Oath "Mustan Liekin Veljeskunta" Asia version Cassette with woven patch!!!

Finnish band Oath, after a string of splits and EPs, have sung their swan song with their second full-length album. “Mustan Liekin Veljeskunta” is the name of the record, which means something like “Brothers From The Black Flame.” Then one immediately knows what direction the music is going in, and that's exactly what it is. Oath manages to combine an excellent mix of old school Finnish Black with extremely atmospheric passages and the addition of some synth pieces. It is very catchy and at the same time raw and chilling. In terms of comparison, the usual bands pop through the mind, so name dropping is necessary, but Oath do not plagiarize. They don't sound particularly original, but after a while listening to their ultimately catchy music you will stop to care. It is a bit of a shame that they called it quits after this record, but it is understandable given the two gentlemen are among the most busy ones in the genre with their other acts like Druadan Forest, Vargrav, Hautakammio, Kalmankantaja or Lathspell. Ok sorry, now I did some name dropping against what I wrote before but it might help to realize that we are talking about extraordinary musicians and therefore the end result being a belter should not come as surprise. This album alternates between the mid-range and upper range of the guitar over blast beats, trading tremolo riffs back and forth before dropping into a slower, more melancholy section that breaks up the flurried wall of sound. Small touches make the difference between the single songs, with some implemented tempo changes or more atmospheric sections breaking up the blasting. Some of the best moments of the album come from mid-tempo and groovy parts, like e.g. shown on the opener “Aamutähden”, which is an outstanding piece of black art. Oath play their music with a lot of energy and talent, showing a true passion for the original style and channeling it into the band’s own creativity. It’s the love for the origins of the genre and the roots of their country’s scene that drives them, and it shows on this album with flying colors. The songs are consistently well thought out and oscillate between extremely fast and groovier mid-tempo passages. The guitars create an icy atmosphere which is present throughout the whole album and drape the music in permafrost. Ablaze with ferocity and grim yet at the same time chilling musicianship, Oath make no secret about their influences and show that they clearly hold the second wave sound in the highest regard, with little need to detract from the original path defined by the big names of the genre. That being said the two protagonists are experienced enough to put their own stamp on the music. While pretty straight forward on the surface there is enough variation to be found, and songs like e.g. “Amen Apollymi” are among the most captivating pure genre pieces I have heard over the past months thanks to clever build-ups and the fantastic flow. Things such as brief changes from blast-beats to more laid-back drum patterns, bitterly melancholic riffs progressing into a storm of demonical presence and even the creepy vocals all seem to carry enough nuance and intricacy to hold the listener’s interest with ease. Finnish black metal is not a new invention. For years, the scene has been considered one of the most active. While Norwegians mostly rely on pure and unfiltered grimness, Danes and Icelanders often move beyond the genre boundaries and like to use somewhat unusual elements and the Swedes often operate on the border of melodic death metal, the Finnish style is characterized by the perfect mixture of groove, melody, atmosphere and coldness. Oath have created with "Mustan liekin veljeskunta" perhaps not the most memorable album, but an incredibly solid representative of the local style, which is always fun when the record is running and never fails to make my head nodding to the beat. Unfortunately there might not be any new stuff by this particular project, but at least Immortal Frost Productions have banned this great piece of music on CD so grab it while it is available – especially in case you like the bands mentioned above or any of the famous Finnish black metal combos.

Sample: