E-Musikgruppe Lux-Ohr - Spiralo [Full length] (2014, Svart Records)

A journey to 70s Germany with a group of Finns as tour-guides

Some claim that the German music style known af Krautrock (and to an extent the various subgenres the Kraut movement spawned) never quite went out of style. Though Tangerine Dream's mastermind Edgar Froese passed away not too long ago, the group was active right until his death. Others like Klaus Schulze (of Ash Ra Tempel) and the band Faust are still going strong, as if they've forgotten about the passage of time. In addition newer groups are crawling forth from various scenes all over the world, inspired in some degree by the landmark German movement.

The Finnish group E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr have since 2010 bestowed upon the world musical minimalism in the form of synthetic melodies with ample headroom. The two previous releases form the band presented gloomy synths in an equally gloomy environment. Spiralo is in that regard not as such a mould breaker, but yet manages to add greater depth and a slightly more melodic tendency to the group's style.

In a musical genre where easily recognisable melodies or catchy choruses usually don't play a prominent role it can be quite difficult for a musician to stand out. Differences will often be minor and subtle. At a cursory glance two albums that are in fact vastly different can sound remarkably alike. This is the same problem the Finns stand before, and Spiralo can as a result easily appear to be an anonymous and forgettable outing which perhaps draws a little much from Klaus Schulze's new-agey tunes.

"The tempo is laborious in the nature of the genre, so it is definitely an album that you have to take your time to listen to..."

But then again it would be a great shame to write off the band's third release as boring background music, because it is so much more if you just let it sink in. The esoteric foundation is built with rolling synths and exhaustive effects that gets your fantasy going, and even if the composition can only scarcely be called innovative the Finns yet succeed in summoning forth an exciting musical landscape focused on simple but effective compositions. The tempo is laborious in the nature of the genre, so it is definitely an album that you have to take your time to listen to, but it is 40 minutes well spent.

The album seems almost tailored for the vinyl medium (and doesn't even come in CD form) and is split into six parts - Teile I-III on side A and Teile IV-VI on side B. The tracks on Spiralo kan be understood as individual compositions, but to a higher degree also as one continuous journey. As such it is in my opinion imperative tat you at least once take the time to listen to the entire album in one uninterrupted sitting.

Bonus fun-fact:

The group includes among others guitarist Kimi Kärki, who in some circles is best known as the guitarist in doom metal groups Reverend Bizarre and Lord Vicar. Kärki also released his first solo album, The Bone of My Bones, as an acoustic singer/songwriter in 2013 through Svart Records, inspired by musicians like Leonard Cohen and Simon & Garfunkel.

8/10 guitars

Tracklist:

1. Teile I

2. Teile II

3. Teile II

4. Teile IV

5. Teile V

6. Teile VI

E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr on Facebook

E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr on Bandcamp

Svart Records official site

Sammal - Myrskyvaroitus [Full length] (2015, Svart Records)

Finnish prog-rock usurpers return for a third strike

A part of the struggle of participating in trends is standing out from the lot, and those that achieve this are ironically often those that give the trend the most unusual twist. The vast majority will suffer from being unimaginative and ordinary, which when done well may be a strength on its own. Often the boundary between blindly following a trend and expanding into new territory becomes blurred; At which point exactly does music go from simply paying tribute and drawing inspiration from something to discovering new areas to colonize? The Finnish band Sammal, who are with the release of Myrskyvaroitus now three releases into their journey, seem to be an example of this question.

Having listened to the eponymous debut from 2013 and the subsequent EP from the following year Sammal stands out as a busy band that usually delivers a thrilling, on-point set of rock songs that feel uncommonly artisanal. And thusly the new album, "Myrskyvaroitus", feels as much like a natural musical development to the EP "No 2" as "No 2" did to the debut, even if there's no particular progression in terms of songwriting and skill involved. If there is any noticable difference between Sammal's releases, it would be that "Myrskyvaroitus" features, at times, darker tunes. "Kohtaus yön vyöllä" and "Muurahaisen päiväuni" especially tend more to these melancholy currents.

"Their bright and upbeat seventies sound, complete with crunchy guitars, juicy organs, funky bass and lively drums are what set them apart and take them beyond the planes of mere accolade and appreciation of days gone by."

Even so, the majority of the new album explores in depth the very same corner of seventies-based progressive rock that the predecessors did. Their bright and upbeat seventies sound, complete with crunchy guitars, juicy organs, funky bass and lively drums are what set them apart and take them beyond the planes of mere accolade and appreciation of days gone by. On "Myrskyvarioutus" the group toys more with playful and expansive quasi-improvisational psych sessions than previously attempted, as noticable especially on "Järjen ohimarssi". As such their latest effort comes across as being a more expansive piece in terms of overall composition.

Clever compositions aside, Sammal subscribe much to the same currents as bands like Horisont, but with a more substantial Deep Purple and November feel to them. The lead singer's powerful vibrato sings along playfully to the organism that the rest of the band composes. I mentioned earlier the overall composition and flow of the album, and every music fan will have a notion of what is coming next in the frame of an album. The Finnish band throws these anticipatory notions to the wind with a loving punch to the face of tradition. Though experimentation with a traditional sound has always been the way of Sammal, but by following the previously mentioned less cheerful tracks with a mockingly cheery and catchy tune like "Aika on alkamassa" the band plays in new ways with expectation and album-wise flow.

I've come to expect a great deal from Sammal, and indeed do they deliver. I find myself inadvertently humming along, and that impact is one of the main reasons why the band is so unique. As usual there are hard-hitting rock tunes as well as more dour or psychedelic tracks, but tied together to make "Myrskyvaroitus" this makes it one of the best and most different yet thrilling rock albums of 2015. 8/10 guitars.

Tracklist:

1. Stormvarning

2. Järjen ohimarssi

3. Samaan arkeen

4. Kohtaus yön vyöllä

5. Muurahaisen päiväuni

6. Aika on alkamassa

7. Sulle haavan tein

8. Kohti pintaa

9. Herätkää!

SAMMAL official facebook

SAMMAL official bandcamp

Svart Records official site

Eero Koivistoinen Quartet - Hati Hati [Full length] (2015, Svart Records)

Well-crafted jazz opus that speaks in colourful volumes of a great musical journey

Originally a student of music at both Sibelius Academy in Finland and Berklee College of Music in Boston, Eero Koivistoinen has remained a fixture in the Finnish jazz scene since the sixties, his first release being with the rock group Blues Section's first album of the same name in 1967. Since then the saxophonist has played with and composed for many musicians and band itterations. Already in 1972 did he enjoy international acclaim with his solo album "Wahoo!", but already as early as 1969 did his band at the time win the band competition at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival. His extensive discography, over thirty albums at the time of writing, explores several different genres and subgenres, although jazz has always been his mainstay.

"The eight tracks found on the album elegantly but sternly speak of a lengthy career within the genre, both in terms of musicianship and composition."

Though Koivistoinen has shown a great interest in African music since the nineties, the clash between Scandinavian and African musical culture is absent on his latest record "Hati Hati", recorded with the Eero Koivistoinen Quartet. The eight tracks found on the album elegantly but sternly speak of a lengthy career within the genre, both in terms of musicianship and composition. Without drawing too many comparisons, the opening track in many ways mirror the sound of Miles Davis' modal masterpiece "So What", but this title track is among the more actively outgoing of the bunch. Later tracks like Moz or Relations are much more laid back and easy going, the latter in particular with its lengthy and voluminous bass section.

The organic fluctutations of the compositions seem entirely unpretentious and highly expressive. The deep felt expanses of the veteran's saxophone coupled with prominent piano playing provides an unusually pleasant and easy going atmosphere that brings to mind the many aspects of every day life, from the busy goings of a  metropolis to a sunny autumn afternoon. All these attributes come together to form a monumentally well-crafted and listenable jazz album. From the perspective of a selective jazz listener Eero Koivistoinen Quartet have committed a highly enjoyable and personal record, in this case presented on beautiful black vinyl. The group's warmth and the masterful interaction between the members are among the prime examples of what makes Hati Hati stand out. A solid 8/10 album.

Tracklist:
1. Hati Hati
2. Seaside
3. Relations
4. Times They Are a-Changing
5. Moz
6. Things
7. Far North
8. Helium

Eero Koivistoinen official site
Svart Records official site

Hard Action - Sinister Vibes [Full length] (2015, Svart Records)

Leather-rocking biker music with everything it entails

Everything about this band screams "we're one of those seventies hard n' heavy clones from Sweden that land somewhere in the midst of a circlejerk consisting of early Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy and Girlschool". The promo shots feature sunglasses, denim, beards and a bandana. The cover presents wrecked guitar equipment and a stylish seventies design. Songtitles like Watch Me Burn, Cut to the Bone and Dead Dogs really do the trick. It's a sure thing, right? Well, no, not really.

These Finnish bad boys - a veritable super group to say the least, consisting of fine musicians from Speedtrap, Forced Kill and other prominent Finnish bands - may be sporting the mandatory seventies hard rockin' biker dresscode, but these motorcycles carry them to far punkier territories. When they're the punkiest they sound like a head-on collision between a flashier Ramones and Danzig-era Misfits on speed. When they're the heaviest, Airbourne and a slew of other hard rock bands come to mind.

"It's tough to compare Hard Action to any one band or scene because they borrow so much."

There's really no defining moment on Sinister Vibes, the band's debut album. With no real highs or lows to set the bar, the tracks come off as being nothing but a case of explosive nostalgiarrhea. It's tough to compare Hard Action to any one band or scene because they borrow so much. To put it bluntly, they sound like every aviator shade-wearing biker cop on Earth had an unlubricated orgy on top of a giant heap of Gibson guitars and Marshall stacks.

It's not that Sinister Vibes is a boring mess, it's just that this particular style has been done better by other bands, and it seems mostly like a group of already established musicians wanting to cash in on the recent resurgence of popularity in the genre. It's entertaining enough, and it's certainly listenable with its hookless chords and flashy shredding, but ultimately nothing really stands out. Hard Action is in many ways to hard rock what Speedtrap is to speed metal: A crash course in all the tropes and an entirely by-the-numbers experience going top speed through a wall of nostalgia. 6/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Dead Dogs
2. Chosen Few
3. Cut to the Bone
4. Night Moves
5. Deadweight (Cut Me Loose)
6. Watch Me Burn
7. Hey You
8. Sinister Vibes
9. Gun Point
10. No Lesson Learned

HARD ACTION on Facebook
HARD ACTION on Bandcamp
SVART RECORDS official site

Death Hawks - Sun Future Moon [Full length] (2015, Svart Records)

Consistently ambitious and well-crafted nature-rock

The Finnish folk and rock scene has many gems hidden to the rest of the Western world. If you're not acquainted with the progressive grooves of Sammal, the ecclectic ramblings of Paavoharju or the laid back finesse of Riitaoja, all I've got to say is get going! One of the many surprising acts that the land of a thousand lakes has to offer is Death Hawks, a group which has been consistently releasing albums and touring Europe since 2010.

While the morbidly titled debut from 2012 hinted at sun-powered seventies-gone-modern psychedelia through compository valleys and mountains alike, and the self-titled follow-up from the year after flew among the stars on a hypnotically interstellar space rock trip, the Finnish group's third album - Sun Future Moon - opts for a greater scope than the preceding releases.

The dreamy ambience that Death Hawks has integrated into their sound on the previous album features strongly on Sun Future Moon, contributing with alluring synths, smooth bass and wistfully effective guitars and strings right from the start with the first offering of organic folk rock "Hey Ya Sun Ra".

"Sun Future Moon... ...elaborates on the sound and style they found on their two earlier efforts..."

No doubt about it, Sun Future Moon rings like a true Death Hawks album and showcases a band still going strong in terms of songwriting on their triennial album. While Sun Future Moon shows what we already know the band is capable of, it also elaborates on the sound and style they found on their two earlier efforts, and is - like nature - in an ongoing state of evolution. The A-side of Sun Future Moon provides a stern, traditional approach, while the B-side is a bit more on the daring side of things. As an example "Dream Life, Waking Life" comes off as a Riders On The Storm-esque psychedelic lounge piece, while the follow-up track "Heed the Calling" has late sixties earworm written all over it. And next, airy pop track "Wing Wah" takes over, followed by a fragile composition of spaceous guitar ambience akin to Black Sabbath's Planet Caravan.

The captivating bass play of Riku Pirttiniemi has, to my great pleasure, been promoted to a more prominent position, driving forth the lingering synths and gentle instrumentation with a sense of instinctual purpose. As usual Tenho Mattila's sax, synths and keys are juxtaposed against Teemu Markkula's more tenacious vocals, with the percussion provided by Miikka Heikkinen returning to a more traditional rock-setup, as opposed to the more tribal sounding rhythm section of the self-titled sophomore album. In many ways Sun Future Moon has succeeded in becoming a colourful amalgam of every essential element of Death Hawks. 8/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Hey Ya Sun Ra
2. Ripe Fruits
3. Dream Machine
4. Behind Thyme
5. Seaweed
6. Dream Life, Waking Life
7. Heed the Calling
8. Wing Wah
9. Future Moon
10. Friend of Joy

DEATH HAWKS official site
DEATH HAWKS on Facebook
SVART RECORDS official site

Black Rock - Black Rock [Demo] (2013, Self-released)

Something is stirring in Finland, disturbing the peace. Apart from the vast horde of great black metal bands, in the later years Finland has been home to several thrashing, rocking speed metal groups such as Speedtrap and the almighty Ranger. Another band, which at the time of writing remains on the demo stage with just one small release, joining them is Black Rock from Hyvinkää.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say they're pretty fond of Hellhammer and crust punk. Black Rock's simplistic blackened speed metal riffs coupled with a raw, shouting-styled vocal brings to mind other similar bands, and the bridge parts in The Forbidden Portal and Into the Dungeon even bears strong resemblance to newer Darkthrone material, albeit in a very crude way. One could easily imagine Nocturno Culto or Tom Warrior groaning these occult lyrics to the sounds of Black Rock's prominent guitar and drums.

The band itself is a duo consisting of Vehmaa behind the drumkit and Willberg shredding the guitars and screaming the vocals. On the demo they were joined for a brief period by Kuusisto on bass. People familiar with Hellhammer's history will know that this almost sounds like the early incarnations of that classic band. Black Rock's music is obviously more punk-inspired than that of the other bands mentioned, and where the real resemblance comes in is in the structures of the songs.

To be honest, the brute directness of the music takes some getting used to. Darkthrone have great production and Hellhammer were just incredibly brutal for their time. Seen in the light (or darkness) of metal today Black Rock positions themselves dangerously close to sounding dated and sloppy. One must not forget that the reason late 80's production sounds so gritty was the absence of the possibility to sound any better. Nowadays everybody and their grandma can conjure up something that sounds pretty good soundwise. The gritty production in this case is a matter of reverence for the bands of yore.

Taking in Black Rock and fully appreciate their beastly compositions took quite a few listens. If the demo EP hadn't been so short, I doubt I would've given it the benefit of the doubt and listened to it as much as I ended up doing. It falls just short of fourteen minutes with four tracks, and that results in a much more easily digestible piece of metal. Don't expect too much in regards to advanced songwriting or anything, and just sit back with a beer or six and enjoy the oddly beseeching choruses, bridges and elementary riffs. 7/10 guitars.

Final sidenote: The cover isn't necro enough.

Tracklist:
1. Black Rock
2. The Forbidden Portal
3. The Phantom Sailor
4. Into the Dungeon

Black Rock on Facebook
Black Rock on Bandcamp

Apocryfal - Ravens [Demo] (2012, Self-released)

In regards to death metal Finland is primarily known for the filthy, doom-laden kind, but Apocryfal from Jyväskylä go in the opposite direction. Featuring the classic lineup of 5 people - you guess their respective roles - 2012 saw the release of the band's first demo, one that had been underway for 3 years. The result? 3 songs that add up to 12 minutes all in all of full-throttle death metal.

The style on Ravens is hard to pinpoint. It's somewhere in the grim borderlands between decisively old school and shamelessly modern without leaning to heavily on either. Their sound is centered around heavy guitars and bass forming the core with sprawling 6-string melodies changing things up a bit every so often, once or twice leaning on some technical and blackened elements giving the demo a few ounces of variation. The rhythm section itself feels well-rehearsed with the drums forming a laudable basis for the rest of the instrumentation through a fast and modern approach. The guitars have the spirit of the early-to-mid 90's about them while at the same time augmenting the modernized sound of the vocals.

This brings me to my next point. When the vocals work and the singer is creaming his lungs out it sounds fine, but once or twice his superficial growls made me physically cringe because they sounded like weird groans painfully wrenched from the vocalist's throat. The vocals aren't as such bad, but they're just bland. Some more definition and vocal variation could really bring some depth to the Apocryfal demo that the smooth transitions that otherwise permeate the music can't do by themselves.

In the end Apocryfal sound like a band with lots to offer and a band that are sure of themselves. A certain feel of confidence imbues the demo and with good reason - The songs are well-crafted and it is a first effort worth being proud of compared to those of countless other bands. The production is a bit too compressed and as a result lacks the kind of punch and definition a wider sound spectrum would give, but in the grand scheme of things it's a small thing. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Dark Matter
2. Ravens
3. The Script

Visit APOCRYFAL on Facebook

Distress of Ruin - Predators Among Us [EP] (2013, Self-released)

From Joensuu, Finland, comes Distress of Ruin - A bastard child of melodic death metal origin, fused together with copious amounts of metalcore tendencies. Five man strong the Finnish band makes use of a classic lineup of two guitars, a lead vocalist and backing vocals provided by guitarist Simo, and a strong rhythm section courtesy of drummer and bassist Sami and Riku.

Distress of Ruin's first published EP "Predators Among Us" features 6 tracks of varying disposition, but the gist of their music, should you choose to lump it all together, is a mix of Scandinavian melodic death metal evident in the overly melodic guitar tunes with the added thrashy elements over a groovy rhythm section borrowed from the metalcore scene. The EP has a very distinct melancholic temperament, which is highly evident right from the start with the despondent intro "The Ocean of Perdition". We quickly change pace to a lurching groove with They Play Dead. Or rather, we don't, because the entire EP only rarely ventures beyond the mid-tempo grooves put down by the drums and the deliberate guitar.

The overall sound is highly polished and as such doesn't leave much to the imagination, which is not entirely surprising in this type of music. What I mean by this is that every aspect of Distress of Ruin is just sort of... Out there. The production is entirely immaculate, and this means that you most likely won't be making new discoveries while listening to Predators Among Us. It is something that sort of numbs down the listening experience, and it doesn't invite further delving into the details of the band's music.

Predators Among Us makes good use of the dual guitars provided by Harri and Simo, and the band as a whole work well as an ensemble - albeit in a very clinically over-polished way. But what Predators Among Us is missing is for Distress of Ruin to move beyond their gray comfort zone once in a while. The way the EP is written and put together makes it seem like the same clichés over and over again. There are a few welcomed changes of scenery with the backbreaking breakdown in Deadly Nightshade, or the thrashy attitude of the closing track Harbinger of Ravage, but it is not enough to create a sufficiently varied experience. Bystander Effect has a spark of this with its faster parts which then give way to the EP's heaviest and slowest part, but it feels as though Distress of Ruin were so uncomfortable with these alternate paces that they change it back to their ordinary mood too quickly.

Distress of Ruin's first EP is a grower. At first it seems way too melodic, and the clean vocals that are continuously used in the choruses get old really quick. It might be Stockholm Syndrome, but somehow you learn to mildly appreciate the easy-to-follow structures put forth by the Finnish band. You come to expect nothing surprising from the band, and this is exactly what they deliver. But then again this isn't enough for you to put away your In Flames and Whitechapel CDs in order to listen to Distress of Ruin instead. 6/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. The Ocean of Perdition
2. They Play Dead
3. Deadly Nightshade
4. Bystander Effect
5. Terminal Alteration
6. Harbinger of Ravage

Check out Distress of Ruin at Bandcamp and Facebook
Also be sure to check out Distress of Ruin's official website for a free download of their EP

Please leave a comment here on the blog - Tell me what you're thinking, and feel free to share if you want to support underground metal!

Ranger - Knights of Darkness [EP] (2013, Ektro Records/Full Contact Records)

The artwork says it all: Black background, painted chrome logo, four black figures in front of a nighttime cityscape, and a small sticker with the words "skull splitting metal" around a fanged skull. Knights of Darkness is one of those records you love to bust out and show your friends for a night of binge drinking and shouting to the sound of shredding guitars and high-pitched screams, straight from Finland in a classic 80's speed metal style with no shenanigans. Ranger started out as Turbin and have since released 3 demos until releasing the Knights of Darkness EP through Ektro/Full Contact Records in 2013.

Following in the wake of what some like to call the "new wave of traditional heavy metal" their style is dark and gritty, energetic and fast. The wild feel of Ranger's music brings to mind Speedtrap, another Finnish speed metal band that are perhaps a bit more prominent in the scene. It also speaks of a band that aren't concerned with following a specific trend or norm, as they are much more coarse in their approach to songwriting and recording than many other contemporary speed metal bands. Their songwriting is nowhere near as clean or centered around "epic" sounds as many of the more well-known acts within the scene, instead focusing on a more raw thrash approach instead of one fuelled by heavy metal, sometimes bringing to mind the early output of bands like Slayer, Whiplash, Exciter and Razor. Infused with hellish guitar solos and near-constant d-beats the Finnish band is an entity that does not want to conform or slow down. The coarse vocals of Dimi lean mostly on singers like Cronos and Tom Araya, but with songs like Touch of Death the vocalist shows that he too has the capacity for falsetto-like screams of the highest pitch.

Followers of acts like Enforcer and White Wizzard will likely be dismayed by the crude production on Knights of Darkness, but what it lacks in sound quality Ranger definitely make up for in sheer speed and the caliber of their songwriting. There are times when speed metal becomes boring to listen to because it's always fast all the time with squeaky guitars and falsetto screams, and in some cases it ends up being a mess of riffs too fast for human fingers, resulting in a lot of songs sounding bland. By taking a thrashy approach Ranger have circumvented this issue that plagues many similar bands. This is not about immersion, sophistication or finesse, and it's definitely not some misbegotten notion that metal should be played or written with great refinement or elegance that drives this piece of metal forward. And true to this idea Ranger's Knights of Darkness EP keeps things simple with just over 20 minutes of simply tasteful use of fast down-strokes, d-beats and screams. Get. It. 9/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Ranger
2. Touch of Death
3. Steel Dawn
4. Supreme Evil
5. Knights of Darkness

Visit RANGER on Facebook
Visit RANGER on Bandcamp
Visit Ektro Records online



Please leave a comment here on the blog - Tell me what you're thinking, and feel free to share if you want to support underground metal!

Minus One World - Sewage [EP] (2013, Self-released)

Finland has a long and proud tradition of doom-laden death metal centered around the gloomy and atmospheric aspects of death metal. Many great bands portraying this style has emerged from Finland in both the 90's and more recent times, but leave it to Minus One World from Salo to break the traditions. Minus One World was created in 2008, but we would write 2013 before hearing any actual releases from them.

Where tradition dictates that Finnish death metal would be filthy and abrasive, Minus One World are upbeat and almost pleasant. When traditional Finnish death metal is slow and churning, Minus One World are fast. Among the thrashy riffs and roaring vocals there's really only a few things tying them to the Finnish scene. Obviously all regional scenes have deviations and new tendencies, but with Minus One World's first EP "Sewage" it is primarily the thick production that lets the mind wander to the gloomy forests of the land of a thousand lakes.

It may sound strange to some that the young Finnish band have waited 5 years before releasing anything. But this has a certain benefit; The Sewage EP doesn't really have those inferior, juvenile and undesirable qualities that many young bands have on their early material and as such feels a lot more polished, something that is clearly evident in the material they present on the EP. It doesn't suffer from many common birth defects like shitty production, half-assed songwriting and riffs that go nowhere.

But even so there are a few unsavory things present on the EP. Minus One World focus on a more melodic and groovy approach than many other bands, and especially when you throw in thrash riffs you really have to make sure your riffs are rock solid, and unfortunately they aren't. The fledgling band deliver their material with much energy and fervor making it hard not to get dragged in and carried away and just enjoy the music, but I think that it is an EP one wouldn't be enticed to return to. It has its fast and slow parts, it has groovy parts and more brutal parts, but overall Minus One World's Sewage EP is an uninteresting effort when compared to other bands of the same type. 6/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Kalli Halki Maahan
2. Target
3. Empire Strikes Back
4. Sewage

MINUS ONE WORLD official homepage
MINUS ONE WORLD official Facebook

Listen for yourself below

Serpenthia - Beyond [EP] (2012, Self-released)

Scandinavia is rich with black metal history. A country that has always been a bit overlooked when talking about the history of the black metal genre is Finland. A lot of good bands like Satanic Warmaster and Horna originate from this country, but they have always been overshadowed by their Swedish and Norwegian counterparts aswel as Finland's tremendous export of folk and power metal bands.
The Finnish style of black metal is often associated with a very tinny and raw sound, but Serpenthia from Joensuu are pretty far removed from this tendency. Since they formed in 2002 they have had somewhat of a revolving door lineup but have in spite of this released a steady flow of demos, ultimately culminating in the release of their 2012 EP "Beyond".

With a name like Serpenthia and a genre description going something along the lines of "melodic dark metal" I was half expecting some female-fronted symphonic metal atrocity, but what Serpenthia actually present on Beyond is a fairly diverse take on melodic black metal. While the majority of the material can be described as black metal with various melodic and symphonic inputs there are places where the riffs and vocals in particular border more on death metal while at the same time keeping the same feeling as the rest of the EP.

The guitar sound has a thick tone to it which is pretty unusual for most black metal. It goes great with the swarming riffs and further accentuates the tenebrous death metal feeling that some of the parts have, and the riffs in particular are what makes the Finnish band noticeable. Serpenthia have a tendency of taking a riff or melody that sounds mostly simple and then turning it inside out which makes for some really interesting songs.

Beyond is actually really long for an EP being almost 40 minutes long. If I recall correctly Slayer's magnum opus Reign in Blood is only about 28 minutes, and this is considered a full length album. It's by no means a bad thing that Beyond is a lengthy release, because the band manages to keep renewing their black metal efforts throughtout the EP (or album if you will). Beyond sometimes misses a bit of consistency, but the divergent flow of their songs are at the same time one of the strongest points of Serpenthia. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Them
2. The Spectre
3. Nightbringer
4. Beyond the Veil
5. Tragedy
6. The Fall (Deception pt. 2)

SERPENTHIA official Facebook
SERPENTHIA on Bandcamp

Stranglion Rot - Rotten Heart of Evil [Full length] (2012, Fatal Judgement Records)

It's no secret that Finland is home to a large cache of great death metal bands, and the scene as a whole seems to benefit from a gloomy, doom-inspired grittiness. Stranglion Rot is a one-man project in which the man Hietala is behind everything.

Though the band is a Finnish one the music in itself has a more Swedish feel to it than many other bands from this regional scene and realies more on sheer riffing and d-beats rather than chugging heaviness. Though the vocals are generally weak and the songwriting suffers from what seems like inexperience Hietala gets the message of death across due to the hellish catchiness of the guitar riffs.

With most solo projects there is one part that always dominates in terms of quality and skill. Like many other bands of this type the drums suffer from being played or programmed by someone who isn't a well-versed drummer, and the lack of imagination and variation, both in regards to speed and fill-ins, is a striking deficiency that detracts from the overall image of the album. Another thing is the bland production which together with the other elements mentioned above further numbs down the experience otherwise ensured by the main attraction, the guitar riffs.

It's a pleasing experience listening to the riffs of Rotten Heart of Evil, a name only fitting of the atmosphere of the album. It's a shame for the material to be weighed down by boring drumming and vocals, because it really deserves more and would benefit a lot from being accompanied by skilled musicians. All in all an effort that leaves some to be wanted, but delivered with enough engagement and zeal to make up for some of it. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Nightmare Begins
2. Message Written in Blood
3. The Gathering
4. Through the Valley of Despair
5. Rotten Heart of Evil
6. Cauldron of Gore
7. Impaled
8. Clouds Drifting Away

Visit STRANGLION ROT's official site and download Rotten Heart of Evil

Edge of Haze - Mirage [Full length] (2012, Self-released)

Finland has long been the country of esoteric death, gloomy doom, upbeat folk and symphonic and/or gothic power. Along comes a band such as Edge of Haze that follows none of the current trends of their nation; Edge of Haze presents itself on their 2012 album "Mirage" as a powerful quintet with influences beyond count. They've been described as progressive metal, symphonic doom metal aswel as going under numerous other terms, but in reality the Finnish band is one of those bands that is hard to categorize.

Where do I even begin with such a release? Mirage holds 7 tracks to a total playtime of 37 minutes, which in itself may not sound like much for a band with doom metal influences, but I found that 35-40 minutes is actually very fitting for an album with this amount of different inputs. I think most people will think Mirage is too pop-ish for their metal tastes, and in all honesty Edge of Haze's first album is an acquired taste. For me it was hard to get properly into their strange mix of progressive song structures and solos, power metal influenced riffs, gloomy atmosphere, gothic focus and particularly their mainstream predisposition.

Somehow the Finnish quintet has carved their own niche from these materials, and they play their rather unique style pretty well. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy some of it. However, it does have that feeling of mainstream rock music, and a song such as the annoyingly catchy "In the Place Where I Belong" especially sounds alot like something you'd hear on the radio or something similar.

Edge of Haze is no doubt a band with ambitions. Their album is well produced and well thought through, and their myriad of influences provides the album with enough variation to not become boring. It's not entirely uninteresting, and the final product is actually pretty memorable, if not of the most heavy material. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Mirage
2. Certainty
3. Attitude
4. Inside
5. In the Place Where I Belong
6. Auguries
7. Black Lakes

EDGE OF HAZE official Facebook site

Pantheon of Blood - Consociatio Solis et Lunae [EP] (2011, Glorious North Productions)

There are so many subgenres of black metal, some close to the roots of the genre and others so mutated they are barely recognizable. Bands like Dimmu Borgir with their transition from symphonic black metal to what is essentially symphonic extreme metal further makes it difficult to categorize bands of that type.
Pantheon of Blood, however, is easy to place - They play straight-to-the-point no bullshit black metal with small hints of depressive black like Burzum and early Satyricon.

Created only 3 years ago Pantheon of Blood haven't released much yet. Other than a self-titled demo from 2010 Consociatio Solis et Lunae is the first effort from the Finnish band. Not only does the EP leave the listener wanting more, it also creates great expectations for more material. Pantheon of Blood really have something to live up to with this debut EP.

The great guitar work comes together with the fantastically grim vocals and well-varied drums in a close to 8 minute blast of genuinely good black metal. The cryptical sound that Pantheon of Blood has picked up so early in their musical carreer creates the perfect amount of gloom for the 2-song EP. All the transitions are smooth and the melodic riffs don't in any way take away focus from the raw outlook, especially because the sublime details only add to the feelings invoked by Consociatio Solis et Lunae.
All in all I guess you could say that Pantheon of Blood is a strong contender in the veritable horde of black metal bands out there. They stand out along other newer acts like Ash Borer by making more intricate black metal with more layers than what is customary for most bands of the genre. 8/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Overflowing Manifestation
2. The Crimson Empress of Night

PANTHEON OF BLOOD official site
Glorious North Productions official site

Viraga - Walk the Path / Death of a Second Kind [Tracks] (2011, Self-released

Though the term "gothic" originated in regard to the East Germanic tribe "the goths", the term has later been used to describe a multitude of things, like the gothic art and architecture of medieval times and most recently, regarding music, gothic rock and gothic metal. The whole gothic outlook has been used with a few different genres through the years, some more succesfully than others. The veritably ancient genre doom metal is one of the styles that has since seen its combination with the gothic mindset, and to great avail. Bands like Katatonia (even if they started out as death/doom metal, even death/doom sometimes has the same shudderingly melancholic atmosphere as gothic bands like Bauhaus and the Sisters of Mercy) and Type O Negative of the late Peter Steele have had great success in the world of metal and rock music.
The Finnish one-man project "Viraga" could probably - from the tracks "Walk the Path" and "Death of a Second Kind" - best be described as an eldritch mixture of the progressive tones of Opeth and the gloomy gothic sounds of Katatonia. These two tracks that have both yet to be put out on a record sport a semi-fresh take on metal in the sense that Viraga utilizes time-tested elements of various genres and puts them together to form these fine pieces of progressive gothic doom metal.

Like both Opeth and Katatonia Viraga can proudly boast uncountable different parts that range from submissive and dominatingly heavy to sombre and quiescent acoustic fragments. Though obviously those of a drummachine, the drums are masterfully programmed with a boat load of variation and well thought-through fill-ins and hooks. What "Walk the Path" and "Death of a Second Kind" lack in riffing they certainly make up for ten-fold in interesting structure of these two lengthy tracks. And honestly, when has gothic doom metal ever been about catchy riffs?

The two tracks - in which's direction I hope Viraga will continue - are perfect examples of the advantage that lies in long tracks. In both cases there are so many different fragments for you to discover that you will keep listening to them for more for a long time, and with every listen they get better and more eerily interesting.
Viraga produced an overall wholesome experience of fairly standard quality with a low-fi vibe that suits the tranquillity of the gothic atmosphere perfectly. Aside from some moderately uninteresting vocals, these two tracks together have gathered 6/10 guitars.

Viraga - Walk the Path and Death of a Second Kind are available for free download HERE
Visit Viraga on Soundcloud

Denyall - Dehumanized [Demo] (2008, Self-released)

The last decade symphonic and gothic metal has prospered immensly with bands like Nightwish, Evanescence, Within Temptation, Epica and Sirenia making their way to the scene. This wave of female-fronted pseudo-gothic bands have spawned hundreds of bands that try to copy their sound.

Denyall is a band that, at first glimps, could just be another one of these bland diva bands. While their songtitels certainly imply so, even at first listen it is clear that they're doing it somewhat differently. Bands lik Within Temptation and Nightwish have a rather melancholic and melodramatic sound to them, but Denyall seems more haunting and full of dispair. The cover features a blackhaired girl sitting in a corner of a bland room in what looks like a straitjacket.

What really makes Denyall stand out from the veritable hordes of diva bands is the utilizing of growls. The vocals can suddenly go from regular clean singing to growling, not unlike that of Battlelore, which is probably the band this also Finnish sextet has most in common with.

For a demo the production is better than one would expect, and even though it contains just 3 songs for a total playtime of 11 minutes and 46 seconds, all these songs are very well-composed and nicely put together. The tracks all fit together perfectly without any major deviation from the overall style, yet it doesn't become stale and uncreative. They utilize a minimal amount of keyboards, thusly not falling into the pit of overly keyboard-dominated symphonic metal like so many others. The guitars actually play some memorable riffs once in a while but still maintain a certain level of heaviness. The variation in the vocals is probably the band's main selling point for me though.

Denyall represents the fact that not all symphonic/gothic bands are talentless hacks. This 3 song demo is filled with great song structures and well thought through tracks. Normally I wouldn't even consider listening to symphonic metal, especially not female-fronted ones. These bands tend to all sound the fucking same, but Denyall manages to steer away from the typical concepts of what is gothic metal.

That being said the demo is a little short for my taste, and symphonic metal really isn't my type of thing. While Denyall - Dehumanized is somewhat different from most symphonic metal, it still is symphonic metal, which I feel is a tried out genre.

In spite of this, Dehumanized receives 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:

1. Dehumanized

2. Garden of the Condemned

3. Late

DENYALL on Mikseri.net