Finntroll - Nifelvind

This is my first attempt at anything even approaching a review, so please bear with me. I welcome any (constructive) comments on my style or how I can improve my writing (without doing a journalism degree). So...onto the review:

Nifelvind is the latest album by folk metal masters, Finntroll, released in February 2010. It is an ambitious and brave project, seemlessly blending black metal, film soundtrack, carnival music, traditional Scandinavian music and Grieg's Peer Gynt, with stunning ease.

There is obviously a huge leap forward here, in terms of the musical experimentation that the band have always teased at, with the use of new instruments such as the kazoo and even the xylophone(!), along with plenty of seemingly insane time-changes. The heavier parts are heavier, and the folk parts are, well, folkier than on previous records (with the obvious exception of the acoustic album "Visor Om Slutet"). This all makes for a far more positive and upbeat affair than "Ur Jordens Djup", which many fans found lacklustre and lacking in the usual atmosphere (and fun) of a Finntroll release. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this album has more of the feel you would expect from a fantasy film soundtrack or from a Broadway musical, and it flows accordingly. It almost seems as this is telling a story, with crazy moments of exciting, bombastic music being followed instantly, by slower, almost ballad-esque songs....before you are once again thrown headlong, back into the travelling circus, without being given a chance to fully digest what is happening. It is definitely pulse-raising and smile inducing-stuff. This is easily the most accessible, and dare I say, "commercial" Finntroll album, but don't let that put you off, as it is also their most complete work to date, with absolutely no filler tracks. Kudos must be given to the mastermind (ring-master?) of this band of musical lunatics, Trollhorn, for his vision and for having the passion to fully explore what this band are capable of, and then pulling it off in such convincing style. Simply put, this is absolutely guaranteed a place in the top 5 of my end-of.year album list.

Ok, I feel that I must also make a point of addressing Vreth's vocals, which have improved dramatically since the previous album, and are now far more "trollish" and easily sit up there with the best work of previous singers, Katla or Wilska.

So, now for the songs:

The first track, "Blodmarsch", is an instrumental intro, which does a lot to set the tone for the chaos to follow, with it's creepy atmosphere, which to my ears, is reminiscent of the darker parts of the Lord Of The Rings soundtracks. This then segues into the first real song, "Solsagan", which is in many ways a typical Finntroll track (if there is such a thing), with it's thrashing guitars, pounding drums, humppa rhythms, harsh vocals and yoik-style group vocals.

"Den Frusna Munnen" is up next, opening with some interesting percussion (including what sounds like steel drums), similar to that which was previously heard on "En Mäktig Här" from the "Ur Jordens Djup" album, before the guitars come in and we are back in familiar "Nattfödd" territory. I can't sress enough, however, that this album cannot really be compared to anything the band have released previously, as this would be unfair to the depth of detail (and madness) that is apparent here.

After this we have the traditional Swedish folk intro for "Ett Norrskensdåd", which continues throughout the song as the backing for some heavy riffing and growling vocals. Superbly catchy, yet heavy enough to pull it off at the same time. Following this is the, almost thrashing, death/black metal of "I Trädens Sång", with it's subtle Grieg style keyboards. I would say that this is the heaviest song on the album, for those who want to know. This, in turn, is followed by some dark, eerie, chanting vocals, and then some more nice growling from Vreth for the slower, stomp of "Tiden Utan Tid", once again with some nice classical and epic fantasy film soundtrack keyboards.

The ´softer´ moment of the album is up next with "Galgasång", with it's ´clean´ vocals and slower-paced folk instrumentation, sounding to me, like something you might find on a Glittertind CD. This is certainly not a criticism, however, as this is something different for Finntroll, and fits in nicely with the flow of the album as a whole. This will be a real "lighters in the air" moment if they play it live in the future.

Of course, this slow pace doesn't last, and is instantly followed by "Mot Skuggornas Värld" with it's heavy guitars, some more of the Grieg keyboards (and xylophone), along with some huge classical flourishes that would be more at home on a Sigh album. This is sure to get your head nodding or your toes tapping.

The highlight of the album for me, however, is up next. "Under Bergets Rot" has everything you could possibly want from a Finntroll song...a wonderful, uplifting folk melody, harsh singing, trollish "gang" vocals, a prevailing humppa stomp, kazoo, and some ´spooky´Scooby-Do keyboards. Dare I say, Genius?! This is followed by the (almost) equally brilliant "Fornfamnad" with more of the same, but with even more kazoo!

The album ends with the dark, foreboding "Dråp", which takes us all the way back to "Midnattens Widunder". This is definitely one for the long-time fans , who are craving some of the old Finntroll darkness, with it's sinister keyboards, thrashing guitars and hollering vocal style.

So, after all my words, what is the verdict? Well, if you are an existing Finntroll fan, I find it totally implausable that you could be disappointed by this, and if you are a Finntroll virgin, thinking of checking them out....this is the album to start with. This is a ´must buy´ for all fans of folk metal, those with a taste for experimentation, or just is you are looking for a fun, uplifting, metal ´party´ album. So, overall 9.5/10