For those who are familiar with the Finnish music scene, Viikate will undoubtedly be one of the first names they came across. Viikate are among a fairly small group of major Finnish rock bands. They are label mates with the band Kotiteollisuus (see my review of 7) and often tour with them, though they aren't particularly similar in sound. Other bands that are big within Finland include Turmion kätilöt, Ruoska, and the singer Timo Rautiainen.
Viikate are somewhat typical of modern heavy Finnish music, with a fairly heavy emphasis on melody. They are often classified as a metal band, although (aside from a few exceptions) I would strongly disagree with this assessent. They are another one of those bands that are impossible to neatly classify into a genre, as they incorporate elements of pop music, instrumental ballads, Finnish folk music, surf music, American rockabilly, schlager, etc.
I mentioned that they are influenced by pop music, but I should point out that possibly their single greatest influence would be the Finnish pop music from the '50s, and possibly the singer Reino Helismaa above anyone else. They do have a few individual trademarks, however, such as te aforementioned emphasis on melody, they also have an often rather melancholy tone; lots of interwoven picked guitar work; and extremely clever and beautiful lyrics. Unfortunately, I don't speak Finnish myself, but even the translations that I have read have been pretty amazing.
So there's a bit of background on the band, let's get on to the reviews themselves.
Marraskuun lauluja I (November chants I)
Marraskuun lauluja is not a debut album, it's not an early album, and it's not the work of a band still finding their voice. Viikate have been around for a little over a decade now, and it's been 9 years since they released their debut EP. Their sound has shifted somewhat over the years, but for the most part it had been a gradual, almost unnoticeable shift in sound. Their previous album, Unholan urut, had been generally regarded as their best work to date, and I guess the band must have asked themselves what they wanted to do in the future. This was only the second album with the two new members (second guitarist Arvo and bassist Ervo had only been a part of the touring band prior to this) and I'm sure that they had an influence now in the way that the new music would be recorded. I had only recently discovered Viikate when this album was released, and at the time I was a little nervous as to where the band would go after such a great work.
It was obvious from the first listen that Viikate had changed their sound more noticeably than between any other two albums. Unholan urut had spent a lot more time on slower paced, lower toned songs, and I is at first listen a remarkably fast paced album compared to their earlier work. In truth, I can't say that I was too impressed the first time I heard the album. Or the second, or the third. I don't quite know why it took so long to grow on me, maybe I just wasn't familiar enough with the whole of Viikate's catalogue and struggled with the change, I don't really know, but I was smart enough to persevere and keep listening to it (I had a similar, except even more pronounced, experience with Turmion kätilöt, but that's another review) It really came to me back in February when I was out of town for a couple days in Toronto, and I had a lot of time to listen to music without the chance to change what I had on my MP3 player. As a result, I spent most of three days listening to I and somehow it just suddenly worked for me. I hate to use the cliched expression, but it was like a light turning on in my head. Ever since then, I've had this feeling grow on me, and I would say now this is probably my favourite Viikate album.
I think I owe a little more information on this "dramatic change" between albums, because I suspect I'm giving off the wrong impression. They didn't really change their sound as much as I thought, I just wasn't very familiar with Viikate's earlier catalogue yet. I would frankly call their sound on I more of a consolidation of their strengths than any big change, because it's essentially a fusion of their early, heavier sound mixed with the slower and more melodic work of later albums, and as a result it's a lot more..well, fun than some of their other works in later albums.
I honestly doubt that any amount of ramblings could really do this album justice, so I'll stop here, with just a few last words (before part II) Marraskuun lauluja I is a geat consolidation of the band's musical strenghts, showcasing especially the talents of bandleader/lead guitarist/vocalist Kaale Virtaanen. His voice is perfectly suited to the music, his talent for playing is noticeable, and his lyrics are beautiful. I is the perfect introduction to the band, and is highly recommended to any interested parties.
8.5/10
As before, www.recordshopx.com/johanna is also highly recommended for hard copies of Finnish music.
Hope you've enjoyed this look at Viikate, tune in tomorrow for either part II or the first "Best of Deutschemusik.net"
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