Release Date June 5th, 2026
Format CD/Cassette
Genre Black Metal
Origin Finland
Riena is a new Finnish black metal duo featuring Woewrb Korpinsiipi on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Draghn on lead guitar, bass, and drums. Their debut mini-album, "Miekka Ja Varjo", comes through Signal Rex and places the band inside the raw Finnish underground, with clear links to the late 90s French and Finnish black metal approach. Iätön is also part of this circle through Woewrb Korpinsiipi, connecting Riena to a colder and older branch of Finnish black metal.
"Miekka Ja Varjo" is a raw debut with a clear target. Riena plays black metal built on speed, cold riffing, rough vocals, and a bleak atmosphere. The production is rough in the right places, giving the songs a worn and underground character. It is not clean, modern, or friendly, and that is one of the reasons it has character.
The main value of the release is its atmosphere. "Tuhkana Käsissämme", "Jotka Yössä Kulkevat", "Käärmeen Kuiskauksia", and "Kun Usva Maan Peittää" work through sharp tremolo lines, simple rhythmic attacks, and vocals that sit deep in the mix. The music has an old black metal pulse, with enough movement to stop it from becoming flat. The lead guitar parts add some extra colour, giving the release more than plain worship of old sounds.
The problem is that "Miekka Ja Varjo" rarely steps outside its chosen path. The songs are effective, and the tone is convincing, although the ideas do not always leave a deep mark after the album ends. Some parts pass by as expected for the style, and the release depends a lot on atmosphere and texture. For a debut, that is acceptable, for a higher score, it would need more cuts that stay in the head.
Riena has made a good first strike, raw, cold, and honest in its black metal language. "Miekka Ja Varjo" is not a masterpiece, and it has limits, although it shows a band with enough taste and discipline to be taken seriously from day one. A good release for listeners who want Finnish black metal with an old underground spirit and no modern gloss.
|7.0
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