Moonsorrow is a Finnish pagan metal band formed in Helsinki in 1995. Musically, the band incorporates elements of black metal and folk metal. The band describe their style as “epic heathen metal” and aim to distinguish it from the term “Viking metal”. They have also distanced themselves from other folk metal bands, stating that their music is intended to be pagan and spiritual in character and is meant to be challenging for the listener rather than celebratory or dance-oriented. The members hold varying levels of belief in paganism, but pagan spirituality is a recurring influence in their lyrics and artistic themes.
The group’s earliest formation consisted of cousins Ville Sorvali (vocals and bass) and Henri Sorvali (guitar and keyboards; also a keyboardist for Finntroll, Barathrum, and a session member of Ensiferum). During this early period, they released several demos that were stylistically closer to melodic black metal than their later work.
Their debut album “Suden uni”, recorded in early 2000, was released in 2001, alongside “Tämä ikuinen talvi”, a re-release of a 1999 demo. “Suden uni” incorporated elements of Finnish paganism and folk music. After recruiting Mitja Harvilahti and Markus Eurén, Moonsorrow began performing live and released “Voimasta ja kunniasta” in 2001. This was followed by “Kivenkantaja” in 2003 and “Verisäkeet” in 2005. “Verisäkeet” also introduced ambient sound elements such as birdsong and fire crackling between tracks.
In January 2006, the band performed their first United States show at the Heathen Crusade Metalfest in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. In March 2006, Moonsorrow announced a two-album contract with Spinefarm Records and stated that their next album would be released later that year. It was later revealed that the album would include guest vocals by Thomas Väänänen, former vocalist of Thyrfing. “Viides luku – Hävitetty” was released in 2007 and consisted of two long tracks, showing a stronger influence from progressive rock.
An EP titled “Tulimyrsky” was released in 2008. It has a runtime of over one hour and includes one new song, two re-recorded older songs, and two cover songs. It was released worldwide by Spinefarm Records, with a later German-language release through Drakkar Entertainment in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
In 2010, Moonsorrow entered the studio to record their sixth studio album “Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa”, which was released in 2011 through Spinefarm Records. In 2012, the band signed with Century Media Records and stated that they intended to continue working without artistic compromise and begin work on new material.
In 2013, the band announced a vinyl box set of their collected works to be released through Blood Music. Initially planned as a thirteen-LP set, it was promoted as potentially the largest metal box set at the time. The final release, titled “Heritage: 1995–2008 – The Collected Works”, was issued in 2014 as a fourteen-LP set.
The band’s seventh studio album “Jumalten aika” was released in 2016 through Century Media Records.
Over the years, Moonsorrow has faced accusations of associations with right-wing extremism. The band has performed with Loits, a National Socialist black metal band, which led to criticism, particularly after a member described them as “soulmates”. When questioned about such associations, the band stated that they did not concern themselves with the issue. A side project, Lakupaavi, has also been criticized for containing homophobic lyrics. In 2021, Moonsorrow cancelled a planned appearance at Steelfest after far-right-related acts were added to the lineup. The band has repeatedly denied holding far-right political views.
Moonsorrow’s lyrics are primarily inspired by Finnish mythology, folklore, legends, and traditional poetry. Early lyrics were written in English, but since “Tämä ikuinen talvi” they have been written almost exclusively in Finnish, with the exception of a brief spoken passage in Swedish on a re-recording of “Hvergelmir”. The song “Sankaritarina” from “Voimasta ja kunniasta” includes lyrics translated directly from the Hávamál.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonsorrow
Studio albums
Suden uni ("The Wolf’s Dream", 2001)
Voimasta ja kunniasta ("Of Strength and Honor", 2001)
Kivenkantaja ("Stonebearer", 2003)
Verisäkeet ("Blood Verses", 2005)
Viides luku - Hävitetty ("The Fifth Chapter – Destroyed", 2007)
Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa ("We Walk as Shadows in the Land of the Dead", 2011)
Jumalten aika ("The Age of Gods", 2016)
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…shrink me down again