Kivenkantaja [IMPORT]

Moonsorrow

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 4, 2006)
• Original Release Date: October 28, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Naula
• ASIN: B00009AEVE
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #134,218 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Rauniolla

2. Unohduksen Lapsi

3. Jumalten Kaupunki/Tuhatvuotinen Perintö

4. Kivenkantaja

5. Tuulen Tytär/Soturin Tie

6. Matkan Lopussa

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Third album for Finnish act who produce epic pagan metal, their magnum opus. Six tracks. Spikefarm Records. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Viking Folk Metal by MOONSORROW, February 4, 2004

By	Mr D. "Artist/Designer/Kibitzer" (Cave Creek, Az United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I don't know if I can think of a band that has a bigger sound than Moonsorrow, maybe Blind Guardian, not because their music is similar it isn't. Their sounds are both larger than life. What the Hell am I talking about? I don't really know. Maybe it's the kind of music you could associate with a epic movie. Their songs are certainly epic.

Kivenkantaja is Moonsorrow's latest release and while 2003, for me, was a year of disappointing followups, this did not disappoint. Kivenkantaja, which means Stonebearer is another majestic recording in the same vein as their first two releases featuring long extravagant, bombastic, symphonic metal music based on Viking folklore delivered with a ferocity which would make Christofer Johnsson (Therion) envious and when the warriors join in on the chorus's it's magnificent.

Moonsorrow plays Viking Metal which is loosely termed as a sub genre of Black/Death Metal. I'll tell you right now if this were truly like Death Metal you wouldn't catch me writing about it. I like to think of it as Life Metal because it's so full of life. There are several other Viking Metal bands. This and Finntroll are the only ones I like.

Now, if you're waiting for me to describe the music, good luck. I could easier describe a magnificent sunset. The music is somewhat homogenous but each song is quite different. It has wildly variety tempos and intensities.

"Rauniolla" (meaning "At The Ruins") starts with some ghostly background voices, then all Hell breaks loose with heavy bass percussion leading the explosion into an immensely epic and melodic song with measured tempo and both excellent clear and also harsh vocals, plus great choirs and the typically folkish melodies. An outstandingly brilliant opener. Almost fourteen minutes long, seems like four.

"Unohduksen Lapsi" ("Child Of Oblivion") lookout, this ones deadly with it's fast extra loud infectious beat and raspy vocals and great atmospheric heaviness that surrounds beautiful melodies and if anybody ever tells you that keyboards, accordion and mouth harp can't enhance a song and add to the quality and atmosphere, tell them to check this out.

"Jumalten Kaupunki/Tuhatvuotinen Perintö" ("City Of The Gods/Legacy Of A Thousand Years") Here we go again with the big sound featuring heavy percussion, huge choirs plus the accordion, some fiddle and arpeggios, astounding!

"Kivenkantaja" Another massive sound with layer and layer of music and those drums are magnificent, here and throughout. Also included are the accordion, mouth harp, harmonium and fiddle to biggest possible effect

Tuulen Tytär/Soturin Tie" ("Daughter Of The Wind/The Way Of A Warrior") is introduced purely acoustic, with the fiddle, about a three minute interlude from the Bombast and then Boom, the Drums, the wonderful drums and electric guitars are back in force along with the choirs for about three more minutes, before going to a fantastic ethereal sound for a minute, then everything is back. I love IT!!!!!!

"Matkan Lopussa" ("At The Journey's End") an accordion lead then acoustic, while a subdued heavy drum beat reminds one of explosions in the background, with Petra Lindberg as lead singer, plus the choir, a traditional, slow Finnish folk song.

Conclusion:

Other than the big sound I tried to describe, this music almost seems like some kind of Scandinavian Hoe Down, it's really incredible. There are other practitioners of Viking Metal but they don't sound much like Moonsorrow, because of their big orchestral sound choirs and that the music is based on folklore.

In Short Moonsorrow is an invigorating musical experience. If this don't get your juices flowing, you're DEAD.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wonder if they play this in Heaven, September 7, 2006

By	Der Hammer des Kuchens "I guess so" (Kalifornia) - See all my reviews

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This is by far the best moonsorrow cd of all, it makes all their earlier ones look like trash. If you were going to get only one of their cd's then it should be this one. On this album they have a great epic sound throughout which is just amazing. The metal and folk elements are still there but they were somehow able to harness them to make this album very epic, at least in my opinion. All the songs seem to start out slow and acoustic and then pick up pace and end just as they began until the next song starts.
The first track is the best by far. It features clean and harsh vocals and a great chorus, probaly their best one. Towards the end it slows and and moves to the second song. This song is my least favorite but it's still good.
The third song is my second favorite because it has a great energenic feel to it and everytime I listen to it I feel like going out on a viking raid or something.
Songs 4 and 5 seem to be the most folksy on the album. They both contain quite a bit of violin and accordion. Song 4 has harsh vocals,clean volcals and a chorus. Song 5 is mostly instrumental ,with the first 3 minutes being acoustic, and their is only a little folk singing and a chorus.
The last track is purely a slow folk song. It only uses acoustic instruments and it features a female singer with a chorus. This song is the slowest one but it has a hauntingly beautiful sound to it.
If you like black/ folk/ epic metal or just epic music in general then you should get this cd.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Epic Viking Metal!!!!!, May 4, 2007

By	Mike Wright "Fightingmike" (San Jose, Ca) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the best Moonsorrow record and Moonsorrow is one of the top Viking/Folk metal bands in the world. Everything about this record is epic and beautiful and moving. The flow and length of the songs and the awesome orchestration and instrumentation make this a record that needs to grow on you and plod along until you are completely enveloped into the myths and history of the Vikings that Moonsorrow is all about.

All of the songs on this record are much longer than your normal radio rock or metal songs and are all between 7-14 minutes and most of them take their time building slowly until they explode with epic bombast. "Unohduksen Lapsi" is best example of this with it's beautiful choruses and even heavier and epic bridge with choir and huge Viking chanting and growling.

Moonsorrow is very unique compared to all of the other prominent Viking metal bands(Ensiferum, Finntroll, Enslaved, Turisas, etc...) in the fact that they are a little more somber in tone and thier music is alot slower and more plodding than thier faster, thrashier counterparts. In my opinion, they are the Opeth of the Viking/Folk Metal genre.

If you like anything remotely black, pagan, folk metal, than you must own this!!!!

1. Rauniolla
2. Unohduksen Lapsi
3. Jumalten Kaupunki/Tuhatvuotinen Perintö
4. Kivenkantaja
5. Tuulen Tytär/Soturin Tie
6. Matkan Lopussa