''Jylhä'' (roughly translated as "majestic", or "wild and rugged in a beautiful way") is the eleventh studio album by

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

band

Korpiklaani Korpiklaani (Finnish: ) is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti who was formerly known as Shamaani Duo and Shaman. History Shamaani Duo While other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani started with folk music ...

, released on 5 February 2021. It is the band's first album with new drummer Samuli Mikkonen. Although the album is considered folk metal, it saw the band incorporating sounds like

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

and even

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

. Lyrically, the album features themes like folklore, nature, celebration and three murder stories, including the Lake Bodom murders. In an interview with Slovak webzine Metalmania-Magazín, guitarist Kalle Savijärvi stated: "Mood was pretty much to the heavier direction as one of the first songs written was Niemi you mentioned. Samuli Mikkonen, our new drummer, brought some heaviness with his spectacular drumming."

Reception

''Jylhä'' received positive reviews from critics, who praised its lyrics and the band's musicianship. Roshan Machayya from ''Metal Wani'' wrote "Korpiklaani’s newest offering ‘Jylhä’ is a fun, trippy, and artistically well-rounded album. The arrangements, composition, and performance of the music on the album is a balanced representation of metal and ethnic folk music in the band’s experiences without a semblance of conflict". While Owen Edmonds from ''All About the Rock'' argued "I was surprised how much I enjoyed listening to an entire albums worth of music. To me, Korpiklaani are the perfect festival band. If you’ve ever been to Donnington or Bloodstock then you know those lazy Saturday afternoons when you’re on your 10th warm cider and having downed a foot long hot dog or one of those manky massive yorkshire puddings and you want to kick back". Ralka Skjerseth of Metalriot.com wrote that "''Jylhä'' has a magnificent resonance packed in a form of thirteen tracks..." In a more positive to mixed review, José Cruz from ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

Portugal'' wrote "Jylhä is an album that has certainly improved over its predecessor, but has disappointed in many other ways. They earned points for trying something new, regardless of whether they work".

Track listing

Personnel

Jonne Järvelä Jonne Järvelä (born 3 June 1974 in Vesilahti) is the vocalist/guitarist of the Finnish band Korpiklaani. He is known in the folk metal scene for his yoiking and contributed the yoik on the Finntroll album, ''Jaktens Tid ''Jaktens tid'' ( en, ...

– vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, percussion, violaphone * Kalle "Cane" Savijärvi – guitar, backing vocals * Jarkko Aaltonen – bass * Samuli Mikkonen – drums * Sami Perttula – accordion * Tuomas Rounakari – violin

Charts

References

{{Authority control Korpiklaani albums 2021 albums Nuclear Blast albums