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This was only Moonsorrow's second album, and after their epic debut, this one really signaled that Suden Uni was not a fluke, and that a major new force had arrived on the metal scene. Again, Moonsorrow had drawn heavily on their influences (Bathory, Enslaved, Satyricon, Falkenbach) and fused them together into an even more complete sound. It is startling how developed this sound is so early in their career, as a lot of bands never get this good a handle on what they are trying to do.

And on top of that solid grasp of their style, this is just so good. Everything is good. The riffs are pure gold, the songwriting is tight, varied, textured, and cohesive. The vocals are harsh but have a lot of emotion and are not mixed too loud. The recording job is a perfect balance between underground heaviness and professional gloss, preserving the rawness of the sound without losing clarity. It's really hard to imagine a better Folk Metal album than this one, or it would be if this band had not released Kiventantaja two years later.