Northern Finland’s swamp metal connoisseurs KALMAH are releasing their ninth studio album on May 26, 2023 via label Ranka Kustannus. This is their first album since the 2018 release of “Palo.” Listeners already received a preview of the album, since KALMAH have released three singles prior to now. Fans from Finland also got a taste of some of the new songs played live after their recent Finnish tour. KALMAH decided to make the album self-titled, which we will try not to read into much. They might have put 100% of their effort and creativity into the music and didn’t have energy left for naming the album. Since we have been waiting for 5 years for this, I will jump in without wasting any time.
The album’s first single, “Haunted by Guilt,” is also the first track on the album. I can understand why they chose it, as it seems like the familiar KALMAH we are used to hearing. The song contains chunky and melodic guitars, skillful drumming, and fresh growl vocals. The mood carries into “Veil of Sin,” where the song has the classic KALMAH guitar melody and with single high notes prevalent through the song. “Veil of Sin” has the hard-to-describe swampy element to it and reminds me of the song “Groan of Wind.”
The next two songs on the album both mention sadness in the titles: “Scarred by Sadness” is a solid song that you can bang your head to, but the more impressive song is “No Words Sad Enough.” “No Words Sad Enough” starts off slowly with some beautiful cello music and clean/spoken vocals. The song is reminiscent of a HIM song, but with growls. This is the most surprising song on the album, but also one of my favorites.
After just hearing a softer song, they pull us right back into an energetic mood with the classic KALMAH sound with “Serve the Untrue.” If the songs were played in this order live, I could see the crowd going crazy, as this song has some folky elements. KALMAH then keeps the mood up until the last song on the album, with songs like “Tons of Chaos” and “Taken Before Given,” which both seem to have been written to be played live. “Tons of Chaos” is a circle-pit worthy song, complete with a slow breakdown in the middle. “Tons of Chaos” is also easy to sing along with, as hooks with the song title are present throughout the song. “Taken Before Given” is also high energy, with chanting already built into the song. It is cool to hear that “Taken Before Given” was originally written in 1991 and spruced up a little before being put on this album.
Closing the album is “Drifting in a Dream.” This song is slower paced but has a different feel to it than “No Words Sad Enough.” The song sounds dark and unrushed in an intentional way. The lyrics and guitar riffs are purposeful and well-thought-out. Ending the album this way leaves the listener with a calm feeling.
In conclusion, it is apparent that you can always trust KALMAH to create a quality album. Even though it took 5 years, it was well worth the wait. Since the members of KALMAH all have other jobs and priorities, I am happy that they did not feel the need to rush and release a sub-par album. Even though listeners received a sample of the album with the three singles that were already released, I would suggest listening to the entire thing, as some of the best songs have not been released as of yet. The album does not bring too many surprises, but KALMAH knows what their fans like and they are very professional at what they do. I would recommend this album to all KALMAH and melodic death metal fans, as it is a safe bet to say that not many people will be disappointed. I, for one, am looking forward to more of these songs being playing live and catching them at a festival this summer.
TRACKLIST
1. Haunted by Guilt
2. Veil of Sin
3. Scarred by Sadness
4. No Words Sad Enough
5. Serve the Untrue
6. Home Sweet Hell
7. Tons of Chaos
8. Red and Black
9. Taken Before Given
10. Drifting in a Dream
LINEUP
Pekka Kokko – vocals, rhythm guitar
Antti Kokko – lead guitar
Timo Lehtinen – bass
Janne Kusmin – drums
Veli-Matti Kananen – keyboards
LABEL
Ranka Kustannus
LINKS
