Fans of prog and power metal may already know the name SIMULACRUM, while fans of Finnish pianists/keyboardists may be familiar with Christian “Chrism” Pulkkinen. His long-standing prog band released their sophomore effort, “Sky Divided,” in 2015 and have now joined forces with Frontiers Music Srl for the release of their upcoming third album. The first single is entitled “Nothing Remains” and was released on November 12th, 2020.
Accompanied by a rather astounding music video (below), this metal track is an immediate hard-hitter as it starts with an intriguing interplay of fancy fretwork and keyboard riffing in a sick blend of power metal and prog, with vocalist Niklas Broman adding his strong flavor to the mix. Naturally, the keyboards are fabulous throughout, but it’s worth mentioning the skill present in the rest of the band: Petri Mäkilä and Solomon are clearly very familiar with their guitars and how to make them roar, Olli Hakala who makes sure the bass is not lost to the background, and newest band addition Tatu Turunen on drums who keeps up a ferociously tight pace throughout. Oh, and did I mention the second vocalist? I personally wasn’t aware of the addition of Erik Kraemer on vocals until I saw the video and had to know who this person was.
It’s worth looking at the video as well, which starts with a woman undergoing what appears to be cybernetic enhancement into a Sarah Kerrigan -like cyborg. At first I thought she had three breasts, Total Recall -style, but on closer inspection it seems to be a part of her… armor? Well, a big tip of the hat to the costume design as it looks fantastic. An ominous note follows as the scientists/doctors share a toast of champagne, as it cuts to the cyborg coldly eliminating adversaries, taking a bullet herself in the process; whether she is the invader or defender is unclear, but there is a suggestion that she is simply leaving the complex where she was created, as she, stone-faced, chokes one of her creators to death with one powerful hand.
In further news, Chrism has also announced today that he has collaborated with James Labrie on his upcoming album! SIMULACRUM‘s “Genesis” will be released in February 2020 and Labrie‘s album is hopefully set for release sometime in 2022.
Want to learn more about the single? We asked Chrism some questions about it on IGTV! Also check out our Spotify playlist, where you can find the most recent singles from rising Finnish bands.
Written by Bear Wiseman
Lineup
Christian “Chrism” Pulkkinen – keyboards
Niklas Broman – vocals
Erik Kraemer – vocals
Petri Mäkilä – guitars
Solomon – guitars
Olli Hakala – bass
Tatu Turunen – drums
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