Finland’s Whispered want to make folk metal on their own terms. You'd assume a band from this region would simply hop on the viking metal bandwagon, but no. Instead, the band chooses to fuse traditional Japanese instruments with Scandinavian melodic death. Formed in 2004 by vocalist and guitarist Jouni, his love for ancient Japan would be a growing influence for the band's sound. Since then they have honed the use of the shamisen, shakuhachi, and koto to create a historically epic sound. Whispered will be playing a slot at Tampere Metal Meeting playing alongside known Finnish bands such as Insomnium and Moonsorrow. Clearly Metsutan - Songs Of The Void is taking them to higher places.
After a charmingly traditional folk intro, Whispered come roaring out of the gates with "Strike!" It's a mortal one, for sure. This is melodeath at its finest featuring top notch hooks with an alarming amount of consistency. The guitars rip through a number of thrash-inspired riffs alongside further use of acoustic Japanese instruments and well-placed gang vocals. It's what I imagine Mors Principium Est or early Soilwork might sound like if they traded synthesizers for folk accompaniment. Or think Ensiferum meets Tengger Cavalry.
I thoroughly enjoyed every song on this album, but there were a few tracks that really stood out. "Exile of the Floating World," "Kensei," and "Victory Grounds Nothing" are all truly epic songs for going into battle. It is truly impressive just how seamlessly all of the players are brought together to form such tight compositions. Most songs maintain maximum impact at around 4-5 minutes, but Whispered prove they are capable of carrying arrangments well beyond that with "Sakura Omen" and the powerful closing track of "Bloodred Shores of Enoshima."
Once again, an album far exceeds my expectations. I sometimes wait months for a major release only to be greatly dissapointed, so it is always a treat when a group unknown to me drops in to really tear things up. That's really what it's all about in my book. Metsutan - Songs Of The Void is a fun, expertly played album that holds up from start to finish. Perhaps more importantly, it takes elements that are familiar enough to comfort the listener while arranging them just differently enough to seperate Whispered from the amorphous blob of never-ending melodeath sound-alikes. I may have to dip back into their previous discography, but in the meantime I am hooked on this one.