(Wolfspell Records)
Total Playing Time: 38:21
KALMANKANTAJA (their name translates to “deathbearer” in Finnish) belong to the kind of bands that have too many releases in short time.
They were formed in 2011 and their discography counts twelve full length albums, twenty EP’s / split / singles and three or four compilations. Four (4 !!!) completed albums were released only in 2014! Give me a break! The result is as expected; mediocre releases with nothing memorable to mention. It’s impossible, even for great bands, to have such inspiration so I don’t think KALMANKANTAJA can change that fact.
The good thing about “Kaski” is that it is released two years after their previous album “Routamaa”, so they picked up their ideas, worked them better and reached their best moment.
In relation to the older material, they slowed down the tempo and achieved a better balance at the songs. Musically we are dealing with melancholic Black Metal, sometimes more melodic, sometimes epic, other times with a pagan atmosphere. In my ears, they mostly reminded me of DRUDKH.
The songs are quite long, around seven or eight minutes length and they are a bit tiring. Neither their evolution justifies such a duration, nor are the riffs truly remarkable. The duration could be smaller, in order to have more comprehensive songs.
In conclusion, the best album from a band of “limited abilities” remains a mediocre album in general. Definitely not annoying, just indifferent.
6
Labros Katsakioris
