CRIMFALL

As The Path Unfolds

Napalm Records/ CD 2009

I wonder how many Finnish bands starting their musical career deal with playing stuff of pleasant and catchy character. Some time ago I received the first full-length from Crimfall and it just reassured me that musicians originating from the land of the thousand lakes simply have charming melodies in their blood. The concoction prepared by this band based in the Finnish province of Uusimaa offers a rich pattern of various musical flavours, which many connoisseurs of eclectic sounds might find utterly captivating.

Being at first very sceptical as regards Crimfall’s debut I was inclined to bash it for being nothing more than a collection of themes taken from such famous Finnish acts as Nightwish, Moonsorrow or Turisas. However, after some repeated listening I realized there is something more to discover within these sounds and besides – even if it was just a mixture of pieces from the above-mentioned groups it still takes some creativity to make a sensible whole out of such a puzzle. The common ground that links these bands’ releases are epic sound landscapes for which nature, mythology and fantasy are not infrequently most important sources of inspiration. The catchiness you might know from Nightwish albums (the ones with Tarja) intersperses here with the natural spirit and complexity of Moonsorrow’s pagan releases. The folk music influences, in turn, go even beyond the straightforwardness and simplicity typical of Turisas’ passages of this kind. Perhaps one might think such a combination is more than enough to create a valuable album, but there are actually several other features of this work that Crimfall try to enchant one with. It is first of all the orchestral parts of “As The Path Unfolds”, parts that sound nearly as if they were taken from or created for the purpose of a grand motion picture. Quite similar feeling can be experienced while listening for instance to the latest Septicflesh’s deed. Another interesting thing is the use of certain keyboard sequences of clearly oriental provenience, which shows that the group have their minds open and seek inspiration on many musical territories. Amidst this sound wealth the listener gets vocal duels involving fiendish rasps from Mikko Häkkinen (also active in Draugnim) and excellent strong operatic singing by Helena Haaparanta whose voice has often associations with Tarja Turunen, especially with Tarja’s performance on “Oceanborn” or “Wishmaster”. Still though, Helena’s timbre remains something pretty unique on the scene.

“As The Path Unfolds” absolutely deserves a praise for the production process. Its clear sound perfectly emphasizes the epic grandeur of the track-list compositions emanating at the same time with forceful energy that nearly rams you in your armchair. Obviously the tracks recorded by each of the instruments are well balanced, properly integrated and can be heard without exerting one’s aural equipment. Just as a good job has been done here, so have also the vocals been put in the right place in the mix.

A vast number of remarkable things is going on throughout this CD, though certain parts could have been created in a slightly better way. Of course the song-writing is generally on a pretty high level here but in order to fully convince me to this music, the band will have to put more effort to the song-making process next time (and there surely will be “next time”, probably in the not so distant future).

Crimfall’s debut album is a very good example of the modern times’ musical eclecticism. The band have been able to show their potential and to present many attention-grabbing artistic solutions without making their compositions over-the-top. “As The Path Unfolds” will surely tickle many metal fans’ fancy and who knows if it will not be considered as one of this year’s most interesting releases.

8,5/12