Moonsorrow are, of course, no Bathory copycats, but rather a band we've already come to expect only the best from. 2003's _Kivenkantaja_ and 2005's _Verisäkeet_ were both downright impressive pieces of blackened art, displaying depth and splendid musical ability. _V: Hävitetty_ sees the Finns continue steadfast inside Pagan metal territories, this time going for the ultimate combination of Nordic melancholy and massive riffs. The two tracks are marked by extremely long (semi-)acoustic introductions building up to a grand entrance of drums, bass and harsh distorted riffing. From then on, the songs develop into a Viking black metal beast with repetitive guitar themes, a touch of Finnish folk music and epic choir work.

Managing to balance a 30-minute musical piece is indeed a hard task, but Moonsorrow have succeeded in composing two of those opuses in an almost flawless manner. _V: Hävitetty_ never gets monotonous or falls victim to too much internal diversion, like many prog metal tracks do. Dark, dramatic and devastatingly heavy, "Jäästä Syntynyt" and "Tuleen Ajettu Maa" form a nearly perfect union of lyrical concept and musical vision. With the very beginning of the year, Moonsorrow have come up with a worthy contender for the top position in our 2007 chart. Bloody great record.