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This debut album from Finland's own Vigrid was recorded in 2006, but only mixed/mastered in June 2008. It was properly released by Stygian Crypt in 2009. Since their foundation in 2003, Vigrid also released a couple demos.

Vigrid was created to honor nature and to bring older tales back to life. The musical path was appropriately chosen as pagan /Viking metal. Their overall sound is quite melodic actually; the sound production is also good, although somewhat raw on the side. I feel Lauri's vocals are a bit too forced for the type of music they play. I mean rasps are fine, but this is not a barbarian style of Viking metal, leaning much more towards the epic/folksy side. On the other hand, the riffing is pretty crunchy – the first three songs are more in that vein. Then comes the good stuff, where melodious tones and a nice folksy/pagan vibe are omnipresent. First of all, a great special guest appearance by Kaisa Jouhki (female vocalist from Battlelore) on an ambient piece called "Kauniinkoto. After that, classical and acoustic guitars embellish the folksy scenery on every single composition from #5, "Howl for the Absent Moon", to closing track "Path of Vengeance". A bit of water flowing here, some clean vocals there, flute-sounding keyboards, ambiences etc...make the whole album sound more harmonious and pleasant.

Throne of Forest is quite a nice album to sink into. Maybe if the vocals can be more appropriate next time around...