Verikalpa (Finnish for Blood Épée) is a folk metal band hailing from the northern city of Oulu, Finland. Self-described as “troll/beer” metal, they incorporate the standard folk elements: bouncy, catchy melodies and high energy riffs and lyrics that are easy to sing along to, provided you speak Finnish. It took many years of mastering their sound before they were ready to record Taistelutahto, which was done so by Janne Huotari in SURF-SOUND Studio in Oulu.
Taistelutahto (Finnish for Battlewill) is classic folk metal following in the vein of the famous Finnish folk metal bands that came before them. One thing that does separate them from their more well-known brethren, is the exclusively Finnish lyrics which revolve around drinking, hangovers, trolls and battles and is encapsulated in the Oulu accent. Typical finish folk metal fare, and even without knowledge of the language it’s fun to listen to and shout out the occasional ‘hey!’.
It’s peppy and full of energy and the gang vocals are definitely going to get you into a headbanging mood. A solid debut album. While they include all the elements one would expect from folk metal, they do really go above and beyond to create something that stands out from the many other bands in the genre. A promising start, Verikalpa will surely continue to put out high caliber music going forward.
They say that drinking can improve language skills, so pick up Taistelutahto along with some friends and brews on February 16th, and head bang, dance and cheer until it makes sense.
Favorite Track: Taistelutahto
Label: Inverse Records
Release Date: February 16, 2017
