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Digipak CD with 12-page booklet.
Sirpinmurtaja’s second full-length, released in 2024, channels the biting majesty of Finnish black metal into a richly melodic and atmospheric journey that feels at once ancient and immediate. Listeners who revere the courtly riffs of Obsequiae or the epic, windswept fervor of Sühnopfer, Passéisme, and Véhémence will find a kindred spirit here—but Ajanvalajain Nouseva Myrsky never settles for imitation. It refines those influences into something uniquely its own: a storm of soaring leads, melancholic piano lines, and frosty aggression that flows with storyteller’s grace.
The opening instrumental, a somber piano-and-synth prelude, sets the stage like the hush before a midnight snowfall. When “Sutta Paijaava Paholainen” breaks the silence, the guitar work unfurls in cascading, medieval-tinged melodies reminiscent of Obsequiae’s glinting armor, yet anchored in a harsher Nordic temperament. Every subsequent track deepens the narrative: “Untennäkijä” entwines melancholic keys with martial riffing, while “Kyynlaulu” drifts between icy tremolo runs and dreamlike interludes that echo the yearning grandeur of Véhémence.
What makes the album truly arresting is how it balances contrasts—raw versus regal, despairing versus triumphant—without slipping into grandiose excess. The piano is never mere ornament; it converses with the guitars, adding both sorrow and splendor. Vocals, cutting and urgent, recall Spellbound of Aorlhac yet feel distinctly personal, amplifying the lonely heroism at the album’s core.
The climactic title track, a six-and-a-half-minute odyssey, gathers every sonic motif—melodic onslaughts, doom-tinged lulls, and windswept choirs—into one breathtaking finale. By its close, it’s clear why this 2024 release is destined for year-end lists: Ajanvalajain Nouseva Myrsky captures the spirit of modern melodic black metal while forging a voice that is unmistakably Sirpinmurtaja’s.
Essential tracks: “Sutta Paijaava Paholainen,” “Untennäkijä,” “Kyynlaulu,” “Ajanvalajain Nouseva Myrsky.”
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