Review of the Album Vilda Mannu Also Known as Wild Moon by Finnish Melodic Death Metal Band Eternal Tears of Sorrow

Vilda Mannu or Wild Moon is the second studio album by Finnish melodic death metal band Eternal Tears of Sorrow and by the title of this album some people might dismiss this as some cheesy attempt at folk metal or something but that's certainly not what is presented on here. The album has influences ranging from early In Flames to Iron Maiden.

In spite of their name, you do not get the feeling that the music is sorrowful and will bring your emotions down but rather it is a VERY well written brand of melodic death metal with good low growls. Vilda Mannu is one of those albums that just seems to flow through very nicely and musically it clicks. This is how you can get the sense early on whether an album is excellent, good, average, or poor. In spite of the album's title which comes from a Northern Sami language, there are no Finnish language songs on here which means it will be easier for fans to understand the lyrics. Also, this will help Eternal Tears of Sorrow expand their fan base if they have not done so already.

So how are the songs on Vilda Mannu? Well, they can be refreshing such as is the case with the song Nightwind's Lullaby. It starts out with a very nicely done soft part before transitioning into a mid-tempo melodic death metal song. However, if we dive deeper into the album, we don't get the sense that the music will drag us down into the pits of sorrow. Yes, the word sorrow is in this band's name but the music is highly creative and well done. “Vilda Mannu” or Wild Moon the song is lyrically about being united with the Creator and having a kind of love for the moon. The moon is one of the major symbols of night time and it appears in the sky as darkness falls.

Nodde Rahgam is just a short guitar filled instrumental but it is a good one to listen to after all the other heavy songs in this album. Northern Doom is a song that starts with what seems like the sound of a wolf as lyrically the song is about what happens when a person had to endure one of the coldest winters he ever had to endure as his body was shivering. In this album there is no song that really brings you to tears as was the case in the album Chaotic Beauty with the song Blood of Faith Stains My Hands. That song is a brilliant song but it can make you cry. However, there is no such song in the album Vilda Mannu. This album is a good warm-up to what would come later.