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Finsterforst > Weltenkraft > Reviews
Finsterforst - Weltenkraft

The Accordion Steals the Show - 60%

hailmarduk666, April 2nd, 2013

Finsterforst's first full length came out and it was a behemoth. There's 10 tracks here, and 75+ minutes of music. For the math whizzes that's about 7 and a half minutes of music a song. This fact leaves the album with two ultimate outcomes. Either it will maintain freshness and not stagnate over the course of the hour and a quarter, or it will become irritating and leave the listener tapping their foot in impatience. While the album has some good points, the resounding conclusion I have, is that I was bored to death after the first two tracks.

Musically, the accordion here is a standout performance. The folky melodies the musician puts out are extremely intricate and impressive. Similar to how the fiddler in Korpiklaani adds some flair to the songs, so does the accordion player in Finsterforst, contributing some excitement to an overall boring album. The accordion is both an upside and the ultimate downfall of the album. This is namely due to the fact that the accordion and drums are pretty much the loudest instruments in the mix. Every once in a while the listener will hear some flute melodies and synths. It's even more rare that the guitars take center stage, and even though there's ample time for them to show their proverbial face, they are relegated mainly to the sidelines. The only times that the bass, guitars, or other instrumentalists are heard substantially are during accordion-less passages. This is a shame because there's some good stuff going on behind the scenes, such as the acoustic introduction to the last track "Verlorene Seelen", but they are heard very seldom and for that reason the album becomes pretty damn boring about 30 minutes in.

Overall, there's some good ideas being bounced around, with lots of melody changes, good drumming, nice atmosphere (when not drowned out by the accordion), decent singing, and guitars that are performed well when heard. Despite the goods, the accordion detracts more than it adds, because it's too loud and overbearing. If only there was a little more restraint regarding this one element, because this album could have been pretty damn good.

Accordions are now metal - 89%

Razakel, April 2nd, 2009

Now that folk/Viking metal has become so popular among young acts, it’s become difficult to find a band that sounds different from the countless other ones who they’re competing against. This is where Finsterforst succeed; they have a full time accordion player. This is certainly an uncommon instrument for the genre, but it’s contribution to the overall sound is what makes this band just that much more original, creative, and awesome.

The songs on Weltenkraft are generally upbeat, with the tempo changing occasionally, but the style of the band is mostly mid to fast paced bubbly, yet serious, folk metal. Des Waldes Macht kicks things off with thundering double bass and a frantic accordion leading this dynamic storm of music. What is really impressive is how Finsterforst have carefully crafted their songs in order for every instrument to appear prominently in the overall mix, so nothing is left out or awkward sounding in the songs. This frenzied pace is continued at the beginning of the second song, but this is also where the band show their dimensions with excellent keyboard and accordion interludes. Catchy melodies are scattered everywhere throughout the 77 minutes of music on this album, a personal favourite is the ever-changing Von Glorreichem Schmerz, which contains a soft breakdown that is capable of pleasing any Moonsorrow fan.

Although Finsterforst succeed in being very original with their sound, sometimes they seem to get lost with their own style, and the sections of music begin to sound interchangeable and the memorable moments become somewhat lost. This only really becomes apparent when the album is listened to in its entirety. Because all of the instruments basically play an equal part, none of them really stand out as particularly outstanding, instead all sound consistently impressive. The vocals, however, are something I’d like to see improved. They work fine with the songs, but the variety that is needed to make them constantly interesting is just, for the most part, not there. That said, the chanting section in Rauschende Nächte brought a big smile to my face. Most of the tracks on the album are quiet lengthy. I don’t have a problem with this, but I think the 7-8 minute songs have just as much content as the 10-13 minute ones.

Finsterforst is still a fairly new band that I definitely recommend checking out. I haven’t heard their second album but their solid debut, Weltenkraft, has made me interested in doing so. If you’re a fan of epic folk metal in the vein of Equilibrium with the upbeat tendencies of Finntroll and Korpiklaani, then Weltenkraft is for you.

Folk, with a twist! - 89%

Pwnzorator, May 30th, 2008

I just bought Finsterforst's ''Weltenkraft''. I can't even pronounce the name properly, I am french you know...The guy at my indie metal store said: ''You like Finntroll ? Korpiklaani ? Manegarm ? Trollfest ? Me: ''Sure thing but I won't listen to folk metal for a couple of days; I was fed up by the Ensiferum show yesterday''. He said: ''Give it a try now; I know you'll like this''. He sure knows me well, I listened to the album and by the time I got home, I thought this album was worthy of a review.

So, the music. It does have a Finntroll influence, sure it sounds a bit like Korpiklaani, you do have some nice riffage similar to Manegarm but...This band is completely different from the previous mentioned.

First of all, all ''kvlt'' fans should refrain since the production is top-notched. This album is a polished diamond; even the bass is clearly audible and never sounds like it needs new strings. The use of an accordion is amazing; it definitely brings a new edge to the songs. It provides both sorrowful and festive melodies. It is indeed a versatile instrument. The drums are classic, mid to fast paced double bass, some blast beats here and there...Nothing amazing yet it sounds perfect. The guitars offer nice riffage. While not being complex, they really are entertaining, often providing an already good song with a tasty lead. We're also lucky enough to have the right to get some acoustic parts (sounding much like SuidAkrA's). Now, the keyboard. I am a fierce fan of keyboards, I like what the add to the music and I hate listening to people whining about how keys are lame and blah blah blah...go to hell. In here, it's almost exclusively an atmosphere maker, mostly because the accordion takes the entire place for the melodies I guess. The only thing I can't stand is the keys spawned choirs. It is horrible, lame and monstrous. You have 6 people in your band, there has to be a way to make a nice choir.

Even though it is folk/celtic metal release, it doesn't sound as ''happy'' as other deliveries from the same genre. It has a much darker tone but it never falls into black metal (except for some vocals). While listening to the album, I often find myself comparing it to Skyfire's ''Spectral''. Both albums give the same feeling of power, sadness and sheer brutality.

I would recommend ''Weltenkraft'' to every fans of folk/celtic metal. It is probably one of the good albums you will have.