Finland has many iconic metal bands that have made the country a landmark on the heavy scene and the wave of upcoming bands isn’t too shabby either. Regardless if we’re talking about BALANCE BREACH, MERCURY CIRCLE, LUNA KILLS, I AM YOUR GOD, or BLOODRED HOURGLASS, the musicianship and quality of their craft is undeniably there as a trademark of their musical heritage. With their sixth full-length, the wonderfully titled “How’s the Heart?,” Finnish melodic modern metal unit BLOODRED HOURGLASS (BRHG) is poised to become a torch bearer of the genre and a staple of the Finnish metal scene. The album is slated for release on October 20th, 2023, via Out of Line Music.
With the follow-up to 2021’s “Your Highness” the band continue to one-up themselves in terms of both melody and aggression while modernizing their sound by creating dynamic and energetic songs that could stand toe-to-toe with what metalcore band BALANCE BREACH or melodeath stalwarts INSOMNIUM have put out this year alone. BRHG’s blend of melodic and death metal influences was taken to new levels on last year’s single “In Lieu of Flowers,” a ripping yet deeply melodic track that I had on repeat way more times than I care to admit publicly. That chorus section is absolutely golden, while the meaty riffs elevate the melancholy melody without any sense of a disconnect between them.
Talking further about the singles, “The Sun Still in Me” mixes some EDM vibes with technical riffing making it feel more experimental than anything else in the band’s discography until this record. However, it is a very successful experiment as the essence of who BRHG are and what they do still shines through the layers of ominous keys and massive drum loops. Next was “The End We Start From,” a more traditional BRHG melodic death metal track with enough Finnish melancholy in it to pass for an INSOMNIUM song if you’re not paying close enough attention to it while the changes in the vocal delivery (from the harsh verses to a clean chorus section) and the modern elements added to the fold beautifully bridge the band’s musical history. Finally, the synth-infused title track is a rather straightforward song that still captivates with its balance of raw aggression and mellow sections while the uplifting chorus is the album’s poppiest moment.
The remaining six songs (and three bonus tracks) are just as diverse and well-crafted as the singles, to make the listening experience feel fluid and engaging. The opening track “Of Course I Still Love You” is a very aggressive song about heartbreak that boasts heartfelt lyrics and crushing riffs with a driving melodic rhythm at its core. There’s a melodic part halfway through that really drives the messages of the song home. This song, and, by extension, this album proves that music makes for good therapy to deal with grief and pain. Dynamic “Fragile” navigates the extremes of their sound being equal parts vulnerable and heavy, with a catchy chorus, a sturdy melodic backbone, and more heartfelt lyrics about romantic anguish that tug at the heartstrings. Actually, this seems to be the theme of the record as many songs deal with grief and sorrow while also bringing a spark of hope to the listeners, especially with “The Sun Still in Me” and the title track.
The heaviest and harshest song on the album is definitely “Anomaly,” a monster of a track that sees Jaredi Koukonen going back and forth between high screams and deep growls while a barrage of thundering drums and ferocious riffs combine to create a rather sinister mood. It stands at the crossroads of modern death metal and deathcore and could just be the nastiest song the band has ever created. Driving and uplifting “Song of Forgotten” continues the mix of synth and punishing guitars with a melodic solo from Joni Lahdenkauppi to cap it off in style. Many listeners may connect with these lyrics on a personal level as this song is about going through a darker period and coming out of that experience stronger for it. Speaking of solos, the guitars on this record are excellent not just when it comes to Lahdenkauppi’s solos but also in terms of riffs and leads; I really like how they come across in the sound design of this album. In addition to that, the usage of some clean vocals in key moments of some songs adds depth to the lyrics and texture to the album’s overall soundscape.
Up next, “Leina” is more squarely rooted in melodic metal as it starts off with bouncy ambient synths and percussions that give way to harsh vocals and pounding drums. There’s a lot of back-and-forth between aggression and melancholy going on with synth providing a backdrop to this heaviness. This experimental track is capped off by another amazing guitar solo while, again, the lyrics are emotional and touching. The experimentations continue with groovy “Devotion,” where a poppy synth melody meets some piano melodies and orchestrations that add oomph to the composition. There are three more bonus tracks – “Only When I’m Breathing,” “Hennessy,” and “Twin Flame” – that round up the album, and of these three my favorite is “Hennessy” because of the passionate vocals and synth-driven atmosphere.
All things considered, this album boasts a familiar soundscape to BRHG fans while introducing new elements in the mix that expand the sound in exciting directions with tracks like “Devotion,” “Leina,” or “The Sun Still in Me” being excellent examples in this respect. The Finns managed to go from traditional melodeath tracks to modern metal cuts without compromising their sonic identity but instead showcasing fresh facets of their sound. This evolution feels organic to them and perhaps the reason why everything on “How’s the Heart?” is so tight and flows so smoothly from beginning to end. Lastly, there’s a poetic beauty to the painful situation humans unavoidably find themselves in and this record captures this bleak yet sublime mood wonderfully in both sound and lyrics. With so much going on, I can say that this is quite an ambitious record that delivers on all accounts.
For more on this record, check out our interview with BLOODRED HOURGLASS here.
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
01 Of Course I Still Love You
02 In Lieu of Flowers
03 Fragile
04 Anomaly
05 The Sun Still In Me
06 Song of Forgotten
07 Leina
08 Devotion
09 The End We Start From
10 How’s the Heart
11 Only When I’m Breathing (Bonus Track)
12 Hennessy (Bonus Track)
13 Twin Flame (Bonus Track)
Lineup
Jaredi Koukonen – Vocals
Jarkko Hyvönen – Drums
Jose Moilanen – Bass
Lauri Silvonen – Guitar
Joni Lahdenkauppi – Guitar
Eero Silvonen – Guitar
Label
Out of Line Music
