Moonsorrow

Moonsorrow is a folk metal band formed in Helsinki, Finland in 1995. The group's earliest formation consisted of cousins Ville Sorvali (vocals and bass) and Henri Sorvali (guitar and keyboards) who released various demos that were much more characteristic as being symphonic black metal, musically, than future releases. Their debut album, Suden Uni, recorded in the early 2000, was released in 2001, along with Tämä Ikuinen Talvi (This Everlasting Winter), a re-release of the 1999 demo. Suden Uni (translated as "A Wolf's Dream") was acclaimed by the fans and the reviews with its epic combination of Finnish paganism and folk elements. After recruiting Mitja Harvilahti, Marko 'Baron' Tarvonen and Markus 'Lord' Eurén, Moonsorrow started their first shows, releasing Voimasta ja Kunniasta (Of Strength and Honour) in the late 2001. But the real takeoff for the band was the 2003 release Kivenkantaja (Stonebearer). In 2005 the band released their fifth album, Verisäkeet (Blood Verses) and it's stated to be their darkest album yet. Their latest effort was released in January 2007 and it is known by the name of Viides Luku - Hävitetty (Fifth Chapter: Ravaged). The album contains only 2 tracks, but with both having lengths of over 25 minutes each. Come 2008, Moonsorrow has now completed an EP called Tulimyrsky (Firestorm), released on April 30. It features two covers, an original song, and two remakes of older (pre-Suden Uni) material.