The Karelian Isthmus
1. Karelia 0:45 2. The gathering 4:15 3. Grails mysteries 3:05 4. Warriors trail 5:07 5. Black embrace 3:42 6. Exile of the sons of uisliu 3:46 7. The lost name of god 5:33 8. The pilgrimage 4:42 9. Misery path 4:20 10. Signs from the north side 4:57 11. Vulgar necrolatry 4:22 total time 45 min
Karelia (lyrics: E. Holopainen) (music: T. Koivusaari E. Holopainen) "The sound of thousand warriors The fields of thousand battles Still, in our hearts we can hear the great hymn of Karelia." The Gathering (lyrics: E. Holopainen) (music: T. Koivusaari) As I sense their steel, As I see the mighty one, As we all gather once again the gods of war summon us... summon us North wind blows to our valley men with ships, with swords, with honour Their horses between flames, their dogs eating enemy childs, Our heavenly father, what is this mortality, do you see my mortal agony Look, I see the shield up high this must be the sign from my lord this can be my death - sentence what a fine day to die Taste of blood comes up high Wind blows hard, our men fall... one by one This oath claims me I must bleed for my generation Strong is the enemy, strong is my sword the hammer is rising I feel their cold steel Now when I leave this world I shall open the mighty oaken gate and we all shall gather once again Grails Mysteries (lyrics & music: E. Holopainen) I shall have a son, out of Cornwall shall he come, that shall be a wild boar, bristled with steel... he shall be a man most brave and noble in thought Thou shall kneel for him, for every man shall humble in front of our lord I stood upon the sand of the sea and the great wind told me to carry on He shall once know the secret of Holy Grail And so was the coronation made And there was he, sworn unto his lords and the commons to be true king Warriors Trial (lyrics: E. Holopainen) (music: T. Koivusaari & E. Holopainen) As the sun falls down and the swell crashes into the shore The great warriors of doom and wind ride high Silent is the silence, the only breathing of horses sound, Cold northern steel, shining blade, pleases us And we all live under the black mark Oh lord, lead us to the paradise My lord, is this the promised land is this your gift Let us fly into your dreams Let us taste some blood Sorrow - the unknown force Hate - respect your enemy Bitterness - shall be forever Silence - nothing left Let us fly into your dreams Let us taste some blood Black Embrace (lyrics: J. Rechberger) (music: T. Koivusaari & E. Holopainen) Terror, when the darkness binds your limbs Terror, when the fear freezes your nerves Horror, when the pain climbs up your veins Darkness, creeping under you skin Moment of life, when we all have to choose, which way to go and for whom to sacrifice your life Invoke the god - pray To lead you back to life - pray Cursed by religion - hate Learned upon church - fake In the verge of hell, of human mind Redemption of your soul, as darkness binds you tight Moment of life, when we all have to choose, which way to go and for whom to sacrifice your life Exile of the Sons of Uisliu (lyrics & music: E. Holopainen) A wave the sound of Noisiu's voice his singing was ever sweet... Noisiu's grave has now been made and the accompaniment was mournful For him I poured out - hero of heroes, the deadly drink that killed him Dear his short shining hair a handsome man, even very beautiful Dear the grey eyes that women loved fierce they were foes The Lost Name of God (lyrics: J. Rechberger) (music: E. Holopainen, T. Koivusaari & J. Rechberger) We have to know, we have to see Religions so many, which one of them are so real, That it makes us to believe ? Crushing the chains of faith To find the way of immortality, We're hiding behind the cross To find shelter, we're searching for the name of god In this maze of hatred The name of god is lost Under the flag of salvation we are cleared this land of pagans Under the cover of Christianity, we stained our hands in blood At these times of anguish The name of God is lost "I saw the coming of the end, Sun stopped its shining, Air is no longer fresh, Then it was too late to realize, that we can't breathe our hate." The lost name of God The Pilgrimage (lyrics: E. Holopainen) (music: T. Koivusaari) In his eyes The evil spirit rise Turns to darkness with Satan's name "As the time is right dead bodies rise up from their graves And when the time comes near Oh, I see the prince of glory" Holy month Sacred hounds Under the hill Do you hear their call Misery Path (lyrics: E. Holopainen) (music: E. Holopainen, T. Koivusaari & J. Rechberger) We sail across the sea, In our thoughts we float over mountains All this vanity that we could hide The truth The truth is to be alive and to live your life in fear by hate and create our own gods We all ourselves are created our own images Ourselves we are created our own gods In the misty morning When the sun is rising, When the whole sky is red like blood Man can realize the real meaning of life to love and respect your life Your salvation, or is just your damnation. We all ourselves... Sign from the North Side (lyrics: E. Holopainen) (music: E. Holopainen, T. Koivusaari & O.P. Laine) True Celtic power from the cape of Cornwall Cry of hope, angels cry This was omen, our sign, prediction Distant gate, gothic grave Through ages our clan still remain In this proud land I grew up strong, My tears are flowing all around The wind is twisting my sorrow I still believe in truth and hate All through my life I have carried our ring, The omen All this was the fragment from my life In this proud land I was born alone I was taught to fight, taught to win They told me the way of steel and secret I am the unburied child, child without a nam, Without fate, I fight for peace and love, I am reborn Vulgar Necrolatry (CD bonus track) (lyrics: J. Ahlroth) (music: T. Koivusaari) Erosion of life I see it makes the passion burn in me Life it always withers away Death will eternally stay Corpses in their coffins forever rest in peace ? There sleeping with the aspergillus is this justice to the dead ? The atrocious sight of burial ecremony Christians weeping for the departed They won't understand, they should envy them ! The deceased they know, if there's a paradise Or shall we feel, the purgatory ! I open the graves, admire the rot I can feel the presence, of something beyond Aureola of nauseating reek Wings of shriveled skin Holy beauty of a carcass Divine sight for me to gaze upon ! Necrolatic ! Reverence for putrefaction Necrolatic ! reverence for the stench I kneel, before a carrion I pray, before the dead I know, they shall rise I fear, for the scourge I revere, power of the dead Lyrics in plain text format	Line up Tomi Koivusaari - Vocals, guitar, six string acoustic guitar Esa Holopainen - Guitar, twelve string acoustic guitar Olli-Pekka Laine - Bass Jan Rechberger - Drums, keyboards Artwork Info Executive producers: William J. Yurkiewicz Jr. & Matthew F. Jacobson Recorded and mixed at Sunlight Studios, May 92 Produced by Tomas Skogsberg & Amorphis Engineered by Tomas Skogsberg Mastered by Dave Shirk Cover art by Miram Kim Review I only heard this cd after I had gotten the great "Tales from a Thousand Lakes", so I think maybe if I heard them the other way around, this cd wouldn't have disappointed me so much. "The Karelian Isthmus" is an okay death metal album with some good songs, but overall not good enough to keep me interested. I know a lot of people really like this cd, but I guess it's just not really my favourite kind of metal. Still, it's okay. Rating: 6.5 out of 10