Wishing to go on a joyous ride, full of different sound elements and combined metal subgenres, but you aren’t sure what band that would be? The modern melodic death metal act NORTHERN GENOCIDE from Finland makes sure to please you with all–powerful music with electronic, industrial, and symphonic influences. Originating from Lahti, the band was founded back in 2010 by high school friends who decided to create something different. Programming and adding electronic mastery on top of metal music turned out to be not only a fun idea to establish but also successful.
After going through some changes in the initial line-up of the band, NORTHERN GENOCIDE released their first EP, “Planet Asylum,” in 2015, followed by their debut album, “Genesis Vol. 666,” in 2019. The album aroused metalheads’ curiosity by reaching 1 million streams on Spotify, and this affected the band positively. The success of “Genesis Vol. 666” resulted in NORTHERN GENOCIDE beginning to work on the next project, “The Point of No Return,” shortly after. Released via Inverse Records on March 1st, 2024, the album introduces new interesting concepts and proves the best of NORTHERN GENOCIDE so far. In this second full-length album, the band’s style clearly evolves. In contrast to “Genesis vol. 666,” where the songs kick in a more straightforward way, “The Point of No Return” reveals engaging element adornments. Moreover, the guitar riffs become more in-your-face, and the electronic industrial influences leave a stronger dynamic overall feel on the whole record. For those finding themselves orchestration lovers, “The Point of No Return” delivers immense ones, too. Simply put, NORTHERN GENOCIDE doesn’t fear experimenting but the opposite.
What’s also interesting about this album is its theme. “The Point of No Return” criticizes major global topics, such as world overpopulation, abuse of power, and corruption. It also discusses the ominous side of the human mind. Bringing their thoughts on those matters to their music gives NORTHERN GENOCIDE its own unique appearance.
Taking the first two tracks, “To Serve The Pestilence” and “Kaamos,” already feels like a journey. They could be described as if we have the Finnish melodic death metal band KALMAH joining forces with the industrial metal crew, TURMION KÄTILÖT. To be precise, those opening songs remind me a bit of the older golden pieces of KALMAH’s third studio album “Swampsong” (2003). In this electronic-influenced category, “Luonnonsurma,” “Para Bellum,” and “The Engram” could also take place, despite the fact that each of them carries its own special touches. For example, in “Luonnonsurma,” more aggressive harsh vocals can be noted, and generally, the track focuses strongly on the melodeath side of things.
In comparison to all those mentioned, “Harbingers of Genocide” and “Our Final Hour” carry great orchestrations and deep symphonic elements. One of the guest vocalists on this album, Stephanie Mazor, actively contributes to the darker mood in these two tracks. We can also hear her mellifluous voice in the much slower piece, called “My Fortress.” Stephanie’s participation in the record introduces a different, even more compelling musical vision to it. The excellent combination of Tommi Salonen’s growling and Stephanie’s singing reminds me of the well-known Dutch masters of symphonic metal, EPICA. Streaming “The Point of No Return” the first time, I was left positively shocked by how similar the female vocals sound to the worldwide-recognized Simone Simons (EPICA).
Unlike the rest of the songs, “Icaros” and “Necropolis” appear to have their own sound with fewer additional symphonic or industrial segments. “Icaros” by itself is a fast, dynamic track, in which powerful double bass drums by Leo Korhonen are recognized throughout its whole duration. Melodic tunes and a captivating solo by Pyry Pohjanpalo complement and complete this piece. The album closes with “Necropolis,” which begins with a rhythmic melody. Here, the listener is provided with a fine collaboration between the lead vocalist and Tommy Tuovinen, known from MYGRAIN and CROWNSHIFT. Both singers carry out the piece pleasantly, with Tommi Salonen on harsh vocals and Tommy Tuovinen on clean ones.
Altogether, “The Point of No Return” is quite a solid album. It shows that NORTHERN GENOCIDE aims high with all the sound enrichment and proficiency combined. Additionally, bringing guest musicians proves the band’s desire to try out a variety of new ideas. My favorites of this album are “To Serve The Pestilence,” “Icaros,” and “Our Final Hour,” even though all go quite nicely. Depending on your daily preferences, either leaning towards lively industrial-influenced metal or symphonic power, the Finnish modern melodeath band won’t let you down!
Written by Stephanie Vasileva
Tracklist
1. To Serve The Pestilence
2. Kaamos
3. Harbingers of Genocide
4. Icaros
5. Luonnonsurma
6. My Fortress
7. Our Final Hour
8. Para Bellum
9. The Engram
10. Necropolis feat. Tommy Tuovinen
Lineup
Tommi Salonen – Vocals
Pyry Pohjanpalo – Lead guitar
Jussi Pulliainen – Rhythm guitar
Arto Viitanen – Bass
Leo Korhonen – Drums
Rainer Pekkinen – Producer
Label
Inverse Records
