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Here we have a split between two well-regarded black metal acts, Norrhem and Sielunvihollinen, both of which have been around for over a decade and both I have only come to know and love rather recently.

Norrhem's half has them doing what they do best (or at least what they do on their second album, Elonkehrä, which I'm familiar with), which is basically Moonsorrow worship so reverent and well executed that citing it as mere reverence is a bit insulting. They still bring the acoustics and keyboard-driven sections that particularly recall their predecessors perfectly without diluting the strict metal, and "Huokaavat Kentät" in particular is a top-notch example of what these boys can do. They certainly aren't as well renowned as I think they should be, but if they keep writing songs like that, it's only a matter of time.

Next comes Sielunvihollinen, who have casually mastered the craft of melodic black metal in their time and continue to show their mastery here. They, too, stick to their guns and work in the malevolent, guitar-driven sound that has defined them for so long, and it clearly shows on their material here. This is especially true for the 10+ minute epic "Löi Sodan Viikatteet," a song that ends up being surprisingly folky in a way that Moonsorrow is, which is fitting considering who they share the split with.

All in all, this is just a strong split of two of Finland's high profile black metal acts who've been especially getting notice as of late. If you don't know either band, you can fix it with this if you like.