Kalmah
Swamplord

THE REVIEW

We already played this little game with Dark Tranquillity, and since some people liked it, I'm bringing it back.

Let's take Children Of Bodom and these Kalmah (what a horrible name). Both Finnish, both have five members, and both have the same lineup. Additionally, both are equipped with the usual egocentric (which probably doesn't even exist) show-off guitarist.
Moreover, both bands use Jackson guitars, and even though you might not care at all, I find this very interesting.
Given these premises, we should find ourselves facing two mirror-image bands.

That's not the case... and for a purely technical reason. In Kalmah, the solo riffs are an integral part of the songs and, most importantly, they are always present. Really, always! It seems that Kalmah wrote their pieces and arranged little solos over each (EVERY) riff: which leads to a typically ultra-technical and self-indulgent way of composing and playing.
And it's not a bad thing because here the base for the more black metal outbursts and the calmer, more reflective moments with typical classical influences is pure thrash metal, as opposed to the power found in COB.

All this makes this CD resemble a nice kick in the balls, also thanks to a really great production, not too raw but not too soft either. Additionally, if Alexi Lahio (leader of COB) offers solos with a decidedly neoclassical flair, here things are much faster and aggressive, skipping unnecessary frills and more akin to thrash.

The melodies devised by these five Finns, already from this promising debut album (two more will follow), have the characteristic of entering your head with Kalmah (ahem) and leaving you really satisfied with your purchase (for the record, I didn't buy it).

Do you like COB? No? Then why are you reading?