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Review: Church of the Dead – Vol. I Stay Out of My Grave

Filed under: Album reviews by Lyn Storm — Leave a comment
3:01 am

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CHURCH OF THE DEAD
“Vol 1 – Stay Out Of My Grave”
NightLust Records, January 11, 2013

Tracklist:

1. Intro/ Nekrovulture

2. Beheaded, Scooped & Displayed

3. The Abyss

If you thought that Helsinki only produces metal in tune with the trends, you might be surprised by this. CHURCH OF THE DEAD has a “back to the roots” approach: it’s old-school death metal with purely horror imagery, but also with a good dose of self-irony and humour which works just fine. These guys are not afraid of cliches like blood, gore, tombs and zombies. On the contrary, they parade with these and turn them into bare essentials. “We stay true to the initial genre, yet we still know how to have fun”, say the musicians.

But now let’s get straight to the music. We’re dealing with mostly short, mean and crunchy riffs, raw metallic tunes with something groovy about them or, as they say, they add some “punk attitude, crushing d-beats and twisted sense of morbid humour.” There is a raw quality in here that’s rarely seen in Finland, the land of melodic metal genres. The brutal death vocals often change their range and get into the grind area, their alternation making the material sufficiently dynamic. To build up the morbid atmosphere, there are some slower heavy parts inserted. Old-school song writing skills can be spotted, which we hope to have for the coming scheduled EPs as well.

If you’ve ever fancied Necrophagia, Napalm Death or Obituary, you might find this musical effort as complimenting. And besides, these guys are no newbies, they’ve been sharpening their death metal weapons in bands like Lithuria, De Lirium’s Order, Ghoul Patrol, The Undivine or Dead Shape Figure. Therefore, if you thought of not taking them seriously, you’d better ditch that thought. Although it was only formed in 2012, the band jumped on stage very quickly, having performed several shows already and continues its series of gigs throughout 2013.

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TRACEDAWN, the “Turbocharged” Death Metal Act of Finland – Interview with Guitarist Roni Seppänen

Filed under: Interviews by Lyn Storm — Leave a comment
6:41 pm

Year 2008, TRACEDAWN’s first release sees the light of day and in no time the band is booked for venues like Wacken Open Air and Summer Breeze in Germany, and Tuska Open Air in Finland. In 2012 they advance their third studio album, ‘Lizard Dusk‘, and a new frontman – Niko Kalliojärvi, the much-acclaimed former vocalist of AMORAL. The band delivers modern melodic death metal in the typical creative Finnish vein and has a solid international fanbase. We saw in TRACEDAWN a proof of Finnish proficiency and talent ever since their stormy debut, and asked guitarist Roni Seppänen about the evolution, the past and present of the band.

MFF: Greetings from MFF! Looking back on 2012, Tracedawn’s release does stand out among the most interesting of the year… Firstly, what is ‘Lizard Dusk’ signifying?

Roni Seppänen: You mean the title ‘Lizard Dusk’? I’ve got no idea. Pekko came up with the name but he didn’t really tell what it meant. I guess he just digs reptiles and such.

MFF: Tracedawn managed to captivate metal fans worldwide right with its first release. That was back in 2008. Was it something that you expected? How was the ride so far? A bunch of young guys making music in the city that’s bustling with top-class metal bands…

R.S.: The ride’s been good so far and we’re all excited about ‘Lizard Dusk’ and the release of the new EP. The couple of European tours and festival gigs we did supporting ‘Ego Anthem’ were all amazing experiences and helped us gain more international attention. Even though we’re always thrilled to play in front of new audiences, it’s also nice to play occasionally in Helsinki in front of familiar faces. There’s so many good metal bands here in Finland that’s it’s really hard for new bands to stand out. Some rock clubs have even stopped hiring metal acts because of the oversupply. I guess we’re the lucky ones, since we’ve played around 10 gigs in Helsinki this year.

MFF: You even had a gig at Wacken Open Air, and that’s quite a milestone for any band’s career, especially for young ones! How was the Wacken gig and what changes did it bring along?

R.S.: The gig at Wacken was a lot of fun. I think we played a few minutes overtime and the electricity was cut during the last song. Somehow that just made it even more memorable experience. It was the second gig we had played outside Finland so it felt like the biggest thing in the world at the time.

MFF: The melodic death metal scene in Finland is highly valued – and crowded, too. Perhaps this got Tracedawn to add so many different creative elements to the new tracks? Or was it simply a matter of putting together musicians with different preferences and ideas?

R.S.: I think the stuff on the new album just happened somehow. I don’t think we’ve ever tried to sound original or anything. This album just turned out to be a bit more melodic than the first two. There’s also some “jazzy” elements and groovy stuff in there that just came by accident. When you try to create something “original” on purpose it might easily turn out to be artsy.

MFF: What is the atmosphere like within the band? Best friends or personality clashes?

R.S.: We all get along well and there’s no bad blood between the current members and the ex-members. So the working environment is just great.

MFF: It feels like Tracedawn has taken a new direction when Niko was brought in. The feeling of the new material is less introspective and more “in your face”. Was this new attitude dictated by the newly-acquired frontman, or was there already a changing vibe within the band? and how did you eventually choose Niko?

R.S.: We’re always trying to move forward as a band and I guess we went another step ahead with Lizard Dusk. The new material is much more straight-forward than the old stuff, so in that sense it’s definitely more in-your-face. Antti left the band around the time we were recording the drum parts for the album and we had to spend almost six months without a singer. So the fact that Niko joined the ranks really motivated us as a band, and maybe that’s something you can hear on the record.

MFF: What is the feedback you’ve been getting on the latest album? In terms of sales, gigs, fans’ reactions…

R.S.: I think most of our listeners have liked it. We’ve played a lot of new material live and people seem to dig it. To some of the older fans it just might be too melodic. I don’t know much about the record sales, but I’m pretty sure they’re not huge. But I guess that’s the trend nowadays.

MFF: Would you detail a bit the lyrical themes on ‘Lizard Dusk’ and the moods involved? It often seems like you guys are having much fun when building up some of the songs, in spite of some bitter topics! Feels like it’s more playful now, more enthusiastic, and also more defiant. So how about the current topics and vibes?

R.S.: I don’t know much about the lyrics. Pekko and Niko wrote all the lyrics for the album, so you’d have to ask them. There’s a lot of humor involved for sure and I think some of Pekko’s lyrics deal with the classic Jim Morrison type themes like sex and death.

MFF: And then you decided to have even more fun by creating acoustic versions for the new songs…

R.S.: We were asked to play an acoustic gig last Spring and it turned out to be a success. Then we were asked to record a couple of acoustic songs as bonus tracks for the Japanese release of Lizard Dusk and we ended up putting four songs on tape. Our Finnish label dug them so much that they wanted to release them as an EP. And it turned out to be pretty good.

MFF: Is Tracedawn going to have a gig-filled schedule in 2013 or the members plan to focus on their other bands?

R.S.: We have a couple of gigs booked for 2013 but I think we’ll have to start focusing on writing new material. We’d love to play more gigs outside Finland but unfortunately it’s been almost impossible to organize them. So I guess we’ll try to come up with some new material next year!

MFF: Alright! :) Good luck and thank you for your time, Roni. I’m looking forward to witnessing some Tracedawn stage action in Helsinki or elsewhere!

Storm



Tracedawn Official Website
Official Facebook Page

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NIGHTWISH at Hartwall Arena Finland and “Imaginaerum” World Movie Premiere

Filed under: Concert reviews by Tero Tolkki — Leave a comment
12:48 pm

The long-awaited premiere of Nightwish’s “Imaginaerum” and preceding live show was easily Finland’s music event of 2012. Fans, press, friends of the band, everyone and their grandma travelled from all over the world to be in Hartwall Areena on this past Saturday night. And it was absolutely worth it!

Of course, the movie wasn’t the only matter of interest. As everyone should know by now, Nightwish had undergone yet another line-up change. After Anette Olzon was (not so) kindly given the boot, Floor Jansen has been brought in temporarily to fill in on female vocal duties. This was her first show with Nightwish in Finland, and naturally there was a lot of speculation whether Floor will manage to walk in these shoes.

Photo: Jana Blomqvist

Hartwall Areena was getting filled with people, while the stage curtain was covered with something that at first looked like toilet paper. I am still not sure what this decoration was supposed to represent. When the show started, the black curtain underneath was taken away, it became more obvious that the white things were in fact pieces of cloth (might still be paper for all I know). The wind was blowing through the holes and a projector was going in circles. Through it you could see a shade of Marco Hietala in a rocking chair, singing “Taikatalvi”. After that he threw the chair away and the whole band launched into “Storytime”. The white curtain finally fell down after a short while and the stage was presented in all its glory.

Photo: Jana Blomqvist

Decorations around Holopainen’s keyboard stand become more and more elaborate each time. Long way from the boat, now it’s a set of pipes that resembles Davy Jones’ organ. Who knows, maybe sooner or later he’ll be able to fit the whole Black Pearl in there. Marco and Emppu were their usual energetic selves, running around the stage and rocking on their guitars, while Jukka was high up on his drum throne, overseeing all the action. Above the stage was a screen, showing various graphics during the songs: a lot of amusement park themes, merry-go-round, aquatic themes and also eyes were looking out at us a few times.

Photo: Jana Blomqvist

Floor Jansen was the absolute star of the evening. It was such a relief to be able to listen to Nightwish live and not wince from all the shrieking that was there before. She was dynamic, headbanged and was simply quite the sight for sore eyes. While Hietala did most of the talking to the public, she didn’t hesitate to take the mic a few times and work up the crowd as well! I will even go as far as saying that by her stage presence, Floor reminded a lot of Tarja Turunen. In other words, she fits like a glove. Now that everyone saw what Jansen is capable of, the new speculations appeared as to whether she will be asked to stay in the band. Currently nothing is decided, she will continue singing through the next summer and then time will tell. All things given, Floor is the best the band could get in these circumstances.

Photo: Jana Blomqvist

I was hoping that some of the old songs will be played, now that the band again has someone who can pull it off. But the setlist didn’t go further back than “Century Child” album. Troy Donockley and Pekka Kuusisto joined Nightwish on stage for “I Want My Tears Back” and “Last of The Wilds”. There was a little break in the middle of the show, during which pyro dancers came out to the tunes of “Arabesque” and gave quite an incredible performance to entertain the public.

With all the stage effects: images, lights, pyros and overall atmosphere of the show, it was a jaw-dropping experience altogether – some sort of an explosive carnival where you get on the craziest ride ever and adrenaline bursts out of your ears. Unfortunately it had to end. Before announcing the last song Floor, whose Finnish skills haven’t gone any further “kiitos”, finally managed to say “hyvää iltaa” albeit a bit late. She said she learned some Finnish phrases for the night, but it all left her on stage, and we really can’t blame her. The last song was appropriately “Last Ride of the Day”. As you know safety comes first, so Marco put on some pilot goggles, in case it gets a bit too windy up there, when he plays the bass.

Photo: Jana Blomqvist

Obviously, nobody spared any expenses when it came to the fireworks. Once the song was over, Hartwall Areena could be sent to the moon with all the explosions that ensued. When it was finally safe, the band came together in the middle of the stage to bow for the public. After the waves of cheers and applause were done, everyone left for a long break, while the preparations were made for the movie screening and chairs were put on the floor.

About an hour later…

“Imaginaerum” the movie!

Disclaimer: in order to keep this spoiler-free, I will not mention the plot line or any specific scenes.
It is a very deep, dark movie with many autobiographical references leading to maestro Holopainen himself. Call it cinematographic therapy, if you please. It’s hard to keep track of what’s going on during the first half an hour, the seemingly disconnected scenes keep on changing and you will raise an eyebrow once or twice. But at some point the pieces of the puzzle start to fall together and you are able to put everything in place.

Nightwish as a band makes just two appearances, performing “Slow, Love, Slow” and “Scaretale”. You can see Tuomas through the movie as one of the incarnations of the main character – Tom Whitman (this name should already ring a bell).

The quality of footage is amazing. Being a fan of Stobe Harju’s work I expected nothing less. The slow-motion sequences, the fictional characters, everything leaves you in awe. However, keep in mind that there are some graphical moments, and the movie is not meant for children.

“Imaginaerum” is an absolute must-see for any fan of any Nightwish line-up. It is filled with many symbolical tiny details, and the viewer has to really pay attention to see them all. I suspect that in order to grasp it fully, it is necessary to see the movie a few times.
It is hard to tell if “Imaginaerum” could be interesting to someone who doesn’t know Nightwish at all. They might be impressed by the image quality or even relate to the plot, but I would expect them to misunderstand many things that open up to anyone, who has been following the band and their work over the years.

In a true Finnish way the movie ends with a happy ending, yet still a sad one, so don’t expect any Disney unicorns and pink rainbows. Just know that “there forever remains that change from G to E minor.”

Review: Tanja Caciur
Photo: Jana Blomqvist

Show setlist:
Taikatalvi
Storytime
Dark Chest of Wonders
Amaranth
Scaretale
Ever Dream
Slow, Love, Slow
I Want My Tears Back
Last of the Wilds
Arabesque (pyro dancers)
Planet Hell
Ghost River
Song of Myself
Ghost Love Score
Last Ride of the Day

Photo: Jana Blomqvist

Photo: Jana Blomqvist

Photo: Jana Blomqvist

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Tuska 2012 Club Gigs: Moonsorrow, KYPCK, Before The Dawn, Ghoul Patrol, October Rust

Filed under: Concert reviews, Finnish Festivals by Lyn Storm — Leave a comment
1:30 am

Tuska Open Air is the pride of the Finnish metal world. Recently it has changed its location from greenish Kaisaniemi park to the rough industrial Suvilahti area, easy to reach with the Helsinki metro. While Tero was the one in charge with the festival atrocities, I made my way again to the club gigs that happen after each of the festival days. The official Tuska festival afterparties are well known today as “continuation gigs”. As the blue Nordic summer night (rather like evening/dawn) sets in, hundreds gather to form queues at the popular venues Virgin Oil and Nosturi.

Moonsorrow

Moonsorrow

However, Helsinki is ever-restless especially in summer, and so the metal parties started early in the week, on Thursday, with a double event night: BARREN EARTH in On the Rocks and an acoustic gig with GRENDEL in PRKL Club. Although unrelated to Tuska, these were sure highlights for the following reasons: musicians who know how to do their job, a laid-back fun-loving crowd, good drinks and very fine locations in the heart of the capital city. Well, the metal celebrations in Helsinki did have a good start!

BARREN EARTH is a supergroup that also played at Tuska within a short time notice, as they were asked to replace a band on the bill. So, there were two chances to see the members of Moonsorrow, Swallow the Sun and Kreator. Their progressive death mix features the stunning vocals of Mikko Kotamaki (Swallow the Sun), who can switch easily and beautifully from black to death and to clean vocals.

MOONSORROW is remembered by many as one of the top gigs in Tuska this year. Although I have considerably lost interest lately in their heathen metal, I totally enjoyed the gig for its dynamics, fiery atmosphere, and good band & fans communication. It was what every fan and every artists desire from a gig. Virgin Oil is one amazing indoor venue and it was packed on its two levels with enthusiastic fans. It was something any metalhead would have enjoyed, be they a MOONSORROW fan or not.

Tuomas Saukkonen/ Before the Dawn

Before the Dawn

Saturday night, Nosturi pulled the crowd towards the Western shores in Helsinki, in another industrial/harbor setting. It was time for a well-thought-out doom metal night, to be started with SHAPE OF DESPAIR in slow, desolate, eerie tunes melting in darkness and stillness. Nevertheless, we were set for a big change. BEFORE THE DAWN was in and was a welcome surprise. As we couldn’t have the promised BLACK SUN AEON formula complete due to a member’s illness, mainman Tuomas Saukkonen brought his other band on the Nosturi stage. Thus he broke the all-doom bill for the night and delivered his nice gothic/melodeath act. A fortunate change for many, no complaints – the guys revived the place and infused it with their energy. Melodicity lacked though because Lars Eikind, former bassist in charge of trademark clean vocals, was no longer in the band. However, people around were very pleased with the demonstration of skill. Tuomas focused on the band’s latest album. A very fulfilling gig, and the words of praise were not just a few.

KYPCK

KYPCK

Next in line was KYPCK, the doom act featuring SENTENCED man Sami Lopakka and his fabulous riffle-shaped guitar. The band performs songs only in Russian and I must say the combo is quite catchy live and not as rough or unpalatable as would be expected. Born as a supergroup, KYPCK delivers rather solid tunes and can even inspire a pretentious and experienced crowd as we had in Nosturi to headbang.

J.P. Leppaluoto/ October Rust

At the end of the weekend, OCTOBER RUST playing Type O Negative was one hell of an evening. Must say it is a quite incredible feeling when you meet a lot of new friends and old ones as well, or people you simply knew from somewhere, all in the same location for the same gig. And this one had a different feel to it – no more brutality and gloom, but pure rock party, cheer and smiles. I’m glad I went to see this, not only for the vocal’s presence (J.P. Leppaluoto – HARMAJA, ex-CHARON, one of Finland’s best frontmen and a sex symbol if you ask the ladies), but also for the grab-a-drink-and-sway-around action. Lovely. J.P. spoiled us with his deep sensual, velvety, yet bitter voice, infusing passion in every Type O song in the show. His mates were bassist Lauri Porra, known for his work with STRATOVARIUS and for the blood ties with classical composer Jean Sibelius.

Mind you, it was hard to leave Virgin Oil after such an exciting Tuska finale, but at least there are the memories, the pictures and the friendships.

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Rockin’ Hellsinki @ Kaisaniemi Park, June 7 2012

Filed under: Concert reviews, Finnish Festivals by Tero Tolkki — Leave a comment
9:06 am

Crashdïet, Hardcore Superstar and the legendary Mötley Crüe were scheduled to play the first installment of Rockin’ Hellsinki festival, which took place in Kaisaniemi Park, June 7. Mötley’s visit to Finland was long overdue after the band had to cancel their performance in Pori at Sonisphere 2010 when their equipment got damaged by the storm. Needless to say they were expected with anticipation, and hours before the event started, Helsinki city centre was filled with people wearing all sorts of glam attire, with some Crüe merchandise on top.

We arrived in Kaisaniemi when Hardcore Superstar were about to take the stage. The Swedish band plays here very often, yet they always manage to gather a sufficient following, thus it’s safe to say that Finns love Hardcore Superstar a lot! This love is absolutely deserved though, as the band’s shows are always a party. During their set I was looking around, amused by the amount of Nikki Sixx look-a-likes. The majority of teenage boys present there were aiming for the same hairdo and the same clothing attire, as the bassist himself. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, indeed. The female part of the audience was relying heavily on the success formula of hairspray, ripped fishnets/spandex and short skirts.

Photo by Jana Blomqvist

Speaking of Nikki Sixx, he was spotted at the side of the stage, checking out a few of Hardcore Superstar’s songs. The boys have whipped up a great set-list to the crowd’s delight: “Wild Boys”, “Medicate Me”, “Sadistic Girls”, “My Good Reputation”, “Moonshine” among others, and, of course, “We Don’t Celebrate Sundays”.  I suppose it should be quite a trip for any glam-sleaze-younameit band to share the stage with the Crüe, and I was secretly hoping that maybe HCS will play a cover of some Mötley song, but that didn’t happen.

After Hardcore Superstar said their goodbyes, it was time for the stage change. Funny enough, Pantera, Metallica and Megadeth were being played on the PA, and I couldn’t help thinking that just 2-3 decades ago something like this would have been a terrible and absolutely unacceptable thing to do. Mustaine would probably personally slaughter anyone, who would dare to play his stuff at a “Gay LA Music” show. But times have changed and it’s all in the past now. After all the last preparations were done, Mötley Crüe were a bit past their scheduled show-time. But I suppose, as long as it’s not Guns’n’Roses you’re waiting for, everything else should be bearable.

They started the show with “Wild Side” and there was definitely something wrong with the sound. But this was quickly fixed and, frankly, irrelevant, compared to Vince Neil’s vocals. If I could choose between listening to a cat’s wail or Vince Neil live, I’d go with the cat, it would be less traumatizing. The terrible sounds escaping his throat were often muffled by shortness of breath or panting when he half-walked half-ran from one end of the stage to another (no, it wasn’t this big). Naturally, this had put a damper on the overall impression of the show.

There were two back up dancers/singers, and most of the time their choreography had very little to do with the actual rhythm of music. They made me think of some old cabaret in a god-forsaken town, where nobody comes anymore. Maybe that’s where Vince Neil could play his solo shows!

However, there were positive moments too. It was a pleasure to see that albeit his serious health problems, Mick Mars can still whip out some killer riffs. He doesn’t even need to move much, his craft does the work for him. Nikki Sixx is definitely one of the most dynamic parts of the show. He was constantly running around, firing up the crowd as much as he could. Whenever he would come to any edge of the stage, a wall of hands, phones and cameras would rise in front of him.

Of course last, but definitely not the least is Tommy Lee. Tommy’s drum solo on his drum rollercoaster saved the whole show! In case you haven’t heard about it yet, there was a huge round railing standing on the stage, and Tommy’s drum set went around it, yes, upside down and all. There was also a big round screen behind the railing, that provided visual effects to the show. Tommy made a few rounds on the rollercoaster, while playing a solo, then stopped on top of it, upside down, threw his sticks in the crowd and shouted “I love you!” There was a very appropriate response from the crowd; it was indeed a very exciting thing to see. After Tommy came down, they brought up a girl on the stage, who won a ride in a contest. She sat on another chair attached to the drum set, behind Lee, and rode a few more rounds with him, while he was playing. That right there was truly experience of a life time!

To sum it all up, Mötley Crüe played most if not all of the top hits throughout their discography. The crowd still had a blast, naturally. If I was a teenage girl in love with Nikki Sixx, I probably wouldn’t even notice if Vince Neil fell off the stage and stopped singing altogether. It could have been a magnificent show, if it happened at least 10 years earlier, but right now it resembles more of a retirement circus than a rock show it used to be.

Set-list:
Wild Side
Live Wire
Too Fast for Love
Saints of Los Angeles
Shout at the Devil
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)
Looks That Kill
Piece of Your Action
Primal Scream
Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room
Tommy Lee’s Drum Solo
Dr. Feelgood
Girls, Girls, Girls
Home Sweet Home
Kickstart My Heart

Review: Tanja Caciur
Photo: Jana Blomqvist

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Top 10 Apocalypse Songs for 2012

Filed under: General, Not related by Lyn Storm — 1 Comment
8:04 pm

Moonspell - "Night Eternal"

It’s 2012 and every metalhead wants to have a Heavy New Year ahead, especially now when the prophecies seem so dark and mean. After all, the apocalypse is a typical theme for metal. What to listen to, apart from Metallica’s ‘The four Horsemen’? Get your playlist in tune with this infamous year and watch out, these songs are not for merry days or merry souls.

1. Moonspell – Night Eternal. Easily making it to the top of the list, this song benefits of a great video and

features a wonderful dark atmosphere. These Portuguese metal gods don’t fear the apocalypse, but actually call for it; and they do it in such perfect words that you will wish for the world to end, you too. The perspective is one dealing with Biblical images and puts out more anger than despair – a beautiful prelude to extinction. “First in the skies, apocalypse/ Only your fury can set us free/ Come for we are failing/ Come for we are waiting“.

2. Primal Fear – Seven Seals. Somewhat like a heavy ballad, but intense and dramatic and very, very catchy for its slower tempo. It is so melodic and impressive in its composition, and there’s an outstanding match between the feelings from both the music and the lyrics. I truly get a feeling of the end as it says “There’s no tomorrow…” and also get a sense of dignity. All the lyrics flow extremely well. This is a great rendering of John’s Revelation – the 7 angels, the 7 seals and the tormenting symbols in the Christian apocalypse. And by the way, you can’t end this life until you’ve heard Ralf Scheepers’ vocals on this one!

3. Septicflesh – Apocalypse. Perhaps more solemn and mystical in atmosphere than all the others on this list, it’s a symphonic death metal masterpiece that gives off a tragic, crushing feeling, but at the same time feels like watching a grandiose spectacle. Also, it has a very different interpretation of the end of the world myths. Feels like all is rushing to come to an end, storms are blasting, rocks are falling. The orchestra here is the spine for the brutal yet so harmonizing  metal instrumentation. Pure apocalypse!!!

4. W.A.S.P. – Babylon’s Burning. Yet another masterpiece quoting John’s Revelation. This time, from one of the rebel classics. This proves how metal and badass the scriptures can be. It’s a pleasure to hear Blackie Lawless’ voice announcing the dramatic end of the world!

5. Leaves’ Eyes – Ragnarok. The otherwise delicate Liv Kristine makes a nice effort here. She sounds stronger than ever, empowered by the vision of a world in ruins. The drumwork is excellent here. A fast paces track and a new level for this band.

6. Amon Amarth – And Soon the World Will Cease to Be. Well, these Swedes’ two latest albums are all about the end of the world, this time from the ancient Scandinavian perspective, with raging gods, terrifying monsters, war and fire. This one is a dramatic, bitter piece with dark, pressing mood all over – in the typical Amon Amarth vein. No surprise to the fans, these Vikings are proudly taking us through 2012.

7. Hypocrisy – Apocalypse. A true gem of the genre, the re-recorded version of this song sounds amazing. It has a haunting theme from the beginning and takes you from a solemn threat to despair, all in a solid atmosphere of poisoned skies and deathly winds over darkened grounds. Great vocal effort as well.

8. Morgana Lefay – The Seventh Seal. rough, in your face track, with all the elements that made this band big, like wicked and heavy riffs. A pounding rhythm, much enhanced by the bass, delightful for the dedicated metalhead.

9. Heaven Shall Burn – Endzeit. they put up quite a show with this one at Wacken 2011. Nice piano and violin extended intro, then breaking into raging vocals and insane riffs. Fast and aggressive, this has always forced the crowd into mosh pits.

10. Sybreed – Doomsday Party. If we’re ending it all, let’s send it off with a blast. After all we, the metalheads, are not easily brought down to fearing and crying, right? We could as well have fun and dance it away. This lovely groovy-industrial metal band makes the proposition of a party and delivers a danceable track… yet with some rough lyrics: “And this is how we realize the tragic prize of wasting time/ It doesn’t make sense if we die/ And we’ll know in the end if we truly lived“…

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Interview with Mikko Virtanen (GRENDEL / DEAD END FINLAND)

Filed under: Interviews by Lyn Storm — Leave a comment
12:07 am

If you have an interest in Finnish death metal or in this year’s top releases, you are likely to come across the name of Mikko Virtanen. Vocalist of GRENDEL and DEAD END FINLAND, he had a few words with us about how it is to be a metal musician in the highly competitive Finland, and also about the goodies delivered by the aforementioned bands.

MFF:  Hello, Mikko! How is it for you to handle two bands? You had two album releases this year…

Photo by Tage Ronnquist

MV: Working with Dead End Finland beside of Grendel does not cause me much work. DEF doesn’t do live shows and I’ve never even jammed with the band in rehearsals. Santtu Rosén and Miska Rajasuo make all the songs and arrangements. We work together only in studio and basically I do the vocals as they suggest. This set-up works out great since Grendel is so big part of my life and takes so much of my time.

MFF: The Finnish metal scene is well crowded, what feeling does that give to an involved musician? There used to be a wave of gothic metal which had its say and then died out; now, there is a strong development of melodic death metal, with numerous bands already.

MV: There are so many excellent bands that it feels like there is not enough audience for all of them in Finland. For example in Helsinki there are always simultaneous gigs on weekends and different clubs need to compete of the audience with each other. Kind of same situation with selling albums. The internet providing everything for free does not help the case…

MFF: GRENDEL can boast with a nice number of gigs year by year. But we know how life in Finland is, there are countless gigs… How would you convince people to choose a Grendel performance?
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Review: The Man-Eating Tree – Harvest

Filed under: Album reviews by Tero Tolkki — 1 Comment
11:51 am

Now this was a very nice surprise for our dull and boring and ever darkening autumn days! Shamefully I am admitting that I did let the debut album of The Man-Eating Tree go past me but luckily I took the time with their sophmore album “Harvest”. I have kept repeating the same thing over and over again when I write reviews…I do not review bad albums and before I write the actual review I listen the album at least 5 times over. I get no kicks of reviewing bad albums. I gladly leave that to other medias. And to listen an album at least 5 times gives you enough depth to actually write something. Now for you who do not know The Man-Eating Tree, here is a very brief introduction.

The seed of the new band was planted when Vesa Ranta, having taken a break from music after Sentenced, began to overcome his post-Sentenced battle fatigue and lack of musical motivation. The idea of a new band – or bands – was eventually brainstormed over a period of time between Vesa and his friends, including gentlemen Miika Tenkula (RIP), Aaron Rantonen, Janne Markus and Mikko Uusimaa. Plans were made reality in 2009; the outfit was completed by the addition of Tuomas Tuominen as a vocalist and Heidi Määttä as a keyboard player. First demo recordings were made in the spring and summer of 2009.

http://www.themaneatingtree.com

Now to the album. It’s more and more difficult these days to find albums that can actually take those 5 listening times. With Harvest it shouldn’t happen. Although it was recorded during a time when Finland was suffering from the worst heave wave in many hears, “Harvest” turned out gloomy as hell.

You won’t find it too surprising that the title “Harvest” is a reference to the Finnish autumn. Vesa Ranta (drums, formerly Sentenced) explains: “To me autumn is a very creative season and describes the album very well. With the recording of this album we went to the fullest – in a way we are ‘harvesting life’ with it.”

“Harvest” starts with an intro called “Harvest Bell” that already gives you an impression of what’s to come. As much as I hate to use these “This sounds like”-clichees I simply have to use them here…yes it does remotely remind me of Sentenced…it’s the gloomy atmosphere. And those vibes carry throughout the album. There are parts that remind me of Entwine which is also one of my all time favourites…but it’s just parts here and there…small particles really. And one other thing that usually speaks for a good album is that it goes very fast…”What it ended again?” At least to me it means there are no irritating parts in the album that sort of stop the listening experience like “oh crap it’s this song again, gotta skip it”. No, with “Harvest” you can listen through the entire album and let the atmosphere take you on a trip which at least to me, is definately worth it. Been so for 7 times in a row now and just as I wrote these lines, I said to myself again “What it ended again?” and started listening it for 8th time in a row. Still good.

Vesa, who works as a professional photographer and graphic designer, explains why the music of  THE MAN-EATING TREE does and will always have a close link to nature that is also reflected in the artwork: “The beauty and bleakness of nature are very present. I believe that the concept of THE MAN-EATING TREE doesn’t incorporate concrete suburbs, instead a lot derives from nature.” Janne adds: “Being Finnish is a vital part of my personality and I am sure it can be heard in our music as well. Why not, it’s a major part of our band and our sound. The Finnish romanticism and wistfulness are definitely there and always will be.” Vesa further comments: “Of course our Finnish roots are embedded in our music. We Finns are a relatively melancholic nation. This is our and the overall Finnish state of mind that is displayed on the album. The album is very ambient, but it’s the typical Finnish ambience with those dark shades. Still, there is light somewhere far on the horizon.””

Review: 10-/10

Harvest tracklisting

  1. Harvest Bell
  2. At The Green Country Chapel
  3. Code Of Surrender
  4. Armed
  5. Like Mute Companions
  6. Exhaled
  7. Down To The Color Of The Eye
  8. Incendere
  9. All You Kept Free
  10. Karsikko

The Man-Eating Tree is

Tuomas Tuominen – Vocals
Janne Markus – Guitars
Antti Karhu – Guitars
Mikko Uusimaa – Bass
Heidi Määttä – Keyboards
Vesa Ranta – Drums

The Man-Eating Tree on internet

www.themaneatingtree.com
www.myspace.com/officialthemaneatingtree
www.facebook.com/themaneatingtree
http://www.metalfromfinland.com/The_Man_Eating_Tree

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Review: Reckless Love – Animal Attraction

Filed under: Album reviews by Unia — Leave a comment
7:50 pm

If I had to describe this album in one word, I’d use “fun”. Because of the fact that 90% of Reckless Love‘s lyrics are about sex, and that many of their songs can easily be described as “poppy” or even “commercial”, they are definitely one of those bands that you can either love or hate. And you will probably take that decision before the first song you listened to is over.

I have always taken music very seriously and had very high expectations from it, so finding a band that definitely does not fit the typical description of Finnish bands with sad songs and depressing lyrics, and whose songs are just about having fun and putting you in a good mood, is something I never would have expected to like. They couldn’t possibly be more different than the kind of music I usually listen to, but somehow that seems to work really well for them.

Their first album, “Reckless Love“, was released in the beginning of 2010 and was a great success for a debut album. Compared to it, “Animal Attraction” comes with a few new changes and includes songs with more pop elements and even less glam metal, especially on tracks like “Hot“, “Dance“, or “Dirty Dreams“. Even though they might need some time to grow on you, they are surprisingly catchy and positive and probably the most memorable songs on the album. At the same time, the opening track, “Animal Attraction“, together with “Speedin’“, or “Switchblade Babe” continue in the recognizable style of the debut album. “Born To Break Your Heart“, even though noticeably different from the rest of the album, is definitely a song worth mentioning, and undoubtedly one of the album’s highlights, while “Coconuts” is a real disappointment, a song that honestly just doesn’t seem to make much sense.

Overall, this album is certainly not a masterpiece, but I would recommend it to anybody who has an open mind, wants to have fun and who knows exactly what to expect from this band. Just keep in mind that the songs are so catchy that they will be stuck in your head for a long time. And remember the lyrics! It might not be a very good idea to listen to these songs in public for the first time.

Review: 9/10

Tracklist

1. Animal Attraction
2. Speedin’
3. Born To Break Your Heart
4. Hot
5. Fantasy
6. Dirty Dreams
7. Dance
8. Fight
9. Switchblade Babe
10. On The Radio
11. Coconuts

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Review: Insomnium – One For Sorrow

Filed under: Album reviews by Lyn Storm — Leave a comment
9:43 pm

  Tracklist:

1. Inertia
2. Through the Shadows
3. Song of the Blackest Bird
4. Only One Who Waits
5. Unsung
6. Every Hour Wounds
7. Decoherence
8. Lay the Ghost to Rest
9. Regain the Fire
10. One for Sorrow

Label: Century Media

Release: Finland October 12, Europe October 17, North America October 18

After the band’s previous success with “Across the Dark“, a title that was not at all overlooked, here they are with a new disc that is about to draw much metal crowd praise. Think about the most anticipated releases for 2011 and, again, you have INSOMNIUM. It is a constant band, faithful to the melodic death genre but not afraid to mingle around and incorporate with grace a few goodies from here and there, all well camouflaged.

The opener is very atmospheric but doesn’t reveal exactly the pace of what’s to follow. It builds up slowly, really slowly, starting from a doomish impression, eventually reaching the true colors of INSOMNIUM, with deep growls and pronounced yet cold melodicity.  ‘Through the Shadows‘, the song that benefits of a nice video, has a chorus that sticks to the mind, fit for humming all throughout the day. It is very catchy and has a strong particularity… Like the band itself announced, the album is filled with darkened feelings and sad stories; however, the effect of this track (especially) is rather one of completed catharsis than of stirring the muddy waters. It sounds… View full article »

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