Finsterforst (literally: dark forest) hail from – captain Obvious to the rescue! – the Black Forest, a region of vast woods in southwest Germany. Founded in 2004, the band released a three-track EP in 2006 before the forthcoming of their first full-length, Weltenkraft.

To get straight to the point, the most remarkable thing about Weltenkraft is the addition of an accordion to the songs. Much like Finntroll, Finsterforst’s music is a mix of black metal with pagan melodies (flute, accordion) and lyrics that often are about legends and tales of the black forest, something that makes for interesting song titles, to say the least.
 
Although some song intro parts create the atmosphere of an authentic pirate bar in one of the Monkey Island© video game series, the band manages to capture the pagan spirit quite well in general. The fast riffs, accompanied with double bass drum and the constant strumming of guitars are electrifying enough to draw my attention. The accordion sometimes flows over in melodic lead guitars, which in turn loop off into an acoustic riff. The song structures are quite interesting and energetic with that.

A lot of people who listen to the more extreme sides of metal will probably be disgusted by this record, for it might sound too happy and melodic in their opinion. With that said, I’d like to add that the occasional clean-ish vocals (non-choir like) could sound really good on this album.

Be that as it may, Finsterforst’s feeling for melody and aggressiveness at the same time is admirable. Although the harsh vocals do tend to sound monotonous after a while in combination with the edgy lead guitars and never-ending happy accordion, Weltenkraft is full of eagerness to prove the band’s musical worth. I’m looking forward to see how much they’ll grow in time.