Review by Jack on November 9, 2001.

Tenhi’s latest release in their warbling about the primacy of man and how the earth bleeds... don’t get me wrong this is great relaxation music and serene in what it is meant to do, but like “Kauan”, “Airut:Ciwi” tends to go on the dirge a bit, once you hit mid flight.

“Airut:Ciwi” sees Tenhi keep ever so close to their roots in the folklore nature of Finland and delve into sorts of what Opeth did on “Blackwater Park”, eg the music is a bit heavier, and more depressive than what was felt on “Kauan”. Tenhi for “Airut:Ciwi” use a few more obscure instruments from around the world, at the beginning of ‘Tuulennostatus’ I swear the indigenous Aboriginal instrument is up and cranking... that being the didgeridoo. Funny instrument, although works rather well for the opening track. Right the way through ‘Ciwenkeirto’ some tribal drums are correlated or some very well implemented drum samples, (although I believe the earlier of the two would be used as Tenhi do not seem to be the sort of band who would abide many synthesizers or anything to do remotely with technological instruments; in fact anything post 15th Century seems to be out by these guys). Which brings me to my biggest gripe and problem with Tenhi; while that bring about an atmosphere most other bands can only dream of achieving, they seem to be lacking that 21st Century edge that many others can do. I like Tenhi but a lot of their material seems to drag on to too much of an extent.

“Airut:Ciwi” features some beautiful material that is meticulously played. However the amount of material on it is very scarce and for close to 2/3 of a full price CD for a MCD is a bit rich and I do suggest you investigate “Kauan” for your full length Finnish folk fix.

Bottom Line: While short on material and high on price, Tenhi compensate for atmosphere and an unwillingness to jump into the 21st Century. “Airut:Ciwi” is good and you can buy it, if you have the spare dollars, if not then find “Kauan”, their last release.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Jack on November 9, 2001.

Tenhi’s latest release in their warbling about the primacy of man and how the earth bleeds... don’t get me wrong this is great relaxation music and serene in what it is meant to do, but like “Kauan”, “Airut:Ciwi” tends to go on the dirge a bit, once you hit mid flight.

“Airut:Ciwi” sees Tenhi keep ever so close to their roots in the folklore nature of Finland and delve into sorts of what Opeth did on “Blackwater Park”, eg the music is a bit heavier, and more depressive than what was felt on “Kauan”. Tenhi for “Airut:Ciwi” use a few more obscure instruments from around the world, at the beginning of ‘Tuulennostatus’ I swear the indigenous Aboriginal instrument is up and cranking... that being the didgeridoo. Funny instrument, although works rather well for the opening track. Right the way through ‘Ciwenkeirto’ some tribal drums are correlated or some very well implemented drum samples, (although I believe the earlier of the two would be used as Tenhi do not seem to be the sort of band who would abide many synthesizers or anything to do remotely with technological instruments; in fact anything post 15th Century seems to be out by these guys). Which brings me to my biggest gripe and problem with Tenhi; while that bring about an atmosphere most other bands can only dream of achieving, they seem to be lacking that 21st Century edge that many others can do. I like Tenhi but a lot of their material seems to drag on to too much of an extent.

“Airut:Ciwi” features some beautiful material that is meticulously played. However the amount of material on it is very scarce and for close to 2/3 of a full price CD for a MCD is a bit rich and I do suggest you investigate “Kauan” for your full length Finnish folk fix.

Bottom Line: While short on material and high on price, Tenhi compensate for atmosphere and an unwillingness to jump into the 21st Century. “Airut:Ciwi” is good and you can buy it, if you have the spare dollars, if not then find “Kauan”, their last release.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Jack on November 9, 2001.

Tenhi’s latest release in their warbling about the primacy of man and how the earth bleeds... don’t get me wrong this is great relaxation music and serene in what it is meant to do, but like “Kauan”, “Airut:Ciwi” tends to go on the dirge a bit, once you hit mid flight.

“Airut:Ciwi” sees Tenhi keep ever so close to their roots in the folklore nature of Finland and delve into sorts of what Opeth did on “Blackwater Park”, eg the music is a bit heavier, and more depressive than what was felt on “Kauan”. Tenhi for “Airut:Ciwi” use a few more obscure instruments from around the world, at the beginning of ‘Tuulennostatus’ I swear the indigenous Aboriginal instrument is up and cranking... that being the didgeridoo. Funny instrument, although works rather well for the opening track. Right the way through ‘Ciwenkeirto’ some tribal drums are correlated or some very well implemented drum samples, (although I believe the earlier of the two would be used as Tenhi do not seem to be the sort of band who would abide many synthesizers or anything to do remotely with technological instruments; in fact anything post 15th Century seems to be out by these guys). Which brings me to my biggest gripe and problem with Tenhi; while that bring about an atmosphere most other bands can only dream of achieving, they seem to be lacking that 21st Century edge that many others can do. I like Tenhi but a lot of their material seems to drag on to too much of an extent.

“Airut:Ciwi” features some beautiful material that is meticulously played. However the amount of material on it is very scarce and for close to 2/3 of a full price CD for a MCD is a bit rich and I do suggest you investigate “Kauan” for your full length Finnish folk fix.

Bottom Line: While short on material and high on price, Tenhi compensate for atmosphere and an unwillingness to jump into the 21st Century. “Airut:Ciwi” is good and you can buy it, if you have the spare dollars, if not then find “Kauan”, their last release.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Jack on November 9, 2001.

Tenhi’s latest release in their warbling about the primacy of man and how the earth bleeds... don’t get me wrong this is great relaxation music and serene in what it is meant to do, but like “Kauan”, “Airut:Ciwi” tends to go on the dirge a bit, once you hit mid flight.

“Airut:Ciwi” sees Tenhi keep ever so close to their roots in the folklore nature of Finland and delve into sorts of what Opeth did on “Blackwater Park”, eg the music is a bit heavier, and more depressive than what was felt on “Kauan”. Tenhi for “Airut:Ciwi” use a few more obscure instruments from around the world, at the beginning of ‘Tuulennostatus’ I swear the indigenous Aboriginal instrument is up and cranking... that being the didgeridoo. Funny instrument, although works rather well for the opening track. Right the way through ‘Ciwenkeirto’ some tribal drums are correlated or some very well implemented drum samples, (although I believe the earlier of the two would be used as Tenhi do not seem to be the sort of band who would abide many synthesizers or anything to do remotely with technological instruments; in fact anything post 15th Century seems to be out by these guys). Which brings me to my biggest gripe and problem with Tenhi; while that bring about an atmosphere most other bands can only dream of achieving, they seem to be lacking that 21st Century edge that many others can do. I like Tenhi but a lot of their material seems to drag on to too much of an extent.

“Airut:Ciwi” features some beautiful material that is meticulously played. However the amount of material on it is very scarce and for close to 2/3 of a full price CD for a MCD is a bit rich and I do suggest you investigate “Kauan” for your full length Finnish folk fix.

Bottom Line: While short on material and high on price, Tenhi compensate for atmosphere and an unwillingness to jump into the 21st Century. “Airut:Ciwi” is good and you can buy it, if you have the spare dollars, if not then find “Kauan”, their last release.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 10, 2023.

Here we finally get a split whose cover makes sense. The involved bands are depicted by the two creatures. The taller guys embodies Norrhem, because they are the leading force here and he who has the scythe is the boss, right? But of course, the smaller dude is important as well. He stands for Sielunvihollinen and looks like a trainee, but I don’t think that his only duty is to taje care for enough beer in the fridge.

Either way, Norrhem kick off the album and one song of their triple strike stands out, 'Huokaavat Kentät' marks a fantastic example of Scandinavian black metal the way it should be. Here we find elements of Northern melancholy as well as a heavy and robust foundation, and a silent intro leads to a more and more intensive number. The guitars play enchanting yet ominous melodies, decently flickering keyboards accompany the six strings, drums and the naturally raw voice. Equipped with the perfect length of eight minutes, the strength of the song emerges more and more and even an almost emotional break with soft guitars does not hurt its fascination. With more songs of this quality, Norrhem will catapult themselves among the top ten black metal bands from Suomi – and we all know the endless rows of competitors in this cold country.

The further tracks of Norrhem also make it easy to enjoy the invention of black metal. The dudes show their competence in writing powerful, stormy compositions. The very well accentuated interplay of keyboards and guitars is exciting and the main reason for the glorious impact of these tracks that are almost as good as the aforementioned highlight. By the way, I may not forget to mention the lively, vigorous and dense sound that makes the performance of Norrhem complete.

The mix of Norrhem’s companions is slightly weaker, the guitars sound a bit flat. But it’s not only the production which makes Sielunvihollinen pick the shorter straw in comparison with their partners in black metal. If this split has a weak song, it is unfortunately their first one. Its melody does not really catch the morbid beauty of the genre. Nevertheless, Sielunvihollinen, who have recorded their first demo five years earlier than Norrhem, do not totally fail here, by far not. The first sequences of the epic 'Löi Sodan Viikattet' are the most violent segments of the entire split and its guitar lines make Behexen fans forget that a new album of their heroes is overdue. But 'Löi Sodan Viikattet' has, in order to justify its excessive length, many different sides and a sequence with a wistful guitar melody is just one of them. Okay, the sheer insanity gains the upper hand again, but I am almost sure you will be surprised about the second half of the track. I don’t want to give too uch away here, check it out – not only this song but the whole album. 8.6 for Norrhem and 7.2 for Sielunvihollinen result in a very solid overall rating.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10