0:57:50 GMT 2
After reading all those unanimous positive reviews, does anyone understands why Korpiklaani isn't a lot more famous? ;D
Or is good music something elitary?
Why the .... do they think these guys call themselves KorpiklaanT, sounds like a verb:
I Korpiklaan You Korpiklaant He Korpiklaans .... ;D
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Post by illumina on Feb 27, 2005 21:08:25 GMT 2
I think they read the logo wrong, thought that the big I at the end was a T. And no, I don't understand it either, but then, to be honest, I'm quite happy that most of the bands I like haven't become 'trendy'.
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Post by Humppaporo on Feb 28, 2005 8:34:56 GMT 2
I'm quite happy that most of the bands I like haven't become 'trendy'. To that I agree, but it would be great if they could make a living out of making music. F.i. Jonne could quit his plumbing ;D. And...we all would be able to see them in real life all over the world!
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Post by illumina on Mar 6, 2005 15:08:23 GMT 2
Another British review, this time from Zero Tolerance, which is quite a new mag.
Written by Alex Yorke:
Korpiklaani - Voice of Wilderness
"Splendid! Another slab of frothy hops 'n' barley-flavoured storming folk metal from this undeniably nutty Finnish forest clan. They live in the middle of a forest, play metal and drink beer. Can't argue with that. Their previous release, Spirit of the Forest was fantastic, but this one has more punch - one of the benefits of having another guitarist. It's quite a challenge to stop yourself bouncing around the room/forest in a crazed troll-like manner when listening to this record. It's just a hell of a lot of fun, but it should easily please more 'serious' metal lovers, too, despite a couple of iffy vocal moments, such as those found on 'Native Land' [that's nothing, what about those song titles? 'Cottages and Saunas?! LdC]. Finntroll on helium.
4 out of 6
LdC = Lee duCaine, the Editor.
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Post by illumina on Mar 9, 2005 21:59:38 GMT 2
And yet another one, this time from PowerPlay.
They have a 'this month's hottest new release at a glance' page, so I'll give the review from there first:
A well worked album of mainstream power metal with strong Finnish folk influences but surprising with most of the lyrics in English.
and then the main one:
This is good stuff! It is that often attempted but rarely successful marriage of heavy metal and traditional folk elements. Here it works, and works well. The one major surprise is that most of the songs are delivered in English and not Jonne's native tongue. Korpiklaani come from Finland and so their folk influences come from that striking and stark land of forests, lakes, huge skies, long dark winters and seemingly short summers. Still as traditional folk music shares many of the same instruments, forms and elements, wherever they come from in the world, much of the folk sounds remarkably international. Take 'Journey Man' for instance; it [sic] a riotous dancing song. Well a few years ago at a family wedding I was roped into whirling around the hall to a traditional British folk song that is almost identical to the tune used here. One point is that tradition folk is very similar the world over, the other is of course Korpiklaani are not just a folk band. These guys are a metal band, and a powerful one at that - powerful but with a strong use of melody and musicianship. In fact it could be argued that the style of metal that underpins the band's more creative moments is as old fashioned as most of the folk music, but not by me. Sometime the songs that are produced are for a good time in the pub: "Beer, beer" or "Olut, Olut" as I believe it would translate back into Suomin, is you guessed it, a drinking song. At other moments the songs have a more poignant note, for sad times by the fire, remembering what has been lost. "Fields in Flame" is one such; it a song of war but not how great it is to hold a sword; it is in fact about the evils that are inflictive on the local population, so it mentions pillage, rape, as well as the burnt crops of the title. "Voice of Wilderness" is a really great album, an ace mix of traditional power metal and traditional powerful folk.
9 out of 10 Ian Guy Lochead
(please ignore the lapses in the English, they are his, not mine, but I couldn't be bothered to write [sic] after them all......)
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Post by illumina on Mar 10, 2005 21:09:55 GMT 2
And here's the review from Classic Rock - which is a condensed version of the one in Metal Hammer (it's written by the same person) . It's in the Round-up: Extreme section.
"Unlike comtemporaries such as Finntroll, Finland's Korpiklaani (the name means 'forest clan', and apparently they live in the woods in the wilderness) play metal versions of traditional folk songs, rather than adding 'folk' touches to black metal. A decidedly odd though very charming take on Viking black metal."
7 out of 10
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Post by frostheim on Mar 10, 2005 22:05:42 GMT 2
metal versions of traditional folk songs WTF? A decidedly odd though very charming take on Viking black metal. WTF_2? Maybe the reviewer should concentrate on his "classic rock" only.
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Post by Sethlad on Mar 11, 2005 12:31:57 GMT 2
One wonders if he actually ever heard the album...
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Post by Humppaporo on Mar 11, 2005 13:44:12 GMT 2
maybe he mixed up with Enslaved...;D easy to understand...very similar bands ;D ;D ;D or...probably...he lost his hearing aid...
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Post by twilightheart on Mar 14, 2005 0:14:30 GMT 2
My own (long ) review about "Voice of Wilderness" is now online on www.sheol-magazine.com (in "reviews" of course), I have put it under "Recommended new releases". But it´s only in German so far (but at least the Germans can already read it). The English version will follow soon. I tried not to read any other reviews about it in the last time... not to be influenced, but just to write my own words! P.S. For the new fans in the forum > there`s also an older interview with Jonne in the interviews-section of Sheol Magazine... just in case you wanna read....
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Post by MaliceGarden on Mar 14, 2005 13:28:18 GMT 2
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Post by Humppaporo on Mar 14, 2005 14:25:30 GMT 2
Hehehe, Very malicious of you!;D I knew this review, and it's like all the others... The only bad thing about it is that it is another extremely, utterly positive review! It's almost boring...;D;D;D
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Post by twilightheart on Mar 14, 2005 16:49:52 GMT 2
The only bad thing about it is that it is another extremely, utterly positive review! It's almost boring...;D;D;D I could change mine to a very BAD one, if you want, just for your excitement! ;D
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Post by MaliceGarden on Mar 14, 2005 17:29:17 GMT 2
i felt i had to try to break all the positiveness, followed by a sense of relief. :] hmmmmm, i think im starting to developing problems with these gay smilies. im always putting them.....
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