Ajattara – Lupaus

[schema type=”review” name=”Ajattara – Lupaus” description=”Label: Svart Records” author=”Basak Günel” pubdate=”2017-05-12″ ]

Ajattara is a Finnish black metal band. Formed by the former Amorphis singer Pasi Koskinen in 1996, they split up in 2012 and they were reunited last year. They have released 7 studio albums so far with the latest album being “Lupaus”, which has been released today and marks the comeback of the band.

“Lupaus” is definitely one of those records that will get you hooked after the first spin… It is especially fascinating to see how the band kept the essence of their sound after so many years of silence and after the release of the last album “Murhat” (2011). The darkness and brutality reflected in Ruoja’s vocals will be felt throughout the album whereas the riffs and the melodies are quite versatile; the album starts as in this typical black metal atmosphere but this sound develops itself and we experience a harmony of the doom/death metal sound. In this aspect, the band has managed to deliver us a nice mixture of black/doom/death metal. A highlight for me was also the bass guitar definitely; in albums like this, the bass guitar is normally lost in the background but this doom-y approach is delivered perfectly with the bass guitar.

One highlight that caught my attention is definitely the straightforward/punk-ish approach of the album here and there. Surely, the rhythm is not uptempo throughout the album but especially the beginning of “Lupaus” and the overall vibe is quite different from the previous releases in the sense that it is punk-ish and some songs do even feel like a punch in the face. So we can definitely say that Ajattara fans but fans of black/doom metal in general will get a fresh air with “Lupaus”. Although I enjoy the album as a whole, my personal favorites are “Saatanan sinetti”, “SINÄ” and “Amen”.

If you are a fan of the dark and brutal elements but also black metal in general, “Lupaus” is a must have! It’s great to see Ajattara back in action and “Lupaus” definitely marks their comeback! Go get the record!

Line-up:
Ruoja – vocals, guitars, keyboards
Tohtori Kuolio – bass, backing vocals
Kalmos – guitars , backing vocals
Raajat – keyboards, backing vocals
Tartunta – guitars
Malakias VI – drums

Tracklist: 01. Saatanan sinetti 02. Ristinkirot 03. Suru 04. SINÄ 05. Amen 06. Ave Satana 07. Uhrilahja 08. Lupaus 09. Machete

Links:
Ajattara Facebook