Style: Folk Metal/Blackgaze (mixed vocals)
Review by: Callum
Country: Finland
Release date: December 11, 2020
From the very opening of the first track on Sielulintu I knew I needed to keep reminding myself not to fall into the trap of comparing any remotely blackgaze band to Alcest. Then I gave up on that idea from the very start of the second track as it’s almost exactly the same tremolo picked intro to “Oiseaux de proie” from Kodama down to the tone. So the question becomes: is this group from Finland an unapologetic carbon copy, or do they bring enough distinguishing characteristics to distance themselves from the pioneers to stand on their own?
Einvigi sing in their native tongue. An interesting contrast I’m suddenly noticing is that the clean vocals, from guitarist Petteri, in Finnish sound almost cute and fluffy, whereas the harsh vocals, from bassist Joonas, are almost frightening. The clean vocals are the biggest drawback on Sielulintu, whereas the harsh vocals are the best thing about it. Petteri’s cleans don’t quite land on the right pitch during his leads. His almost indie-rock phrasing style fits in places like the first half of “Synty”, but sounds awkward when juxtaposed against Joonas’ flawless roars. Likewise, backing ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s can be slightly off-pitch at times but sound good in the most folky sections and lead well into big climaxes as in “Alttarille”. This track is exemplary of the stunning harsh vocals that rival Kim Sternkopf of Møl.
The incorporation of folky elements is crucial to preventing Einvigi from being just another blackgaze band, and they execute this well. “Noitajoki” shows off a good mix of folk and shoegaze narrowly avoiding being totally bland as there are no heavier sections to speak of. The following track “Synty”, continues in a similar vein but even strays into contemporary indie-rock territory. Surprisingly, this actually transitions into one of the better climaxes on the record. Another criticism I’d make of the album is that it lacks these peak moments, and when the instrumentation does build to a summit, the payoff is often lackluster and doesn’t quite get pushed far enough. The guitar riffs are well put together but can get repetitive at times. The final and lengthiest track, for instance, makes use of a few main riffs to drive the track forward but they aren’t quite inventive enough to warrant the repetition and not quite impactful enough to build to the eventual conclusion.
In addition to the harsh vocals, production and instrument tones should be given a lot of praise. For a debut, the album sounds incredibly well polished, the bass guitar is full and distinctive in the mix, and the lead guitar tones are seriously impressive. While there is plenty of room for improvement, specifically in the clean vocals and upping the impact of the essential climaxes, Einvigi have almost everything they need to become a contender in the European blackgaze scene. They aren’t a total Alcest rip-off, although the influence is fairly conspicuous. I look forward to hearing a continued incorporation of Scandinavian folk into the already flooded sub-genre.
Recommended tracks: Synty, Sielulintu, Alttarille
Recommended for fans of: Alcest, Møl, Wolves in the Throne Room
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook| Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Inverse Records – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook
Einvigi is:
Joonas Koppanen (Bass, Vocals)
Henri Sund (Drums)
Petteri Granberg (Guitars, Vocals)
Krister Virtanen (Guitars)
0 Comments