Korpiklaani - Noita - review
Korpiklaani - Noita - review
Tracklist
01. Viinamäen Mies02. 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
A review by
ScreamingSteelUS April 10, 2015
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
Written on 10.04.2015 by
Dull Music for Dull People Comments
Comments:
13
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Posts: 64500
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
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 95
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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Posts: 6705 Written by deadone on 10.04.2015 at 15:26 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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Posts: 115  |
Posts: 115
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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Posts: 115 Written by deadone on 10.04.2015 at 15:26 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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Posts: 6705 Written by WinterMadness on 10.04.2015 at 20:10 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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Posts: 7928
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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Posts: 64500 Written by WinterMadness on 10.04.2015 at 20:07 isn't it oulut?
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 935
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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Posts: 115 |
Posts: 115 Written by Bad English on 11.04.2015 at 03:37 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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Posts: 847
Best cynical review in a while, thanks
---- Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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