You do not think of Finland being the birthplace of a doom band. Sure there is plenty of Black Metal, but not bong-laden hymns like what is being unpacked here. The guitar is the most Sabbathy thing going here. The singer has that qualuded out Ozzy drawl, but he has obviously listened to Eric Wagner-era Trouble as well. His voice is not as piercing of a tenor as Ozzy or Eric. This plays in his favor. When he croons from his chest register there is more of a Candlemass tone. But unlike that band, they are not dragging out sprawling dirges and stick to concise stoner grooves.
"Long Riders" has a more purposeful march. The vocals seem to have a knack for falling in all the right places, and this guy knows how to make the most of the range he has to work with. Four songs in and you begin to sense a certain uniformity in their sound. "Home of Arktos" is the strongest song so far as the vocals are more commanding and throb of the song carries a great deal more heft to its dramatic drive. "A Year With Us" finds the strong vocals of Magnus Corvus once again helping these guys move in a more original direction. His phrasing is really interesting, like how he rounds out his vowels going into a note.
The tempo picks up a little for "I am the Soil". The riff, is less Sabbath-like, but not the album's best, it does not suck either, the song before just kicked a bunch of ass and raised expectations going into it. It's hooky enough so might just need to grow on me. The last song creeps out of the previous one with a marginally darker shuffle. I will give this album a 9.5, it grew on me as the band settled into their identity as the album progressed making this an impressive debut.
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