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Norrhem – Elonkehrä

norrhem – elonkehrä

Info

Formed in 2017 in Turku, Finland, the then two-piece of Valthor and MA started their journey which led to their first demo. When T also joined the band, Norrhem swiftly finished their first full-length album ‘Vaienneet voittajat’ which was released in 2018. With a few added band members, 2020 saw the release of the sophomore effort ‘Koitos’, but things didn’t quite work out and the band returned to the familiar three piece. And with that line-up the band recorded the band’s third record ‘Elonkehrä’ which was released mid 2022 on Spread Evil Productions.

The eight tracks on ‘Elonkehrä’ combine for 42 minutes of Black Metal that incorporates a fair deal of melody, enchanting synthesizers and a folky atmosphere. In a track like ‘Saarretut’ the band lets their Heavy Metal influences shine through as well, with some great clean vocal choirs backed up with fast drum sections and spacey keyboards. While the music is epic in nature, this doesn’t necessarily lead to an overly melodic and tame performance. On the contrary, the band likes a fair deal of pace in their music. To be fair, compared to the preceding albums the music has probably shifted away a bit more towards the epic at the cost of some bite. Especially on ‘Vaienneet voittajat’ the music was much more closely related to the typical Finnish Black Metal of Goatmoon, Horna and newer acts like Vargrav. While that already started with its predecessor ‘Koitos’, ‘Elonkehrä’ adds even more of a midtempo twist, epic undertone and an increased Folky feel. I guess a band like Stormkeep isn’t a bad comparison although Norrhem sounds less epic, or Warmoon Lord but less raw. This change certainly gives Norrhem a more distinct sound, and when they combine the grand atmosphere with epic nature, strong growls, a creative progressive drum break and bouts of fury like in ‘Sammas’ they truly shine.

Although that typical raw Finnish Black Metal sound is still present, ‘Elonkehrä’ sees Norrhem moving slightly more into an epic direction. Depending on your personal preference this may or may not be a favorable change. But, the album still has plenty of balls and is certainly the most diverse the band has offered so far. Especially for those that appreciate an epic atmosphere and a touch of Heavy Metal in their symphonic Black Metal this album is worth delving into.