Artist: Kalmah
Label: Century Media
Release Date: 7/29/03
|
|
Title: Swampsong Artist: Kalmah Label: Century Media Release Date: 7/29/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
|
3 | ||
|
4 | ||
|
4 | ||
|
|
Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
What's with these guys and swamps? It's like they're MIRED in one theme. I'd hate to see them get BOGged down. Still, I do adMIRE them though. I heard they didn't have enough time to think of another album title because they were SWAMPED! All right, I'll stop. It just strikes me as weird, when I think of swamps I think of Florida and Louisiana, not Finland. I thought Finland was the Land of the Thousand Lakes? I read it on a metal album cover, so it must be true!
"What's with these guys and swamps? It's like they're MIRED in one theme." Anyway, Kalmah's Swampsong is the follow up to their well received They Will Return, and it retains their quirky, melodic sound. And while I like this album a great deal, I am a little disappointed. I have always thought the Children of Bodom comparisons piled upon this band were never really deserved, but I feel they've inched toward that direction a bit on this album. The biggest culprit is the keyboards, which are just too over-the-top for me. Their tone is just far too 'progressive' to me, sounding more like something off of an Asia record than anything dragged from a primordial swamp. They are also way too prominent, often stomping all over the guitar, which is a Cardinal sin in metal (what is a Cardinal sin, anyway? Coveting the Bluejay's wife?).
They also strike me as a becoming a little more 'happy' sounding than they have in the past, further inching into CoB territory in my opinion. Not that that is the end of the world or anything, I personally really like Children of Bodom, but my favorite characteristic of Kalmah was always their more organic, quirky, and awkward melodies, and those seem a bit diluted now.
"Kalmah continue to impress me with their songwriting, and not for their technical ability or knack with melody." The good news is that these criticisms are somewhat subtle, and don't go nearly far enough to ruin this record for me. Fact is, I really like this record. Kalmah continue to impress me with their songwriting, and not for their technical ability or knack with melody. Kalmah's greatest asset continues to be their ability to sound DIFFERENT. They're writing the same style of music that so many others have before them, but they seem to be coming from another direction, or maybe perspective would be a better word. It's not always easy to pinpoint, and even harder to explain, but nothing in their songwriting is ever obvious or contrived, and I think that goes a long way toward setting them apart from many of their contemporaries. One word review: Great.
Death's Review:
"I think a lot of people are really going to get into this album; surely it will appear on some folk's year-end album of the year lists." If you could combine the melodic sophistication of Iron Maiden with the blackened catchiness of Cradle of Filth and the thrashy riffage of At the Gates you'd have Kalmah - at once more melodic yet way heavier and much more metal than the newest material from In Flames and Soilwork, but way more progressive and experimental than The Haunted, Witchery or Corporation 187. This is atmospheric blackened prog metal, where complex melodic intricacy is allowed - yet so are the keyboard scale runs and black screams. In this sense, Kalmah deliver a sound and a style that is somewhat original even though the songs are almost exclusively comprised of traditional and well-trod metallic elements.
"The eclectic style can definitely leave you liking some aspects of Kalmah a whole lot more than some others." This Finnish band are not quite as guitar-based as their country-mates, Children of Bodom, but they clearly do love and prominently feature the instrument and do appear overall to appreciate the tri-pronged fine art of music, of guitar and of metal - this appreciation shines through on every track. The record feels both faster and more melodic than They Will Return, and I think a lot of people are really going to get into this album; surely it will appear on some folk's year-end album of the year lists. For me, while many of the riffs are outstanding, the music is original, the sound is metal and the players are truly accomplished, sometimes the bands feels like it is consciously holding itself back. That, combined with the fact that some of the songwriting just isn't engaging enough, due perhaps in part to how high the keyboard is mixed relative to the vocals and guitar riff on tracks like "The Third, The Magical." The old-Yes meets Arch Enemy meets Killers-era Iron Maiden sound/feel that jumps from other parts of the track really kicks ass though and kinda balances the whole thing out though, until the ultra-low ogre backing vocals come in and are sung over the end of the song. I love it and I'm cringing.
Such schizophrenic reactions are sure to be found in many fans, as the eclectic style can definitely leave you liking some aspects of Kalmah a whole lot more than some others. Perhaps they wanted it that way. Not that they are a crazy experimental band either - they are metal through and through, and if you gave them to ten reviewers and asked them to describe Kalmah's sound I guarantee you'd get ten equivalent answers: metal. It just seems like they are consciously absorbing influence from a broader spectrum of the extreme metal genre than most bands are these days. The trend with Swampsong (a titular successor to the debut album Swamplord?) is toward the more extreme. I loved the thrashy Megadeth cover the last time around, but this time, Kalmah has taken a step away from those influences on the one hand to a somewhat harsher and more extreme and modern sounding place while emphasizing increased guitar work and serious melodic foundations in most of the songs. The result is a solid example of fine metallic art circa 2003. Check it out.
Hel's Review:
Kalmah has returned as promised, with more tunes from the swamp. Once again, they have chosen to use the word "swamp" in the album title, and I now hold Swampsong in my hands. Fans of Kalmah's previous work will rejoice at their newest effort, as will those tired of the uber-melodic, clean vocal trend that many melodic death bands have been heading more and more towards recently.
"Their songwriting has adhered to the same standards as before, while steadily growing more complex."
"Swampsong is a strong effort that is sure to please picky metalheads." There are no pretty-sounding clean vocal lines here. Nothing but the down and dirty growl you're familiar with getting from this band. Their songwriting has adhered to the same standards as before, while steadily growing more complex. Moments of this album are downright symphonic, perhaps attributable to the ample use of keys, and the musicianship is excellent throughout.
So if you've grown disenfranchised with those bands lumped into the melodic death category that have begun to emphasize melody over death, and long for the days when "melodic" referred primarily to the instrumental lines, revisit Kalmah. Swampsong is a strong effort that is sure to please picky metalheads.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.