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/:: Artist :: Kalmankantaja ::\
:: Album :: Second Death ::
:: Year :: 2023 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CDDA . ::
:: Label :: Black Metal Store R.date :: 2023.06.08 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: BMS108 S.date :: 2023.06.05 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 266kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 97.10 MB .
. .
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 01. When I Leave 06:31 ::
:: 02. Hiding in the Light 06:22 ::
:: 03. Long Way Home 06:00 ::
:: 04. Unrest 06:54 ::
:: 05. The Sky is Frozen 06:06 ::
:: 06. Second Death 05:46 ::
:: 07. Wounds 06:31 ::
:: 08. Uniani 06:42 ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 50:52 ..
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: When I was sent the promo, I was left a bità not knowing how ::
:: to ôoperateö the task. Not because I donÆt know the band, ::
:: but because I donÆt know if I would be able to review a ::
:: sound that is no longer ômineö, in a way. Kalmankantaja is a ::
:: Finnish band that plays a sound that is very much built upon ::
:: atmospheres, in environments that remind us of contemporary ::
:: Atmospheric Black Metal, long songs that ôcarryö the ::
:: listener in dark melodies, yet delicate. Songs that grow, in ::
:: a very natural and not boring way, until they reach a ::
:: climax, a high point. Can we consider this sonic reality as ::
:: an upgrade to Atmospheric Black Metal? The demand here is ::
:: not for claustrophobic or desperate environments; here, we ::
:: have something more autumnal û if it makes sense to you û ::
:: and in shades of brown and red. It seems to me that this is ::
:: the fruit of geographical reality. ::
:: ::
:: It is actually quite good! I am more a fan of ôrottenö ::
:: Atmospheric Black Metal û this is quite ôcleanö û but of the ::
:: very little I have heard of this gentleman in the past, I ::
:: remember being quite pleasant. We start off with a tune that ::
:: led me to think of foreign melodies (ôWhen I Leaveö). Greek ::
:: melodies, more specifically from the beginnings of Septic ::
:: Flesh, oddly. Music rich in layers and different nuances, ::
:: between the simple and accessible, and the complex, with a ::
:: melancholy feeling well creased and transversal to all ::
:: tracks. ::
:: ::
:: And this is how this new work by Aki Klemm, multi- ::
:: instrumentalist, which has Niko Lindell in vocals tasks, is ::
:: structured. The way the latter uses his voice, the way he ::
:: sings each one of those verses, helps to create this idea of ::
:: melancholy, of depressing countenance. There are times when ::
:: we feel a DSBM aroma, perhaps deriving from Nikoæs vocal ::
:: work, but strangely I canÆt feel fully embraced by any ::
:: blacker feeling. And this is where I think the value in this ::
:: work is: even if it drags you to a heavier, darker, nasty ::
:: place in your mind, it doesnÆt allow you to fall. I think ::
:: this makes sense, but please make an effort to read between ::
:: the lines. I would venture to say that there is a whole ::
:: Nordic way of contemplating sadness and sorrow here. A ::
:: mixture of melody with sadness, with mourning, and these ::
:: details are expelled by the musical notes, one at a time. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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