With acts such as Sentenced, Amorphis, Children Of Bodom and Nightwish, Finland is quickly becoming known as a metal music Mecca on par with Sweden. Unlike their western neighbors, Finnish acts aren't quite as known for their brutality, but more for their sense of melody. Finland's Kalmah are a band that could easily be at home in either country, with their razor-like guitar riffs and pummeling double bass the act have plenty in common with such acclaimed Swedish acts as In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. At the same time, the harmonies and fluid guitar solos give it a decisive Finnish sound. One listen to the band's new release, They Will Return, will prove that the act aren't one that can be simply confined by genre or geographically. They Will Return brilliantly combines melody with brutality, musicianship with anger and songwriting with imagination. Kalmah are a unique band, and will soon find themselves among the leaders in their native scene, showcasing to the world the originality and talent that could be found in this sometimes forgotten country.

The history of Kalmah dates back to the year 1992 when Pekka Kokko (guitar & vocals) and Petri Sankala (drums) started recording demos in a project called Ancestor. The duo soon completed the line-up with the addition of Pekka's brother Antti on guitar and Antti-Matti Talala on keyboards. With their energies focused on writing and recording, the group worked hard at developing their sound and having music to shop around to labels. After four demos, the band released their last, and most notable, Under the Burbot's Nest, in autumn 1998. The following year brought change for the group as they removed themselves from the style of "pure death metal", and started playing with more melody. The name was changed to Kalmah, and the band recorded the Svieri Obraza demo, which effectively ended the group's demo days by garnering Spikefarm Records' attention. In the spring of 2000 Altti Veteläinen stepped in to fill the vacancy of a bass player, and couple of months later Talala was replaced with Pasi Hiltula. Now signed to Spikefarm, the band chose the renowned Tico-Tico Studios (Children Of Bodom, Sentenced, Amorphis) to record their debut release, Swamplord. The album immediately gathered tons of rave reviews and no wonder, the power and intensity of Kalmah's metal is simply breathtaking, to say the least. Thanks to a licensing deal with Century Media, Swamplord was released in North America to an equal amount of praise. The group never managed to tour out of Finland, but did play several high profile shows across their native land. Instead, the group opted to waste little time in writing new material.

In 2001 Altti and Petri parted ways with the band, but both were promptly replaced by bassist Timo Lehtinen (from Catamenia) and drummer Janne Kusmin. In November the band was back with the newly revamped line-up once again at Tico-Tico Studios with producer Ahti Kortelainen recording. With a slight evolution in talent and writing from their previous release, Kalmah recorded eight ferocious tracks of tortured vocals, beautiful harmonies, blasting beats and imaginative lyrics spawned from the swamps of the group's homeland. The resulting effort, They Will Return, is an album displaying all the aspects that make Kalmah such an incredible band, from the stunning execution and rich melodies to the huge intensity and overall finesse of Kalmah's music, there is no question that this act has great things ahead of them.




[ Discography ] 

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Label: Century Media | Item Code: CM 8023 | Country: Finland | Year: 2002 | Genre: Death Metal

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