Moonsorrow

The group's earliest formation consisted of cousins Ville Sorvali (vocals and bass) and Henri Sorvali (guitar and keyboards) who released various demos that were much more characteristic of melodic black metal than future releases.

Their debut album, Suden Uni, recorded in early 2000, was released in 2001, along with Tämä Ikuinen Talvi (This Everlasting Winter), a re-release of a 1999 demo. Suden Uni (A Wolf's Dream) was acclaimed by fans and reviews with its epic combination of Finnish paganism and folk elements. After recruiting Mitja Harvilahti and Markus Eurén, Moonsorrow started their first shows, releasing Voimasta Ja Kunniasta (Of Strength and Honour) in late 2001. However, the real takeoff for the band is generally held to be their 2003 release, Kivenkantaja (Stonebearer). In 2005 the band followed it up with their fourth full-length album, Verisäkeet (Blood Verses), which spanned over seventy minutes in length despite containing only five songs. The album was also their first to use ambience such as birdsong and crackling fire in place of silence between tracks.

In January 2006 the band played their first US show at the Heathen Crusade metalfest in Columbia Heights, MN. On March 7, 2006, Moonsorrow announced on their official website that they had signed a 2-album contract with Spinefarm Records, and that their next album was slated for release in late 2006. On June 19 it was revealed that the upcoming album would feature guest vocals by Thomas Väänänen, the former vocalist of Thyrfing. Sometime afterward there was an announcement that the release of the album, titled Viides Luku - Hävitetty (Chapter five - Ravaged), had been delayed to January 10, 2007. The album contained only two tracks and displayed more overt influence from progressive rock.

On January 14th, 2008, Moonsorrow announced that they were working on a new EP called Tulimyrsky. The release date was April 30th. The EP is over one hour long and contains one new song (the title track), two remakes of old songs and two cover songs.[3] It was released worldwide by Moonsorrow's label Spinefarm Records and on May 9th in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by the German label Drakkar Entertainment.[4]

In March 2011 saw the release of Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa, their 6th full-length album for which Moonsorrow has toured in Europe, Asia and North America.