Riitasointu – Pedon Leikki
Riitasointu – Pedon Leikki
Naturmacht
Release Date: 29/03/24
Running Time: 48:45
Review by Oli Gonzalez
7/10
Riitasointu. A new Black Metal band from the lands of Finland on the eve of their debut full length album “Pedon Leikki”. The lyrical content is centred around old tales from the Tavastia region and inspired by the literary work of national author Aleksis Kivi. Promising an album “filled with ancient atmosphere, melody and power”, this had my curiosity peaked and I couldn’t wait to get into it. Especially as I’ve been binging the likes of Saor and Can Barrd lately, other prominent Black Metal bands who infuse related Folk elements in their respective sounds. How would the Finnish newcomers stack up against those?
The opening track offers a cinematic and atmospheric affair dripping in that aforementioned ambient folklore. The sounds of birds singing and other naturalistic inserts are truly authentic and captured wonderfully, transporting you to the great outdoors and setting the scene perfectly. A promising start.
‘Luopio ja Parras’ was an early highlight for me. The sea shanty style chanted vocals provide that delightful folk edge, and with the underlying waltz like rhythm, this is one you’ll raise your tankard to and have a good old dance along to with your pals. That’s before all hell breaks loose towards the end, and your senses are overwhelmed with a Black Metal assault topped with a scorching lead guitar solo. This is impressive, and demonstrates versatility in the compositional approaches.
Much of what can be said for this song can also be said for ‘Metsolan Vartija’. While taking more of an atmospheric approach where dramatic soundscapes are the order of the day, the lead guitars get more time to shine…and why not? …they’re simply stunning! The atmospheric passages allow you to take a journey to the ancient lands, in your mind’s eye, and to be transported to the times of yore. It’s an experience for sure.
The shift away from this and a more Crust Punk inspired number in ‘Pedon Leikki’ seems very out of place though, to the point where you would question if it’s still the same artist! While change and variety can be good, stylistic consistency is much more important. However, we see a similar change in ‘Varjoissa Syvyyden’, but a change that is all for the better. A much more minimalistic and back to basic approach is the order of the day here with guitar leads prioritising emotion and feeling over pointless complexity.
The crown jewel of the album is an entirely instrumental affair, however. ‘Impivaara‘ is an atmospheric journey, an ambient experience that is going on a few playlists upon release day! More crucially, this is a nod to the creative potential of Riitasointu.
Production wise, perhaps the strongest piece of studio engineering comes in the opening to ‘1050’. The sharpness of those drums are impressive, thundering down your headphones and shifting some serious air. With that being said, sometimes the guitars can sound a little fuzzy and lacking that crisp edge and the vocals sit too low in the mix on occasion. However, there are occasions when the mix is optimised fully to allow those phenomenal lead guitars to blaze brightly. Inconsistent is probably the best adjective for the productive values for “Pedon Leikki”, though there is certainly potential and encouraging signs.
Overall, it seems like all the raw ingredients are there for Riitasointu, and it’s clear what they’re trying to accomplish. With some more refinement in production on future releases, this will enable them to make these ingredients shine much brighter and then they can perhaps follow in the vast footsteps of other ambient and Folk Black Metal acts and make their mark on this genre.
TRACKLISTING
01. Komeroisen Vuoren Alla
02. 1050
03. Luopio ja Parras
04. Metsolan Vartija
05. Pedon Leikki
06. Uniemme Maa
07. Varjoissa Syvyyden
08. Impivaara
LINE-UP
Jesse – Drums
Kasper – Vocals, Guitar and Bass
LINKS
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