“Finland, Finland, Finland, a country where I’d quite like to be!” Why the Monty Python quote, you may ask? Firstly, as a humorous counterpoint to the dark journey undertaken by listening to ‘Tulijoutsen’ (translates as something like Fire Swan, hence the cover), and secondly, in tribute to Svart Records. Last year, with releases from Brutus, Domovoyd, and In-Graved, this little independent label produced 3 albums that with all the other music that clamours for me to listen to, still get regular plays, which is no mean feat. As such, it’s always with anticipation I look forward to the arrival of another of their offerings, and this second album from Kuolemanlaakso is no exception.
With no knowledge of the Finnish language, and no desire to fight some online translation that may be less then accurate, it is on the atmosphere created by the band I must concentrate, and with opener ‘Aarnivalkea’ the band stamps a lead heavy seal on their music, the riffs being low and doom laden, the vocals occasionally harsh but always discernible, the song throwing into the mix a combination of melodic vocals over a gentle piano between battering drum blasts, the result as a whole rolling out of the speakers like a winter fog spilling from a Finnish forest, engulfing all before it. This same feeling of darkness and gloom dominates much of the album, follow on track ‘Verihaaksi’ starting with a near funereal slog before snarling vocals enhance the gloom. Often the album veers into Deathly realms, and there is much that the more extreme metal fan then I could enjoy. ‘Me Vaellamme Yössä’ has a far more traditional metal riff, and I found myself unconsciously nodding away in my head phones, the simple structure enhanced but never overwhelmed by the presence of swirling keyboards stabs, this, together with vocals delivered in a growled speech bringing to mind hints of Rammstein or the earlier releases of Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, which is no bad thing in my books.
Whilst the album could have been nothing more then a lesson in spine crushing heaviness, Kuolemanlaasko throw in the occasional curve ball. After the blackened assault of ‘Musta’, they simultaneously jar and soothe jangled nerves with ‘Glastonburyn Lehto’, an an almost jazzy acoustic number, complete with clicking fingers and lounge singer vocals, assuming of course the lounge in question was in the decadent Berlin of the Weimar Republic and the tables occupied by freaks of The Circus of Horrors, the discordant keyboards adding an edge of otherworldly to the melody. After lulling the listener into a false sense of peace, the last two tracks batter forth with some full on doom, ‘Raadot Raunioilla’ closing the album in a crushing flourish.
This may only be the band’s second full length release, but throughout it delivers a high degree of maturity and musicianship. Once again, Svart have signed a band well worth looking out for. “All together, Finnophiles!”
(8/10 Spenny)
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