Finnish Black Metal maestro Ruttokieli is a pretty busy guy in the scene. He works full time with Barathrum and Sielunvihollinen, and he even has his own two-man band with White Rune, who released their full-length debut, Dawn of the White Rune, fairly recently. This is very melodic and keyboard Black Metal akin to early Darkwoods My Betrothed, with the keyboards serving to provide depth and atmosphere to the compositions rather than acting as a leading force. The songs are all varied and interesting, whether it be the Trad-tinged melodies in "Death at Sundown" or the pompous epic "The Ravenous Part 1 - Altar of Defeat," the latter of which is a massive hymn filled with grim beauty and majesty that keeps me coming back to it again and again. The rest of the album can't really compare, but it's all good stuff, and if this is just Ruttokieli getting started with this project, I'm excited to hear what he does in the future.
