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Korpiklaani - Noita review




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Reviewer:
7.3

114 users:
7.36
Band: Korpiklaani
Album: Noita
Release date: May 2015


01. Viinamäen Mies
02. Pilli On Pajusta Tehty
03. Lempo
04. Sahti
05. Luontoni
06. Minä Näin Vedessä Neidon
07. Jouni Jouni
08. Kylästä Keväinen Kehto
09. Ämmänhauta
10. Sen Verran Minäkin Noita

You'll be shocked to learn that Noita sounds like all Korpiklaani. It's almost as though they've been doing the same thing for the last? always.

There's never a question with bands like this about how the new album will sound; it always comes down to the pure strength of the individual songs. You know it's going to be the filthy, scraggly vocals of Jonne Järvelä growling grimily over a barrage of thicker, less-bluesy Motörhead riffs, with the violin and accordion flitting around busily through the songs' skeletons. The three years between Manala and Noita made for the longest gap between releases in Korpiklaani's history, but in this unexpected break nothing has really changed (as if we expected it to). The violin and accordion are slightly more prominent on this album than usual, a slight refinement that well suits a band historically more in-tune with its traditional roots than most folk metal bands. Noita follows the aesthetic of Manala very closely - a shade darker and heavier than previous releases, with all songs in Finnish and none about an alcoholic beverage of some sort (although I don't speak Finnish, so what do I know). Of course, this will only take Korpiklaani so far in distinguishing one album from another.

The fabulous, filthy, Finnish fivesome (plus one) kick off Noita with an opener about as bland and recycled as it gets - and not just for them, but for any band. As I said, at the end of the day it really comes down to the strength of the individual songs with a band as static as Korpiklaani, and "Viinamäen Mies" promises little (as did the innocuous single "Sahti"), but the two songs in between, "Pilli On Pajusta Tehty" and "Lempo," are the kind of memorable, enduring romps that show up all too infrequently in these affairs. That about fulfills the Korpiklaani quality quota for this album, but "Kylästä Keväinen Kehto" also buoys the latter half.

"Sen Verran Minäkin Noita" deviates from the Korpiklaani norm, to be fair, although it wanders straight into the norm of half the metal bands out there. Imagine if Alestorm wrote a speed metal song, or if 3 Inches Of Blood wrote a folk metal song. It would probably sound something like this. It's a fairly "regular" heavy metal piece, relatively little to do with folk or their typical backing tracks. While it doesn't rival the unexpectedly powerful closers of previous albums like "Sumussa Hämärän Aamun" or "Surma," during which Korpiklaani seem to really pull out all the stops, "Sen Verran Minäkin Noita" definitely stands out against the rest of the album, and, for all its conventionality, sounds relatively fresh.

By now, this is at least 400 words more than are needed for a Korpiklaani review. All of this really goes without saying, but they don't pay me the big bucks for not writing reviews. They also don't pay me when I do write reviews, but that's not the point. If you enjoy Korpiklaani, you didn't need any convincing to begin with, and if you don't, nothing will help you.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 3
Production: 7





Written on 10.04.2015 by I'm the reviewer, and that means my opinion is correct.


Comments

Comments: 13   Visited by: 288 users
10.04.2015 - 15:11
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
This is why I like some bands what never changes, and same tme I don't like, I have seen good changes, I have seen bad changes, but seems this band and stage attitude ... well I need hear
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
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I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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10.04.2015 - 15:24
BlackMetalDay

I found the first single Lempo very enjoyable and was hoping for a good and maybe fresh album, but since you count it among the few good tracks... and say that the album doesn't differ from the others...
Well I still expect it to be as good as the previous album was, which is already OK.
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10.04.2015 - 16:12
Rating: 7
ScreamingSteelUS
Editor-in-Chief
Written by deadone on 10.04.2015 at 15:26

Damn Steel you got that review out quickly. But then what do you say about a band that regurgitates the same bloody album every so many years. I keep harping on how this is a massive problem in modern metal - innovation is frowned upon and instead you get the same production line bullshit every so often.

These albums might be good if you never heard the band before, but overall they're superfluous and unmemorable. In essence they're a waste of time and you're better off listening to whatever classics the band might have out.

Frankly, I'm amazed that I managed to get over 500 words out of this. You're right, though; it's the kind of thing that's fresh and enjoyable if you don't know the band, but after a certain point it's just a question of what order the notes will be in.
----
"Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader

I'm the Agent of Steel.
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10.04.2015 - 20:07
WinterMadness

Sahti is Finnish for "ale" or "beer" I believe, so without translating the lyrics, I think there might be one song about alcohol. But I could be wrong.
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10.04.2015 - 20:10
WinterMadness

Written by deadone on 10.04.2015 at 15:26

Damn Steel you got that review out quickly. But then what do you say about a band that regurgitates the same bloody album every so many years. I keep harping on how this is a massive problem in modern metal - innovation is frowned upon and instead you get the same production line bullshit every so often.

These albums might be good if you never heard the band before, but overall they're superfluous and unmemorable. In essence they're a waste of time and you're better off listening to whatever classics the band might have out.


The problem is any time a band innovates, a massive contingent of fans lose their collective shit.
Look at Turisas or Sonata Arctica...I'm sure you know which albums I'm referring to. I'm not saying they are good or bad, but both bands went in a new direction because they wanted to do something different, and they were almost universally reviled for it.
It's a catch-22 really.
Band does something new: "BOO! THIS SUCKS! WHERE'S THE ORIGINAL SOUND?"
Band does the same thing: "BOO! THIS SUCKS! WHERE'S THE INNOVATION?"
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10.04.2015 - 20:33
Rating: 7
ScreamingSteelUS
Editor-in-Chief
Written by WinterMadness on 10.04.2015 at 20:10

Written by deadone on 10.04.2015 at 15:26

Damn Steel you got that review out quickly. But then what do you say about a band that regurgitates the same bloody album every so many years. I keep harping on how this is a massive problem in modern metal - innovation is frowned upon and instead you get the same production line bullshit every so often.

These albums might be good if you never heard the band before, but overall they're superfluous and unmemorable. In essence they're a waste of time and you're better off listening to whatever classics the band might have out.


The problem is any time a band innovates, a massive contingent of fans lose their collective shit.
Look at Turisas or Sonata Arctica...I'm sure you know which albums I'm referring to. I'm not saying they are good or bad, but both bands went in a new direction because they wanted to do something different, and they were almost universally reviled for it.
It's a catch-22 really.
Band does something new: "BOO! THIS SUCKS! WHERE'S THE ORIGINAL SOUND?"
Band does the same thing: "BOO! THIS SUCKS! WHERE'S THE INNOVATION?"

It does seem rather hard to please the fans a lot of the time, but it varies. I enjoy Korpiklaani, I enjoyed this album, and it's clearly what they do best, so I don't really have a problem with them sticking to this formula. It gets boring sometimes, but I still have good things to say about them. I can't speak for Sonata Arctica, but with Turisas, I think their new sound was a bit confusing. It was kind of off-putting and a lot of people weren't really sure how to handle it, and while I still enjoyed their last album overall, I'd like to see them return to their original style.

Of course, they did take a big step in another direction, which was a bold move, and I respect that. That in itself is not a bad thing; it's just a question of how good the results are. In general I think I'd rather a band stick to one style and do it well than try on multiple hats and never really hit the mark. Very, very few people could innovate both continuously and successfully. You are correct, though; it's something of a Catch 22.
----
"Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader

I'm the Agent of Steel.
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10.04.2015 - 20:38
Cynic Metalhead
Paisa Vich Nasha
When band does something new I really don't fucking think has anyone said about "where's the original sound"?

May be it might be a normal conversation among your crappy metal folks but on forums, I never encountered such a bullshit. As far as I'm concerned, fans/label/metal webzine/more importantly musicians appreciate and appraise innovative writing in their music.
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11.04.2015 - 03:37
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by WinterMadness on 10.04.2015 at 20:07

Sahti is Finnish for "ale" or "beer" I believe, so without translating the lyrics, I think there might be one song about alcohol. But I could be wrong.


isn't it oulut?
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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11.04.2015 - 06:45
SoUnDs LiKe PoP

Written by WinterMadness on 10.04.2015 at 20:10

Written by deadone on 10.04.2015 at 15:26

Damn Steel you got that review out quickly. But then what do you say about a band that regurgitates the same bloody album every so many years. I keep harping on how this is a massive problem in modern metal - innovation is frowned upon and instead you get the same production line bullshit every so often.

These albums might be good if you never heard the band before, but overall they're superfluous and unmemorable. In essence they're a waste of time and you're better off listening to whatever classics the band might have out.


The problem is any time a band innovates, a massive contingent of fans lose their collective shit.
Look at Turisas or Sonata Arctica...I'm sure you know which albums I'm referring to. I'm not saying they are good or bad, but both bands went in a new direction because they wanted to do something different, and they were almost universally reviled for it.
It's a catch-22 really.
Band does something new: "BOO! THIS SUCKS! WHERE'S THE ORIGINAL SOUND?"
Band does the same thing: "BOO! THIS SUCKS! WHERE'S THE INNOVATION?"


It's so true. If Sonata Arctica were still putting out speed/power metal albums, it'd be "look at them, same ol' same ol' flower power metal."
But as soon as they start producing stuff with progressive, symphonic, and even southern/bluegrass elements, it's "why don't they go back to power metal?"
It's just one example, but it applies to so many bands.
----
I lift weights and listen to metal
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11.04.2015 - 08:05
Rating: 9
VileVick-Bryant

I was going back to back between this and Kotiteollisuus new album because I couldn't decide which one to listen to first. So for the most part I took turns, I have to ask though did they some of their songs? because two or three of their songs sounded exactly the same as their other ones. Either that or the person on My Free mp3 made a mistake.
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11.04.2015 - 22:10
WinterMadness

Written by Bad English on 11.04.2015 at 03:37

Written by WinterMadness on 10.04.2015 at 20:07

Sahti is Finnish for "ale" or "beer" I believe, so without translating the lyrics, I think there might be one song about alcohol. But I could be wrong.


isn't it oulut?


Olut yes, but sahti is also a word for beer of some sort. Google translate says it means "home-brewed beer" so if that's accurate, it's interesting that they have a distinct word for it. I only figured it had something to do with beer because there is a beer style called Sahti which is a cloudy, high-alcohol beer brewed traditionally and filtered through juniper.
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13.04.2015 - 21:31
Dinruth

Written by deadone on 11.04.2015 at 00:49

Indeed it seems you have bands who are expected to change/innovate (e.g. Enslaved).



I don't know, but to me In Times kinda sounds a lot like Riitiir ... but I guess having two albums that sound similar, does not really make you a repetative band .. and maybe I'm just too ignorant to hear the big difference
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09.04.2016 - 21:15
MétalNoir
Fils du Lys
Best cynical review in a while, thanks
----
Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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