Today I am reviewing (a little belated) the new album of Finnish Melodic Death Metal band Kalmah, a band I have been a fan of since I was 7/8 years old and led to me discovering my favourite band Children of Bodom. This is the bands first new material in a few years and has been eagerly anticipated by their cult of followers.
01. Blood Ran Cold kicks the album straight in with one of Kalmah’s signature beautiful guitar melodies, which are folk tinged yet brutal as ever. The production has a more raw feel to it and the vocals seem more guttural but that is very refreshing.
02. The Evil Kin was a song pre-released which I am very familiar with and it’s just such a perfect head-banging anthem, chock full of riffs and catchy choruses, pounding drums and just amazing production.
03. The World Of Rage opens with beautiful keyboards, that really take you into the Finnish wilderness, then just blasts into Death Metal chaos! The vocals have a more Black Metal feel to them than other tracks of Kalmah, or at least more reminiscent of the bands earlier material.
04. Into The Black Marsh much like the previous track has a very early Kalmah style to the song writing which is just beautifully melodic yet like a barrage of metal. The marsh/swamp theme making its return is also really cool!
05. Take Me Away has a slightly slower pace but is still very rhythmically heavy and crushing. The album loses no momentum at all to this point which is something I always hold Kalmah in high regard for.
06. Paystreak bring the folkier melodies back which are very welcome! The atmosphere of this song is absolutely amazing. Amazing guitar work from the Kokko brothers and of course the rest of the band in their own instruments.
07. Waiting In The Wings continues in the line of folk-infused melodic death metal wizardry and just reiterates the awesomely diverse talents of the band as musicians and songwriters.
08. Through The Shallow Waters is a great example of the band being akin to Children of Bodom. Finland has a very unique approach to Melodic Death Metal which I personally love.
09. Erase And Diverge continues in the vein of previous songs, more excellent riff work, stunning melodies and assault of Death Metal, topped with beautiful keys. Songs like this may be nothing extremely groundbreaking for Kalmah, but they have found a formula they like and it works for them, so there is little to criticise. I am not the kind of person to complain about too many catchy melodies.
10. The Stalker slows the pace and closes the album with a melodic anthem and chugging riffs. This songs placement as the closing track is perfect.
The new album certainly packs in tons of awesome songwriting, instrumental work and brutal vocals. While I may prefer a couple of their earlier works, this album is killer and if you are a fan of Melodic Death Metal it is a must. -8.5/10
Discover more from NATTSKOG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.