Finland's OCTOBER FALLS are a band of two halves having previously produced both Black Metal albums and ambient instrumental numbers forged by their native land.

The band's (I say band but the act is pretty much just the brainchild of Mikko Lehto) new release "Kaarma" is a compilation of the folk tracks released by the band from 2002-2010.

Lehto said that he took the decision to release it as a compilation as the band's earlier releases are "slowly getting harder to find."

He also said: "Hopefully this will be something new for those of you who only know the later, harsher OCTOBER FALLS material."

Record label Debemur Morti described the album as "a sacred moment of pure inspiration, highly recommended to fans of OPETH, AGALLOCH and early ULVER's classic albums.

Indeed it is a beautiful album with rich textures conjuring imagery of Finnish forests and an almost divine closeness with the land. Song titles in English include "Mist", "Path", "November", "Dawn" and "Demise" and true to form, the album is hypnotic and atmospheric throughout, moving through moments of melancholy, darkness and vibrancy.

First track "Usva" opens with owl noises, flutes, pipes and beautiful guitars weaving together.

However for me "Marras" was the best track, with its sparse almost monk-like vocals - a rarity on an album that had few vocals scattered throughout.

As I said it's an album of great beauty and it's an album that tells a story of the natural world, in its changing seasons, through its tracks. However, for me, it felt like each song was about to build to a crescendo, but that crescendo or change never came. Perhaps that was the point, but I like songs to feel like they are going on an even bigger journey.

However, I can't see it being the kind of album that would have major appeal as at points the songs did blend into one another.  Perhaps one for diehard fans of the band only?