Unlike most compilations albums, TENHI’s Folk Aesthetic is every bit as interesting and valuable as one of their studio albums, if not grossly more so. This three disc collection is quite a monster in the variety of material, which includes the band’s first demo, two EP’s, alternate and unreleased tracks, as well as a brand new album of music. The best feature of this collection is the fact that the quality remains constantly very high with no throwaway tracks or filler. “Havuisissa Saleissa” from the band’s Kertomuksia demo is easily their most haunting and dark song clocking in at an epic 9:18. For those who have never heard TENHI’s two EP’s, Hallavedet and Airut: Ciwi, the music speaks for itself and easily stands as worthy releases with top-notch songs to offer. Disc 2 features a nice mix of unreleased tracks and alternate versions of tracks with each song offering something interesting to the mix. Disc 3 features a whole new album of songs in Kaski, which the band decided to finish exclusively for this release. Kaski has enough memorable phrases, themes, and riffs to bring it to the level of an official TENHI album. As far as packaging goes, Folk Aesthetic gets a perfect score for content and presentation. The collection comes in a beautiful digi-book featuring plenty of insightful liner notes, English translations for every song, band photos, and fantastic artwork by band leader Tyko Saarikko. All in all, Folk Aesthetic is a crowning collection of music that caps off TENHI’s first 10 years of existence. Here’s hoping for another collection after the next decade. (Prophecy Productions)