As those who’ve been following this site for a while might know, I first got into extreme metal in the mid-to-late 90’s and by the turn of the millennium was firmly entrenched in the underground. As such, it will come as no surprise, that I have a certain predilection for stuff that either is or sounds like it is from that era. Enter Finnish newcomer Coldscape. On their three track debut mini-CD, they present a sound that unashamedly draws from just that rich well of inspiration. Combining fury and rawness with melody and atmosphere, their brand of black metal will feel instantly familiar to anyone who was there at the turn of the millennium. The 24 minute release kicks off with Avain ja liekki which, after a brief tender intro enters full on blast mode: hectic tempos, furiously sawing guitars and viciously shrieking vocals. Luckily, this is far from everything Coldscape have to offer; were it, this minialbum would not fly very far. It’s not that the blasting fury is bad, it’s just not particularly inspired. It’s when Coldscape slow down and introduce a bit of atmospheric synths and more melody into the mix that they truly hit their stride.
It’s the two other tracks on the EP which hit closer to the bullseye. Both Tulen ja varjon virsi and Maailman raato focus on less speedy tempos and sinister, dark and tragic melodics. Synths are used to augment the atmosphere with rather simplistic but effective arrangements. There is speed and furious sawing here too, but it’s more of a spice than the main ingredient. And whilst there’s nothing here that you haven’t heard countless times before, out of these very used elements Coldscape build quality stuff.
In the rolling drums and melodic tremolo riffing combined with truly ripping vocals on Tulen ja varjon virsi, and the sinister synths and choirs on Maailman raato, Coldscape craft stuff that is not only a tasteful throwback to second wave black metal (or maybe second and a halfth wave?), but also stands firmly on its own legs. Stylistically, this is a throwback to how quite many Finnish acts sounded a quarter of a century ago; qualitywise, Coldscape don’t have to rely on nostalgia alone to carry this stuff over the finish line. I have two points of contention regarding the material, both relatively trivial in the grand scheme of things. Firstly, the spoken word passages – another tried and true staple of turn-of-the-millennium black metal – sound quite clumsy and ill-fitting. I’d do away with them entirely in the future. Secondly, on occasion, the programmed drums sound noticeably plastic and artificial; most of the time, they don’t stick out, but occasionally they do, like a sore thumb. And it’s annoying. Ultimately, though, neither point of criticism is anything close to fatal. They’re small surface flaws on a package that is otherwise very promising. A three-track, 24 minute release is nothing more than an aperitif; but, based on this aperitif, I’m looking forward to the main course. Which, of course, is a full-length album I hope will come eventually. As such, in conclusion: Kolme laulua kuolemasta is hardly original or innovative. But it makes up for that with good songs, which meander a bit but never lose themselves. Coldscape isn’t yet poised for a bid on the throne, so to speak, but I do hear great potential in this project. My pieces of advice are simple and concise: skip the spoken word bits, work on better incorporating the drum machine into the mix (or get a real drummer), and focus more on the sinister melodies than full-on blasting. But even as it stands now, Kolme laulua kuolemasta is a fine piece of latter day turn-of-the-millennium black metal.
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