Artist: Kurjuus
Country: Finland
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital
Year: 2026
This Finnish one-man Black Metal band was founded around 2017, but it took four years before the first demo could be released. After that, however, there was no stopping him. Hämärä, the spiritual father of this project, fired off one recording after another at a furious pace. Most of them were demos or EPs, but a full-length album had not yet been released. However, after the release of the ‘Ihmisyydestä Luopunut’ EP in September 2024, it suddenly became unusually quiet around Kurjuus. The once-prolific spirit suddenly seemed to have run out of inspiration.
At least, that’s how it seemed. Because with his other projects Harhaoppisten Ylipapitar, Rämealttari, and Saastunut, the party continued as usual. Perhaps Hämärä had simply grown tired of his former main project? Fortunately, at the end of February 2026, like a jack-in-the-box, a new sign of life from Kurjuus appeared out of nowhere. And not just any sign, this time he is back with a full-length album.
In most of my reviews of Kurjuus’ previous work, I have compared this band to Ildjarn. Not so much because it sounds exactly the same, but because of its tendency to strip everything down to the bone. This leaves behind a kind of Black Metal that not only sounds primitive, but also has a lot in common with the rough core of Punk. The sometimes somewhat Folk/Pagan character of Kurjuus also comes out much better due to the removal of all unnecessary embellishments. However you want to look at it (and listen to it), one thing is beyond dispute: Kurjuus has always been a band that does not rely on ingenious playing and a full production.
‘Takaisin Alkukantaisuuteen’ is no exception. Although it is certainly not Kurjuus’ most raw and rough recording—in fact, it sounds remarkably good—it is still firmly rooted in the tradition of the first Black Metal albums by Darkthrone, Isengard, and … Ildjarn. It is angular, it frays at the edges, it jerks and jolts, and no effort has been made to iron out minor flaws in the recordings. It therefore fits perfectly into the pure and original form of Black Metal, where the focus is entirely on the power of the riffs and the mesmerizing melody. The underlying aesthetics also match this image. Like most of the previous work, this is also an indictment of the degeneration of humanity and a longing for a return to nature in all its splendor.
The running time of almost an hour, 56 minutes to be precise, is a bit on the long side. The quality of the material on offer is every bit as good as we have come to expect from Kurjuus, but personally I prefer it served in slightly smaller portions. Nevertheless, I am more than curious to see what else Kurjuus has in store for us.
