Kiuas - Reformation (2006) [Japanese Edition]

The Spirit of Ukko was a real spine-snapper of a debut, turning the traditional concept of Scandinavian power metal up on it's head and sprouting a dozen extra arms in the process in order to maneuver the countless disparate styles being utilized. The lack of adherence to any single songwriting avenue turned out to be Kiuas' trump card, and they certainly controlled the board more often than not. With classic riff-driven cookers like "On Winds of Death We Ride" coexisting habitually with atmospheric crooners like "Until We Reach the Shore", there was hardly a grey area where patience was tested. A mere year later the band rushed Reformation out of their vine-laden iron gates, and word amongst the trees is that it pales in comparison to it's mighty predecessor. So what the hell happened?

An argument can definitely be made that Kiuas simply had less time to write and refine the material for this, their sophomore release; certainly much less than the five years between the band's inception and the release of The Spirit of Ukko. Rushed or not, Reformation is still unmistakably Kiuas, featuring Salovaara's spastic riff delivery alongside Jalkanen's gritty tenor and the most endearingly Finnish rhythm section of all time. No, the biggest fault this time is centered around a lack of the marked eccentricity that made the debut such an enthralling listen. Despite maintaining a relatively tight grip around the listener's throat for the first three songs, the latter half of Reformation begins to lose the plot as the band haphazardly bangs out multiple rehashes of "No More Sleep for Me".

Had it been a different approach from the debut being emulated in earnest here, Reformation's aesthetics could be much more forgivable, but "No More Sleep for Me" was one of the more plodding, uneven cuts off of The Spirit of Ukko. As such, many of these songs are equally nebulous and meandering, delivering their pagan prosperity courtesy of a featureless mid-paced sonic palette that employs marked caution toward offending at any given juncture. It can be monumentally frustrating, as Kiuas proves that their chops are all present and accounted for, especially on the earlier barnburners like "Race with the Falcons" and "Through the Ice Age"; both of which rival "Warrior Soul" in frenetic appeal. Salovaara's riffs are at their incendiary best here, and he generously radiates surges of pinch harmonic-infused neck-jerkers very much in the style of Uwe Lulis from Grave Digger. His tone is sufficiently thick and full-bodied, and as always Kiuas is careful to maintain the riffs as their primary appeal.

Despite sounding like virtually every other Finnish keyboardist, Tanskanen certainly knows how to summon a great, chilly atmosphere with the snap of a finger The synths are prominent but they don't necessarily wear out their welcome, as particularly brazen moments like the keyboard solo on "Of Ancient Wounds" are few and far between. Tanskanen is relatively content to hover around in the background, serving as the human equivalent of a fake snow machine, adding a great Wintery atmosphere when needed and retreating into the shadows when not. Speaking of atmosphere, there is no shortage of such on Reformation. For some reason Kiuas streamlined their approach for the followup The New Dark Age, and something of value was certainly lost in the process.

Even with Jalkanen still barking his guts out as he maintains his standard from The Spirit of Ukko, the rest of Reformation can't help but accrue a little moss, as some of the latter tracks tend to stagnate more often than they should. Nothing here is downright offensive, but the title track and especially "Bleeding Strings" both embody excess fat gained during hibernation and are best sent packing. The choruses aren't as soaring I would like, and this grows from a minor quibble to a more marked complaint by the time the album reaches it's conclusion.

Reformation certainly has some teeth to it, as it embodies a rare power metal cross-section between the coherently riff-driven and the atmospheric. Even at that, everything this album does well, The Spirit of Ukko did better. To it's credit, it has aged quite nicely, since Kiuas continued to uncontrollably slide downhill afterward, eventually succumbing to the cold in 2013. Reformation is not a bad record, but seek out the debut first.

by Diamhea, metal-archives.com