MOONSORROW’S V – HAVITETTY IS THE BEST TWO BUCKS YOU’LL EVER SPEND

Moonsorrow are generally regarded as folk metal, but their most recent release, the excellent V – Hävitetty, strikes me as being in the same family as black metallers Enslaved – it has a similarly etheral, progressive, sometimes-psychedelic quality about it, to say nothing of the “Gargling my last words after I’ve been stabbed in the throat” vocal style. But whatever you call it, there’s no denying this: it’s a really, really good listen.

So let’s all thank Steve Jobs and his .99 cents-per-song policy for iTunes, which has rendered the cost of this album (on iTunes it’s actually known as Vildes Luku – Hävitetty for some reason) a whopping two bucks because it “only” has two songs. Never mind that those songs are about a half an hour long each with four or five distinct movements (yes, this album truly is a fucking beast); in the Kingdom of Apple, it’s a buck a song, and so you, the listener, get to reap the whirlwind.

Seriously, I think this is a grave oversight that needs to be corrected; I’m sure that this band, to say nothing of their reps at Spinefarm records, struggle enough as it is. But at least while it lasts, I strongly recommend you not buy that extra hotdog and just go (legally!) download this album instead. You can certainly afford it, and I guarantee you, it’s worth it.

-AR