Kalmah - 12 Gauge (2010)

Every time you're about to throw in the towel and give up on the tired genre that is melodic death metal, some band, generally one of the veterans, comes along and kicks it all back into gear. Kalmah have done this numerous times throughout their career, so it's no surprise that their 6th full-length effort delivers the goods. We're not talking a perfect album by a long shot, nor one of their very best, but 12 Gauge more than packs a few punches in, and it benefits from what might be the most crushing production the band has yet committed to disc. Yes, the guitars are titanic, voluminous tidal waves that crash down over the listener, and yet they still leave another breathing room for the bands unceasing melodic onslaught. The synths are still here, as brazen as ever, but they feel very level now that the guitars are biting and chugging this hard.

The band is also now using their added orchestration for more than the Children of Bodom-style duels with the guitar during the solos. Oh, they still do it, but pay heed to the increased attention to choirs that are often brought directly to the forefront of the recording. Pekka Kokko is louder than ever, with an ever deepening grunt that seeks to embellish the charging melodies as once Amorphis did so wonderfully (or Noumena). 12 Gauge might feel like a strange title for a Kalmah record, but once you hear these guitars you will feel like your eyes are staring straight down the barrel of one. Boom!

"Rust Never Sleeps" begins with some pleasant acoustic guitars before the rise and swell of the synthesizers, using a more natural, symphonic pad than normal, and then the chomp chomp chomp of the falling axes, the melodic break, and we're off to the races. The song reminds me a lot of something they would have written for my favorite Kalmah album, They Will Return, only thicker and with a choir. "One of Fail" wastes no time in following through a glorious, atmospheric charge that becomes even more mighty as the bridge riff erupts, and this one's got some nice leads in there. Other energetic outbreaks include "Bullets are Blind", "Hook the Monster", and "Godeye", which would be my personal favorite of the faster 12 Gauge material. But then there is also the excellent "Swampwar", with a hugely moving chord progression up front that parts for some of the more gracefuly melodies on the album. "Better Not to Tell" also benefits from its slower pace, a slew of synths shining across the memorable impressions left by the guitars. "12 Gauge" itself opens with a folkish clean section, before its fist pumping thrash emerges, but it's not a great song, and I also got a little weary during the closing original "Sacramentum". The Japanese import also includes a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat", and Kalmah really make it their own with epic, crushing chords and walls of symphony.

The Finns have certainly written better songs than what we've got on 12 Gauge, but their tone has never been so massive, and it might be just enough to turn the heads of those that have overlooked this clearly underrated act. Like some of their peers Omnium Gatherum, Norther and Noumena, Kalmah understands how to stay in the melodic death game for extra innings and develop a solid batting average. This is not their finest hour, and I don't favor it over Black Waltz or They Will Return, but it's almost on par the band's previous For the Revolution and I'd be remiss not to mention that it sounds pretty badass coming out of the car stereo speakers...

Highlights: Rust Never Sleeps, Swampwar, Better Not to Tell

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://www.kalmah.com/

Kalmah - The Black Waltz (2006)

In 2006 Kalmah released The Black Waltz, the follow-up to Swampsong, which included a heavier guitar sound, a new keyboard player, and a much heavier and harsher vocal style from frontman Pekka Kokko. In effect Kalmah returned as a brand new band showing that it's possible for bands to successfully change their sound without the overly fickle listening community vowing to never listen to it again.

While the sound might have changed on The Black Waltz, Kalmah haven't completely forgotten the fast, catchy, and memorable playing that has always stood them apart from fellow Finnish melodic death metalers. "Defeat" showcases both the new and the old Kalmah, a fast and crushing opener with a great catchy chorus and liberal use of the 'gang vocals' that characterize the newer Kalmah sound. "Bitter Metallic Side", "Time Takes Us All", and "To the Gallows" all follow in the same vein as "Defeat" - fast and crushing songs with great choruses, and in the case of "To the Gallows", more excellent usage of the 'gang vocals' courtesy of The Official Kalmah Pig Unit. "Svieri Doroga" slows the album down with a slow acoustic piece from Antti Kokko, and leads the album into the title track. "The Black Waltz" shows a more melodic side of Kalmah, transitioning into another cool little acoustic solo like "Svieri Doroga" over part-way through the song. "The Groan of Wind" shows off this newer melodic sound as well with a mid-paced thrasher while "With Terminal Intensity", "Mindrust" and "One from the Stands" all keep the fast and heavy sound heard in the first half of the album. "Man of the King" gets a special mention because I just love the "GAH!" from the intro - and the song is pretty fucking awesome as well with a great showing from new keyboardist Marco Sneck.

The only criticism I have after numerous listens of the album is that at the midpoint, "Svieri Doroga/The Black Waltz", the album has a tenancy to slow down a bit too much from the first four tracks, ruining the cohesive feel of the album that I felt was especially prevalent in Swampsong. But if you can get through the midpoint, and the new vocals, the rest of the album will not disappoint you at all.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10] (We all have to hail the man behind the pain)

www.kalmah.com

Kalmah - Swampsong (2003)

It seems that Kalmah has become one of my favourite metal bands these days - creeping up my last.fm charts until the point where it has become the number one metal band I have listened to in the last 6 months (last 12 months is still Blind Guardian). This is largely due to albums like Swampsong and The Black Waltz.

I love Swampsong. It is easily Kalmah's best album (of either vocal style) and it's easily one of my favourite metal albums. It was just one of those albums where everything just clicked for me - from start to finish.

"Heroes to Us" opens the album with a fast power/thrash type song that sets the tone of the albums. "Burbot's Revenge" follows with a song about a burbot (a freshwater cod) getting revenge on a fisherman by ripping his net - a song only Kalmah and the vocals of Pekka Kokko can pull off. "Cloned Insanity" is another insanely fast thrasher, with simple but catchy lyrics. "The Third, the Magical" slows the album down a bit, reminding me of a little of Eternal Tears of Sorrow, only better. "Bird of Ill Omen" is the fastest and harshest song on the album with extremely catchy political-themed lyrics - definitely one of the best songs on the album, and only behind the last song on the album, "Moon of My Nights", a slower song with interspersed piano sections that changes into a song of pure anger and depression. Love it.

Not only was this the last album before Kalmah took their four year break, but it's also the the last album where Pekka Kokko sings with the vocal style heard in Swamplord and They Will Return - a wet black metal scream that only a swamp-loving Finn could have. Great voice.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10] (A gift of today's world...)

www.kalmah.com

Kalmah - For the Revolution (2008)

To this point Kalmah have established themselves as one of the very best bands of the Finnish melodeath scene, if not THE best band, edging out peers like Norther and Children of Bodom. With their 5th opus For the Revolution, they are only out to reinforce that fact with yet another excellent effort.

The album boasts a killer Tico Tico studio production, seamlessly blending the band's signature heavy use of synths into the standard instruments. The title track opens the album, pure Kalmah reminiscent of They Will Return. "Dead Man's Shadow" is far catchier with its folkish guitar melody. Ditto on "Holy Symphony of War" with another bracing and catchy guitar line. "Wings of Blackening" is like a steamroller of melodic death/thrash with some excellent leads. "Outremer" is another insanely catchy track, one of my favorites here. The rest of the album is quite uniformly excellent.

This is all par for the course for this excellent band, one of the most talented in this entire genre. While my favorite album from them still remembers their second They Will Return, I truly enjoyed this, even moreso than its predecessor The Black Waltz. Kalmah are generally reliable for their songwriting skill and fine musicianship, and here you have both in spades with one of the very best melodic death offerings of 2008.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (still I can walk over you)

http://www.kalmah.com/