Review Summary: The promising first steps of the atmospheric folk masters.
A foreshadowing of the greatness to come,
Kertomuksia, marks the first utterances of Finland’s Tenhi, a folk-influenced progressive trio that has probed the darker corners of the genre for the better of 20 years. Though rough-edged, this 3-track demo exhibits an eclectic mix documenting musical directions the band only explored in its formative years, namely black metal.
Those familiar with Tenhi’s formal output will hear their rudimentary characteristics taking shape. Acoustic guitars comprise the music’s infrastructure and melancholia, nature and native traditions serve as the lyrical subject matter. The songwriting is excusably underdeveloped, the stitching shows in places. However, some material proved strong enough to include in future releases.
Seven-minute bookends “Näkin laulu” and “Tenhi” would be refined, re-recorded and re-released on subsequent full lengths
Kauan and
Väre, respectively. The versions presented here do lack the effect and staying power of their later forms, yet they remain fascinating archival pieces in their own right. The solemn, raindrop guitar tones of “Näkin laulu” would emanate from darker clouds in 1999. Here the song’s orchestration feels more sinuous and organic, like a long tale spilling from the memory of an old storyteller. "Tenhi" manifests in its initial form as a murky, acoustic guitar duet woven into a nighttime nature sounds collage. A lamenting string ensemble would texture the instrumental’s 2002 re-imagining, creating an overall mistier quality.
Kertomuksia’s main point of interest would be the 9-minute "Havuisissa saleissa", Tenhi’s sole foray into what could be called ambient black metal. The track’s harsh, sinister synthesizers, hoarse vocals and muffled blastbeats at times recall early Empyrium or a less refined, early Burzum sound. The faults are about as evident as the influences though. The track feels frail and incongruous, making for an inconsistent mood. Fortunately, the band seems to have been cognizant of these shortcomings and was content to allow the song to remain a one-off relic of youthful experimentation.
As is the case with most demos, this collection is perhaps best suited for the more devoted fans. Those with a passing interest should check 2007’s
Folk Aesthetic 1996-2006, a noteworthy compilation featuring the band’s unreleased and early works including
Kertomuksia. The 3-disc compendium offers an insightful glimpse at how Tenhi matured from promising roots into the masters of atmosphere they are today.
