Artist: Kurjuus
Country: Finland
Label: Self-Released
Formats: CDR
Year: 2026
‘Uneen Eksynyt’ is already the second full-length release that the prolific Finnish one-man band Kurjuus has unleashed on us this year. Yet in almost every conceivable respect, this release is different from all its predecessors. The material on ‘Uneen Eksynyt’ is actually several years old and has simply been given a fresh make-over here. In its original form, ‘Uneen Eksynyt’ was released back in 2020 as Kurjuus’s first piece of music to be more widely available; all the demos recorded and released prior to that circulated only within very limited circles. Although Kurjuus still remains deeply obscure, ‘Uneen Eksynyt’ can certainly be described as a milestone or turning point for the band.
Let me start by saying that I’m not a fan of re-recordings. I often understand the reasoning from a musician’s point of view, but for me as a listener, in almost 99 out of 100 cases it’s unnecessary and sometimes even feels like a certain degree of falsification of history or a denial of one’s own origins. Hämärä justifies his decision by saying that he is still just as devoted to the music on ‘Uneen Eksynyt’, but that, production-wise, the original no longer meets his standards. He blames this on a lack of resources and expertise. A story often heard from musicians.
He didn’t rush into it, but opted for a thorough approach, taking his time over it. Something you wouldn’t expect given the somewhat improvised nature of the music. The project began back in the autumn of 2025 and was finalised in the first half of 2026. Listening to this rendition of ‘Uneen Eksynyt’, I understand what Hämärä had intended. The sound on this version is much more in line with what he has produced in recent years. The essence of the music has definitely stayed intact, but the whole thing sounds a bit sharper and less gritty. You could say that the more gnawing guitar sound comes into its own a bit better, thereby bringing the Ildjarn/Isengard/Darkthrone vibe even more to the fore. The somewhat more folk-oriented ‘clean’ vocals also fit in better in this setting and give ‘Uneen Eksynyt’ just that little bit more of a pagan feel than on the original.
But, as I was already a bit afraid of, and always am afraid of: for me, this wasn’t strictly necessary. I personally loved the original production, which was more primitive and, above all, much darker. The brooding atmosphere was something I really appreciated but is largely gone on this newer version, but I do understand that this sort of perceptions are very personal. However, whatever else may be said, one thing is absolutely certain: ‘Uneen Eksynyt’ is a particularly good album that certainly deserved to be put in the spotlight once again. If it passed you by in 2020, it’s definitely worth giving it a listen now.
