| CD REVIEW Kalmah |
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Band: Kalmah The Finnish Swamp Lords are back with their sixth full length, after the mostly acceptable recordings Swamplord (2000), They Will Return (2001), Swampsong (2003), The Black Waltz (2006), and For The Revolution (2008). And in spite of my inborn allergy to that terrible Finnish melodic sound, Kalmah, formed almost twenty years ago, are a band that easily, and proudly, stand on top of the scene. All right, as from their first release (the demo tapes included), Kalmah cannot ignore its Suomi-roots; yet, as said before, their qualities are above the average. …has always been the case, and after listening several times to this new release, 12 Gauge, they maintain this leading position. A possible reason is the fact that, even though they do sound a little catchy from time to time, this band brings almost superior compositions. The members (Pekka Kokko - v, g; Antti Kokko - g; Janne Kusmin - d; Timo Lehtinen - b; and Marco Sneck - k) perform with excellence and persuasion, and their hymns aren’t filled with those terrible Finnish clichés. The swamp-songs are based on energetic guitar riffs, with a pounding rhythm section, some atmospheric keyboards and deep grunts, and they do vary in tempo (from mid-tempo to pretty fast) and melody. A possible difference with the former albums is the increased technicity in both guitar sound and rhythm - and it turns out very well - and a somewhat thrashier approach ("Hook The Monster", "Swampwar"). Still the Death / Black roots are the driving force behind the epic melodies, but this time the whole comes with an even more intensified spirit - like the almost blasting accelerations in Godeye, for example. Of course this new recording has been registered again at the famous Tico-Tico Studios (Moonsorrow, Mors Principium Est, Catamenia, Thyrane, Nightfall and many, many others), and mastered as Cutting Room (Amon Amarth, Bloodbath, Adagio, Enslaved, Behemoth, etc etc etc). Duration: forty three worthy minutes. 85/100 Ivan Tibos. |