Black metal is infamous for its bewildering array of subgenres: symphonic, raw, melodic, pagan, suicidal, depressive and basically almost any adjective conceivable (so long as it has potential for grim kvltness, of course). Given that, you might think it’s virtually impossible to distinguish between three bands grouped under something as specific as folk black metal. Surprisingly, the Wyrd/Häive/Kehrä split, released by Northern Silence Productions in 2007 will prove you wrong.

The album begins with Wyrd, a long time favorite of mine. While Wyrd has always had a doomish streak, their material here showcases it, especially in the first song. The second song stays more on the black metal side, beginning with the assault of buzzing guitars one would expect from the genre. While the songwriting here displays frontman Narqath's usual talent in that area, featuring a mixture of folky and more traditional black and doom riffs, something seems to be lacking that restrains these songs from the amazing quality of Wyrd's earlier albums.
Perhaps it's the cleaner production; perhaps it's the vocals, which seem to lack some of the intensity and passion found in Huldrafolk and Heathen, the group's most classic albums (Wyrd's clean vocals have always sounded a little awkward, and this material is no exception). Still, the songs are good, if not quite excellent.

The next band, Häive, continues the doomy trend and amplifies the folk aspects, opening with a plodding piece that features acoustic guitar strongly throughout. This is easily the folkiest band on the compilation, with a completely acoustic instrumental track between their two primary songs. Lest you get the wrong idea, however, Häive emphasizes the sorrowful, melancholy aspects of folk; this is not Finntroll's brand of happy-go-lucky humppa metal. Oddly, the acoustic sections here are my favorite; the metal sections, while good, are a little too deliberate and repetitive for my tastes. Certainly, the acoustic instruments get the most interesting parts, as the band's construction of metal riffs is a little weak, verging on the boring occasionally.

Kehrä closes the album, and its here that my prior criticisms of Häive are going to seem a bit weird, since, while they have the two best songs on the album, the first piece, "The Sea", is also the most repetitive by far, focused around a single, driving riff. The difference may be because Kehrä here is the most unapologetically black metal of the groups, lacking anything in the way of acoustics except for those in the introduction to their second song, "The Forest". Despite this, their riffs are intimately tied to folk and excellently crafted. The aforementioned riff in "The Sea" captures the driving, pounding nature of the ocean upon the shore nearly perfectly. Just as soon as the riff would start to get boring, the band invariably introduces a change in texture, be it the addition of vocals, a momentary break in the song, a slight alteration to the riff, or the eerie, high-pitched solo that creeps in at the end. Unfortunately, "The Forest" doesn't really reach the heights of the preceding song. It's hampered by an overlong introduction that starts off with soft noises of rain and thunder, then gradually adds an acoustic guitar, crescendoing until the metal kicks in. This would be fine if it didn't occupy almost six minutes of the twelve minute song. Still, once the song gets going, it's excellent, with a similar, though slightly more sophisticated, song structure to "The Sea".

On the whole, this is a good album, but by no means essential. However, if you're looking to investigate to the more serious side of folk-influenced black metal, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better introduction. The weakest material on here is that by Häive, though their effort is respectable and might be enjoyed more by those more into doom. Wyrd, on the other hand, puts forth some good, though not great, material, and Kehrä basically steals the album.