Auringon hauta

With so many metal bands in the general Scandinavian area, so many of them sounding just like their contemporaries, if not worse, you'd think more would emerge stepping outside the general restraints of a genre and stand up as an original band bringing us a unique style rather than sounding just like the last and relying on people liking their band because they like others from the same cookie cutter. Solgrav is at least one band bold enough to step forward with an original style of Metal.


Fans of Black Metal I would say you are in for something special here which will be a memorable part of your Black Metal collection. Fans of Folk Metal I would say don't let the pagan inclinations of the band fool you, this is no standard Folk Metal album.


I would personally have to describe Solgrav as "Pagan Black Metal." Their pagan influence is very apparent in their name, lyrics, and ethnic instrument accompaniment which suggest this is their focus, but this is the extent of it. We don't have lead melodies of folk origin, no medieval or viking sound, no war drums, they very much restrict the folk contribution to this album to their selection of instruments and lyrical content. This may be the theme of the band, but their scales and growls I can only say are akin to Black Metal guitaring and vocals. This isn't an album of folky riffing in delightful melodies and chanted clean vocals, but rather powerful growls and screams over Black Metal riffing only accented with folk accompaniment, and all in a high quality and clear production. This is indeed an original way of bringing folk origins to Metal. They're darker than any 'Folk Metal' band, and more clear, eclectic, and pagan influenced than any average Black Metal band presenting their vision which is original and well crafted.


Their Black Metal riffing is layed with natural instruments such as the flute, kantele, piano, and the mouth harp---the latter (which sounds something like a didgeridoo) is perhaps the most prominant accompaniment included in most songs for some length. This ethnic accompaniment offers both variety and melody to each song. While it seems safe to say folk is the focus of this band, their Black Metal style would keep anyone from ever wanting to put them in a Folk Metal catagory with the likes of Finntroll and Eluveitie so I must say clearly to any fans of Black Metal don't let the word 'folk' here put you off or have you assume this would be some weak violation of Black Metal. This is indeed metal hard and dark enough to earn the respect of Black Metal purists.


Two definite highlights of this album are the drumming and the vocals. The drumming is very lively rather than the typical muffled high-end blast-beats of Black Metal. The production is far from traditional black metal as every instrument is as loud and colorful as it would be in genres like Heavy Metal. They are constantly using different fills of toms and the whole array of cymbals keeping every song from getting stale or dull for even a moment. The vocals, firstly, are entirely in Finnish, which is something I love to hear and hear far too infrequently in the Scandinavian bands I love. Solgrav's vocalist is undoubtedly the most impressive vocalist I've heard from a Finnish band and is a great contender for my favourite vocalist of any Black or Death Metal band. His vocals are deep, gruff growls, so much more powerful than is typical. On songs like "Auringonhauta" and "Maa Aamunsa Kajossa" these are more like threatening war cries from a warrior than the norm in Black Metal more like evil screams from some demonic creature. Not only are vocals presented in the Finnish language and his voice itself great to hear, but also, his vocal delivery sounds so controlled. Every word (though I understand no Finnish) is so well articulated with beautiful dark rolled 'r's like I have never heard before.


Never are we put through muffled repetative instrumentals with a slur of vowels held to a pained scream. While their sound is so very Black Metal, I cannot help but feel I am listening to something superior to Black Metal.


Best cuts on the album: "Maa Aamunsa Kajossa," "Auringonhauta," and the instrumental "Lopun Alku."