Moonsorrow

Formed in 1995 by cousins Henri on guitar, keyboards, and vocals alongside Ville Sorvali handling bass and vocals, Finland’s Moonsorrow followed a trajectory reminiscent of countrymen Amorphis, fusing death and black metal with rich atmospheric layers and Finnish folk elements, yet pursued an even grander and more sweeping vision. Early recordings such as the 1996 demo “Thorns of Ice,” 1997’s “Metsä” (meaning “Forest”), and 1999’s “Tämä Ikuinen Talvi” (“This Eternal Winter”) paved the way for their debut album Suden Uni (“A Wolf’s Dream”), which also introduced drummer Marko Tarvonen. Shortly afterward the lineup expanded with the addition of Mitja Harvilahti on guitar and Lord Eurén on live keyboards. After the band reissued its second demo, Tämä Ikuinen Talvi, on CD in 2001, Moonsorrow closed out the year by delivering their first release for Spikefarm, the full-length Voimasta Ja Kunniasta (“Of Strength and Honour”). Widely viewed as their strongest work to date, the album cemented the group’s reputation among leading exponents of Scandinavian fantasy metal and opened the door to the well-received 2003 opus Kivenkantaja (“Stonebearer”), alongside Spikefarm’s reissue of the original Suden Uni album. The band’s fourth studio album, Verisäkeet, appeared in 2005, succeeded two years later by the widely praised Viides luku – Hävitetty. In 2011 Moonsorrow issued Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa, and five years later they unveiled their seventh studio album, Jumalten aika.