Review by Felix on June 21, 2022.

Some guys wonder about the big number of Finnish black metal bands. I don’t. For the explanation is simple. Finland is, as we all know, the land of the thousand lakes. And what do well-behaved lakes do in winter? Correct, they freeze over. Now winter in Finland lasts approximately from the end of August to the end of May. In addition, this country has almost more lakes (188.000) than inhabitants… as said, almost. Anyway, this means that more or less every inhabitant constantly passes by a frozen lake. In view of this, the idea of icy guitar leads is close at all times. The result is the world’s most vital black metal scene and that's only logical.

Shadow's Mortuary are a part of this scene. Well, assuming that each of these communities has leaders and followers, the band belongs to the latter. There are no individual elements in its sound. Unohdettu Maa presents the pretty usual mix of raw, throaty vocals, rumbling, cold guitars and pounding drums between mid-tempo and high velocity. Aggressive sections are mixed with parts which show one iota of melody. Finally, the devil sits on the shoulders of the musicians and so a diabolical aura is omnipresent, even though the band does not focus very much on atmosphere. There is rather a small rocking, punk-like attitude that shimmers through the songs every now and then. However, the malicious nagging of the lead vocalist clarifies that this is generic black metal.

Apart from the missing individuality, it is the quality of the compositions that makes Shadow's Mortuary to followers. No, I do not speak about a weak work. For instance, the rolling guitar line at the beginning of 'Teloituksen Aika' opens the gate to a pretty intensive, evil and cruel piece of completely non-polished black metal. Its fast parts deliver a proper feeling of insanity and so I am listening to a great number from the beginning to the end. But Finland has given the world so many glorious black metal songs that a couple of good tracks is not enough to be ahead of the pack. This is especially true in the light of pieces like 'Viimeinen Laukaus'. It's okay, yes, yes... it is. But sometimes "okay" is just another word for shit – so let's not kid ourselves, compared to the highlights of bands like Behexen, Malum or Aegrus, this bland composition ripples along like a small stream in the spring sun. But well, as noted above, they don't know a season called spring in Finland. Perhaps this must be taken into account to reduce guilt.

The angry 'Ylistis' is carved from other wood. It makes us forget the few number of lukewarm compositions of the album. Moreover, together with the vehement closer, it builds a furious and ferocious ending. Unohdettu Maa with its cloudy artwork is not bad and it would have profited from a better defined production. Here reigns Mr. Rumble! Nevertheless, black metal maniacs can check this album without having to fear much. I just have three wishes for the next album from Shadow's Mortuary: more expressive riffs (the one of the opener shows that they can create them), the realization that slow pieces without a spooky mood make little sense and the courage to integrate one or two individual elements. This cannot be too much to ask. After all, winter starts again in Finland in two months.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Felix on August 16, 2020.

Sinmara from Iceland is a band that drives me to despair. The dudes always give me the feeling they could have the potential to forge a perfect album, but in reality they do not even come close to perfection. Their unorthodox black metal wants to be more multi-layered, somehow blacker and more meaningful than the music of a “normal” genre combo. Yet at the end of the day, things don’t turn out the way they should. Hvísl Stjarnanna doesn’t change the status quo. It extends the line of outputs that are neither bad nor do they fully reveal the band’s ability to transform its talent into fantastic songs.

Over-ambitious and wayward while spitting on the conventions of a genre that itself spits on “normal” musical conventions, this is the way Sinmara operate. The result is half a dozen marginally overloaded tunes that have their good moments. They grow and they create big black holes, but the focus on the songs themselves vanishes exactly in these holes. Perhaps I should take this album as a sort of black metal opera where the overall atmosphere is crucial. But I am sorry, my old school 80’s mix tape asks for single highlights. Okay, the intensive title track has many positive elements. Its lines are hovering through space and time and invite the listener to take a journey through her or his own mind. What a shame, my mind is a small and dark place where thousands of brain cells are dying each day without having ever really lived before, but I guess I can’t blame Sinmara for this. 'Apparitions' is another good track. The opener kicks off the album with ominous guitar tones and creates a proper whirlwind, in particular at the fast-paced ending.

However, I wish the songs would have clearer contours. Sinmara are like a somewhat confused hiking guide. You trust him, you follow him, but you also see that the route he is taking does not always make sense. For example, this guide does not like to take a shortcut. Dudes from the island in the Atlantic, every now and then it is not forbidden to write a song that does not cross the five minutes mark. Compactness is something the artists are neglecting in an almost painful way. From this follows that the mix of the commanding, deep voice, the opaque guitar lines and the variable drums does not have the desired effect. Okay, even in view of its slightly blurred production, Hvísl Stjarnanna is a good output, but it offers not many moments that take your breath away. Compared to their talent and their skills, Sinmara run the risk of becoming constant underperformer. With the exception of 'Crimson Stars' that occasionally holds some pretty light and inadequate guitars, all songs reach a solid level, but is this really enough for a band with courage, style, instinct and ambitions? Don’t think so. Thus, I feel desperation is coming closer. Will Sinmara be able to manage the (necessary) turnaround in order to advance into the regions of 80+X percent?

Rating: 7.3 out of 10