The new album from Finnish Korpiklaani, Kulkija, was released on September 7, 2018. The album contains a variety of sounds or a variety of feelings better said. One song is more folky, the other is more heavy metal, the other is more like a party and the other is, well, a heavier party. Because, lets be honest here, Korpiklaani knows how to party. The album does experiment with some darker melodies throughout the album though.

But what does the album cover have to do with the album? It shows a sandy road though what seems to be a farm. Further down the road is a river that ends in the sea. Like the album takes you on the road, but you don’t exactly know what the destination is. For the exact answer to this question I needed my friend called ‘Google Translate’. Turns out ‘Kulkija’ means stroller or wanderer, which is someone who walks around without any rush and enjoys the surroundings. Which is exactly the feeling the album gave me, even without knowing what lead singer Jonne Järvelä was saying or without knowing the meaning of the title of the album. This means the title is a very good choice for this album and its songs with many different vibes.

Kulkija leads you through a meadow of of flowers, on to a road that leads to a village were people party. In other words, there are songs that make your thoughts wander off to another world, there are songs that make you want to dance, songs that make you stop for a moment and stand with your arms hooked into the arms of another person and move your body form the left to the right. And, there are songs that just take your hand and pull you over to the next party. In other words for the other words, this is the Korpiklaani we know. A mix of folk and heavy metal. This album is however, a true, and I dare to say an inspiring story. Previous albums did not have one big story to tell. This one does.

This just shows how powerful music is. This shows why music brings people together. Even though we don’t know what a person is saying, just listening to it and feeling it can spread the message.
Take a minute for this long, open hearted album from Korpiklaani. The album is about an hour an 12 minutes long, yet it passes in a second. It’s about life, about love and about living.

Release date: September 8, 2018
Label: Nuclear Blast
01 Neito
02 Korpikuusen Kyynel
03 Aallon Alla
04 Harmaja
05 KotiKonnut
06 Korppikalliota
07 Kallon Malja
08 Sillanrakentaja
09 Henkselipoika
10 Pellervoinen
11 Riemu
12 Kuin Korpi Nukkuva
13 Juomamaa
14 Tuttu On Tie