To call the Finnish Death Metal scene overlooked would be a bit silly I think, but to call it underground would most certainly be apt. I’ve enjoyed my fair share of Finnish Death Metal in my time from Xysma to Demilich, Demigod to Amorphis and so on. In fact, whether you consider it strict Death Metal or more pure Grindcore Rotten Sound at Colchester Art Centre with the smallest audience I’ve ever seen at a gig is a memory I’ll treasure, a killer night that was.

So Cult Never Dies by now are world renowned for their Metal publications namely the works of one Dayal Patterson and his ground-breaking Black Metal: Evolution Of The Cult book. I mean I like Black Metal but don’t get me wrong when I was offered a chance to review Finnish Death Metal book Rotting Ways To Misery which is released through Cult Never Dies, edited by Dayal and co-written by Markus Makkonen and Kim Strömsholm, I couldn’t pass up the chance. Finnish Death Metal history! Bring it on!

I opened this book with what I would consider a basic knowledge of the Finnish Death Metal scene. That is to say that I know the underground classics, more contemporary acts and of course the bigger artists. Therefore, it felt like a perfect read to expand my knowledge. Indeed, expand it did. I found the book to be massively well researched to within pin point precision. The opening portions of the book exploring the Finnish Proto-Death scene I found to be particularly engaging. I also appreciated the run-down of Thrash influences detailed within the book, I think this is really helpful to understand the sound the country was projecting. In fact, each new Finnish band I came across I simply had to listen to, Faff-Bey and A.R.G. In particular. Not to mention a good reason to listen to Stone whom have been on my radar for some time.

The book then launches into detailed histories of some of the best names in the Finnish scene. Xysma, Funebre, Amorphis, Sentenced, Demigod and more. This makes up the bulk of the book and really gives a lot of these bands the legendary staging which they so deserve. It’s important to note that a lot of these bands I’ve found whilst trawling the internet looking for ‘essential’ or ‘classic’ Death Metal. However, none of them really seem to be given the deserved push that this book does so well. By cementing the histories of such bands influence in printed media it takes the Finnish Death Metal scene to new heights and allows for further scrutiny amongst the wider community. Sure, a shining article online is good and all but to be heavily researched and pulled apart is to attain Metal stardom, at least in my eyes. It’s what books like the aforementioned Evolution Of The Cult and Choosing Death have done in years past, opened the gates to an audience that is liable to take this history seriously and use it for good. Journalistic types like myself are left with a brimming knowledge of this scene and filled with inspiration to work harder at achieving personal goals in written and other media.

Finally the book in rounded off with portions on the underground, downfall and future of Finnish Death Metal. All in all this adds to the historic lineage of the book as a whole. The one main thing I would note however is that the book is somewhat more encyclopaedic than a cover to cover read. This is by no means a defaming of the tireless work that has gone into it, rather it is a boon. If you want to know the history of a select band in the scene then it’s a marvellous reference point and one which I will surely be using in years to come when reviewing and so forth. That said many of the band’s histories follow a similar pattern and reading one after the other can become a touch repetitive. Although coming back to my cataloguing theories on how the text is composed I can assure budding readers that you will not be disappointed, make no mistake Rotting Ways To Misery: The History Of Finnish Death Metal should rest upon the bookshelves of any gore obsessed Extreme Metal maniac.

(George Caley)

ROTTING WAYS TO MISERY: THE HISTORY OF FINNISH DEATH METAL hardback book