Nordic Gothic – this is what supergroup CEMETERY SKYLINE calls the music they have been working on over the past couple of years, and given the melancholy dripping from their first single, “Violent Storm,” the name couldn’t embody the idea any better. As to the band, CEMETERY SKYLINE may be a new addition to the Nordic pantheon of top-notch metal acts, but its members surely aren’t as the band is comprised of vocalist Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY, THE HALO EFFECT), guitarist Markus Vanhala (INSOMNIUM, OMNIUM GATHERUM), keyboardist Santeri Kallio (AMORPHIS), bassist Victor Brandt (DIMMU BORGIR, WITCHERY), and drummer Vesa Ranta (SENTENCED, THE ABBEY), all known musicians from the Swedish and Finnish metal scenes.
Musically, “Violent Storm” is anything but violent, instead being melancholy, gentle, and oddly soothing, with Mikael Stanne using more of his lower register for the verses and going slightly mid-range for the chorus, which is pretty subdued and blends in nicely with the verses, the music, and the atmosphere. The melodic line of the song is simple but effective slowly burrowing in the listener’s mind on repeated listens. This is not an instant earworm but rather it’s the type of song that reveals its secrets in time. Moreover, the well-balanced mix of Finnish melancholy (that mainly comes from Kallio’s ‘80s sounding keys) and Stanne’s emotional delivery complete with a smooth build-up to the last chorus give it a high playability value. Add to all this a haunting Gothic atmosphere (that actually carries the song) and a bass line that only enhances its sense of darkness and gloom and what you get is an understated yet somber track that is not as overbearing as these melodic elements may suggest.
To me, this single is a rather exciting and refreshing take on Gothic metal and it really piqued my interest in hearing more songs from the band. It also shows the wondrous things that can happen when musicians try their hand at something different and, in doing so, subvert expectations by delivering something completely unexpected. Check the song out at the link below:
Written by Andrea Crow
