Forest Storm

Fans of this solo Finnish BM project, roped in as followers by a demo released in late 2016, had to wait over six years for a follow-up which turns out to be Tetrasigil's debut full-length "Forest Storm". Those listeners will be surprised at Tetrasigil's transformation from a gritty lo-fi act into a cleaner and very polished performer of surging and sometimes even dramatic melodic BM. There's a lot of emphasis on riffs and tunes that have a post-BM flair, even though the music's style is typically minimalist Finnish BM with little more than frost-edged raspy vocals and a nippy feel in the atmosphere surrounding proceedings. Delivery is brisk and efficient, with all instruments (guitars, bass, percussion) working and harmonising well, and the harsh vocals actually clear if ectoplasmic and ghostly in nature.

The album starts strongly with the title track, also the longest at just over nine minutes, galloping on fast and varied beats and pushed along by sharp and muscular riffs. The lyrics tend to be sparing throughout the song so much of the emotion and drama – and there is plenty of both! – is carried by the guitars, the droning keyboards and the pounding drums. The third to fifth minute especially features some very stirring melodies. Second track "Chalice of Sorrow & Hatred" zigzags between depressive droning guitar riffs and a more aggressive and faster style with blast-beat percussion, but seems a bit more subdued, perhaps because of its slower pace.

As the album continues, it comes across as a strong set of songs, each packing in catchy riffs, varied beats and rhythms, and passages of intense and impassioned music overseen by icy, gritty vocals. The powerful music culminates in final track "A New Dawn" which includes booming drums and outbursts of determined martial guitar riffs. The musical arrangements may be complex on all songs but their delivery is straightforward and their production is pared down to the most essential. This makes for quite a technical BM album strong on melody and performance. It's to Tetrasigil man Luxixul Sumering Auter's credit that the album is very dramatic, even emotional in parts, given that such qualities must be generated by the music and how it is performed.

While the song-writing and the execution are very good throughout the album, I do feel that Tetrasigil might have sacrificed individuality for a more polished approach that straddles the divide between underground BM and its alternative mainstream twin. I should think if Tetrasigil is aiming for a more alt-mainstream audience, the music needs to have a more distinctive sound and go beyond being powerful, aggressive and soul-stirring. Minimal melodic BM that stirs the heart and blood is already a Finnish specialty and Tetrasigil needs to go further to get noticed.