''Kulkija '' (''"The Wanderer"'') is the tenth studio album by Finnish

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for example ...

band

Korpiklaani Korpiklaani (Finnish language, Finnish for ) is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti that was formerly known as Shamaani Duo and Shaman. History Shamaani Duo While other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani st ...

. Released on 7 September 2018, it features themes like travelling, nostalgia and homesickness. It is the band's longest studio album at 71 minutes and 20 seconds, thus beating 2008's '' Korven Kuningas'' by almost a minute. The album reached the top 30 chart positions in Finland and Switzerland. In 2019, the album was released in a special Tour Edition that features a bonus disc called ''Beer Beer'', which is composed by various artists invited by the band to perform their song of the same name in different languages and versions.

Reception

''Kulkija'' received positive reviews from critics, with praise going to the band for having updated its sound, flirting with genres like

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

and acoustic while maintaining its classic essence with elements like drinking songs, although some felt the album was not as strong as their previous release, '' Noita''.

Track listing

Charts

Personnel

Jonne Järvelä Korpiklaani ( Finnish for ) is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti that was formerly known as Shamaani Duo and Shaman. History Shamaani Duo While other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani started with folk m ...

– vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, percussion, violaphone * Kalle "Cane" Savijärvi – guitar, backing vocals * Jarkko Aaltonen – bass * Matti "Matson" Johansson – drums * Sami Perttula – accordion * Tuomas Rounakari – violin

References

{{Authority control Korpiklaani albums 2018 albums Nuclear Blast albums