Finnish Extreme Folk Metal band Verikalpa’s current studio output is bordering on prolific, dishing out quality albums every other year since 2018. With a stable line-up in place now for the last three, this talented six-piece are steadily focusing and honing their style – part seething aggression mixed with equal parts melody, and all delivered with attitude. Album number four shows them really hitting their stride.
Their music is rooted in the Melodic Death Metal of say Children Of Bodom, Skyfire, Kalmah or Norther, but with fabulous added folk melodies carried by guitar and/or keyboards. At their core, the band base their songs around thundering rhythms that chop and change to bring added variation to each song. On top of this, the energy levels never subside, as heavy-as-you-like guitar riffs explode from every arrangement, galloping when needed, grooving and driving at other times, keeping the interest in every track at its peak.
Elements of Finntroll, Alestorm, Ensiferum and Korpiklaani creep in to spice things up here and there, adding those delicious folk elements to the band’s already rounded sound. There are no traditional instruments used by the band, they utilise synthesised versions instead (there’s already six of them – no need to add any more!), but this seems to fit well with the band’s aggression and easily gels in with the rest of the instrumentation. Superbly delivered harsh vocals are once more the order of the day as frontman Jani Ikonen spits Finnish venom infused lyrics forth with apparent ease, as he’s been refining his delivery with every subsequent release.
Straddling the line between aggression and melody is no easy feat, but Verikalpa manage this throughout “Tuomio”, brimming with confidence and carving their way majestically through each angst-ridden composition. There’s something immediately accessible about this album, but there’s plenty of depth too as you allow yourself to be dragged along for the ride, being served up plenty of Melodic Death Metal rage to be balanced out by splashes of intelligent folk melody. Verikalpa are really getting the hang of this now, so strap in and hold on very tight…
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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