Miseria Ultima – Graygarden

Label: Advoxya Records
Release date: 15.01.2020

When one thinks of Finnish artists, the first to come to mind may be Lordi, Children of Bodom, Nightwish, HIM, or The 69 Eyes. So in turn, one may think that the biggest genres out of Finland are subcategories of rock and metal, whether that be shock rock, death metal, symphonic metal, or gothic rock. However, if pressed, someone out there will remember that legendary DJ and trance/house artist Darude of Sandstorm fame is also Finnish. So it really should come as no surprise to find that Finnish duo Miseria Ultima pride themselves on their roots in both dark electro and EBM and create an intriguing blend of both worlds in the internationally-known Finnish music scene. Miseria Ultima use sharp and snappy beats that harmonize with electronically blackened vocals and a more classic yet refined style of synth playing, all of which show how much effort go into their work.

Aleksi Martikainen, who provides vocals for Miseria Ultima, is no newcomer. He has provided vocals either temporarily or full-time for Cryptic Death, Failed Theory, Incrost, Nordic Necropolis, and Ordog, the last of which he still supplies vocals for. This has given him a solid background in symphonic/melodic black metal, atmospheric death metal, thrash metal, and even doom. In addition to these, he and synth player Kimmo Huhtala–who used to play bass in Ordog–formed Wings That Bliss in 2011, a short-lived aggrotech/industrial band, before finally coming together in 2016 to create Miseria Ultima. In 2017, the duo released the very-well received demo Unfocus. Soon after, most of the tracks from this demo and a few additional others, including their top single Omega Transmission, were combined into their first album, Phosphor. After going on a few successful tours and taking a brief hiatus, Miseria Ultima is back with their sophomore album, Graygarden.

Stone in the Sky is an instant hit with tighter beats that pop, Martikainen’s vocals on this album darker and less electronically-enhanced than on Phosphor, somewhere in the range of Powerman 5000 when not belting out blackened growls. Remote Warning starts quiet, adding a simple beat that slowly builds with classic trance vibes, Martikainen shifting between black and death vocals in an almost dissonant way. A sudden change in tone near the end of the track brings a sense of urgency, the BPM increasing and the synth building more and more complex rhythms before suddenly dying into a fadeout. In Bayonet of Her Arms, Martikainen attempts a somewhat awkward ballad, Huhtala flirting with playing something with more oomph but showing strict restraint. It’s not an unwelcome entry to the album, but it does seem to be very experimental in its execution. Insolence is a welcome return to a harder sound, Martikainen letting out feral growls while Huhtala contrasts with a standard club-like synth mix at a BPM perfect for gloving or glowsticking. With a slow and empty start, Circuit in the Scars brings the focus to Martikainen’s lyrics, the bass and synth taking a backseat as they evoke imagery of planets and galaxies turning in space. The track ends rather abruptly, ending with a curious 30 seconds of silence that almost seems to highlight the midway point of the album, or at least a break to get a drink.

Coming off of the silence of the previous track, Future Imperfect is slow to fill the void again. Only a few echoing notes are played the first 30 seconds before it suddenly breaks open into an industrial-inspired trance mix, vocals mixing between vaguely musical questions and Martikainen’s half-growling-half-screaming. Taking a break from the harder stuff, Let Down is a bouncy and downright fun track, the beat practically begging the listener to break out into a liquid and digits number, popping and locking under a strobe. Inhale the Fire uses synthesized horns and a mysterious melody, giving it a strange mood definitely distinct from other tracks on the album. Here, Martikainen’s vocals also fall rather flat and the song itself doesn’t have a satisfying conclusion, but one or two weak tracks do not make for a bad album. The penultimate track, Allegiance, was previously released as a single, though–while good–it is not the strongest on the album. Spacey synths harmonizing with piano, Martikainen’s vocals sometimes clear but mostly belted out in his snarling tone, and an easy to follow yet quick beat combine all this duo’s skills in a neat, easy-to-digest package. The final track, Temple Behind the Shades, brings more of what has come to be expected but with a spin on the vocals where Martikainen really enunciates through the chorus, perhaps as a way to ask for the audience’s help in this show’s finale. While not as powerful as previous tracks (and who could be after dancing that hard for a good 40 minutes?), it makes for an excellent closer and wraps up this rave quite nicely.

It is definitely a nice surprise to see more traditionally-based electronica artists, especially newer ones that have decided to take the torch. Miseria Ultima pay great homage to the classic trance and industrial sound artists of the 90s and early 00s gave while tweaking the knobs to give it their own dark electro spin. Looking at the duo’s history and two very impressive albums, the future looks bright for EBM and a potential renaissance with the aggrotech movement. Graygarden is definitely a winner, and in the future could be sampled by your local DJ or played next time the goths meet up under the overpass. Go give it a listen and let some steam off. It doesn’t matter if you like to headbang, pogo, or do the Melbourne Shuffle, as long as you find the rhythm and get your body moving!

Line up:

• Aleksi Martikainen – Vocals
• Kimmo Huhtala – Synths

1. Stone in the Sky
2. Remote Warning
3. Bayonet of Her Arms
4. Insolence
5. Circuit in the Scars
6. Future Imperfect
7. Let Down
8. Inhale the Fire
9. Allegiance
10. Temple Behind the Shades

Links:

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Official