Review by Felix on November 3, 2024.

Finnish black metal is both an autonomous brand and a style that leaves a lot of space for many shades of grey. It is a pretty long way from the devastating sounds of Behexen or Azaghal to the more melodic, sometimes symphonic approach that bands like Vargrav prefer. Somewhere between these poles, a new one-man project found its place. Valontuoja have a lot of sinister melodies in their luggage, but they avoid any form of sticky sweetness. Their level of vehemence is comparable to that of Kataklysm and this means that no one has to fear any lame or inadequate ingredients. Thus, the foundations are laid.

But Luonnon Armoilla has much more to offer than only a good fundament. The lone wolf who runs this so-called band demonstrates a surprisingly good feel for the necessary harshness, the recommended dose of bitterness, and quite omnipresent grimness. Given this situation, the melody lines have to struggle in order to be recognized. But in general, people who enjoy Finnish black metal do not love harmonic melodies more than everything else, right? Anyway, our lonely friend Jal’zoroth creates a hellish vortex with vicious thoroughness. The eight tracks are similarly designed, but this is more of a strength than a weakness. They build a compact unit without falling victim to their spiritual brotherhood – no song delivers just one boring second. Not a bad record for a first work, if I am not mistaken.

I am not totally happy with the production, because the drums could be more punchy (the guy loves short drum intros…) and the mix does not sound very organic. Yet despite the somewhat unnatural appearance, the album doesn’t lack an atmosphere. Furthermore, the production delivers a remarkable density. All in all, the technical implementation is absolutely acceptable but not as great as the artwork. What a shame that the debut is not released on vinyl. Hopefully, this omission will soon be rectified. Not only because it is a fantastic painting, but it also captures the atmosphere of the song material in a very suitable way.

The whole album culminates in the broad scenarios delivering closer. I would not call its title very catchy ('Hengitä Vihdoin Puhdasta Ilmaa') and its ending appears pretty abrupt. Nevertheless, this is a little milestone of Finnish blackness due to its mix of awesome harmonies and merciless malignancy. Yet this is not to say that the seven tracks before the finale have nothing to say. Quite the opposite, the reign of unleashed wildness begins with the opener and continues during the following songs in a breathtaking manner. All tracks provide cascading guitar lines that develop a nearly hypnotizing effect. I don’t exaggerate when I say that the album fulfills one of my highest quality features: when I listen to the fifth track, I am sure it is the best of the album, but the sixth track immediately makes me doubt again because it seems to be even better. And it doesn’t matter which tracks I choose, the third and the seventh, the opener and the second – the result is always the same.

Summing up, this is probably one of the best debuts from Finland ever. The material does not focus on a totally ice-cold aura, but it picks up the typical aesthetics from Suomi. Luonnon Armoilla shines like a mighty northern light in the polar sky that is darkened for months. Three years ago, Malignament fired their outstanding debut into the Finnish night, and now Valontuoja join the fight with a similar approach on a comparable quality level. I am highly impressed. To enter these dizzying heights with the first step is no matter of course, by far not. Malignament did not deliver a successor so far – maybe Valontuoja wants to fill the gap soon? Either way, I am curious to see how this project will continue.

Rating: 9.2 out of 10