It’s not too often that we get to hear an album that becomes "cult" straight away. There is a number of bands that created certain sound inside the style, like Axxis with "Axxis II", In Flames with "Jester Race" or Skyclad with "Jonah’s Ark". These bands have managed to stay "in style", but made their music original in some incredible way. Finntroll is definitely one of them.
First of all I’ll have to say that "Jaktens Tid" (pronounces like "Yaktens Tid") - the second album of this Finnish band - is beyond any particular style. It’s far more melodic and "folk" to be classified as Black Metal and too aggressive for folk music. You can actually call it either Folk-Metal or Metal-Folk, although I’d prefer to call it "Trollish Storm-Metal" - it really reminds of the hurricane, crashing and burning everything on its’ way.
The songs are about trolls, booze and war (as far as I could figure out the lyrics, if I’m wrong - feel free to correct me) with sending to "anti-Christian" motives, take a look at "Kyrkovisan" - "The Church Song" - a minute and a half-long epic with the sound of the burning church in the end.
Although you can’t take one song from "Jaktens Tid" without breaking the picture of the whole album, the most incredible creations at my opinion are "Skogens Hamnd", "Jaktens Tid", "Krigsmjod", "Kitteldags" (with the sound of boiling pots in the middle of it!) and "Den Hornkronte Konungen". One more track - instrumental "Bakom Varje Fura" have to be reviewed separately from the rest of the "thing" because it’s… well… it’s SOMETHING! Have you seen Disney’s "Snow-white And The Seven Dwarfs"? Or anything like that? Well, Finntroll should’ve been doing a soundtrack for it. It can not be explained, you have to hear it!
The production of the album is pretty good as well. All the instruments can be properly heard (which is not too common for Black Metal) and doesn’t sound chaotic. In fact, "Jaktens Tid" has one of the best drum-sounds I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Really powerful.
The keyboard-player Trollhorn have done an amazing work. The sounds and effects are very well built and fits perfectly into the picture of the album.