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News

Finnish Blackened Death Metal band Saasta has released their new EP – Black | Death | Doom

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Promo pic: Saasta

Saasta‘s second production, “Black | Death | Doom” EP containing four songs, is a continuation of the “Crucial to None” LP released in November 2022. The EP was recorded in its entirety at Saasta’s rehearsal space in Kotka, Finland. Mixing and mastering of the EP was carried out by Mr. Ben Jones from England. The visual art for the EP is produced by Pla.g.u.e.

Musically, the release is significantly faster and more violent than the previous long play. The sound world has also changed a lot; already in the pre-production phase, we wanted to pay attention to rawness and brightness. In today’s extreme metal, the midrange of the bass guitar is typically driven down almost completely, and the bass is only a filler instrument in the lower register. We wanted to avoid this and tried to raise the bass to an equal element with the guitar, succeeding nicely and naturally here as well. It was very easy to raise the bass alongside the guitar also thanks to Janne Hietanen‘s heavy-handed playing style.

Vocalist Leevi Kärsämä, who has played live shows with Saasta for the past year, also brings a new sound to Saasta’s music, allowing Jokipii to focus on playing the guitar. Choosing Kärsämä as a vocalist has turned out to be an extremely good decision.

Drummer Jimi Lahtinen‘s increased self-confidence and arranging skills can be heard on the EP. The drum tracks recorded “in one fell swoop” style made the work of the other members very easy.

In full “Black | Death | Doom” is a more mature and finished package than the previous release. Saasta believes that with the EP it has finally found it’s style, both musically and visually.

Listen to the EP: https://push.fm/fl/saasta-blackdeathdoom

Watch the music video of “Black | Death | Doom“: https://youtu.be/FUCXIrHhj0Y

Saasta is:

Leevi Kärsämä – Vocals
Topias Jokipii – Guitar and backing vocals
Janne Hietanen – Bass
Jimi Lahtinen – Drums


Links:

https://www.saastaofficial.com/
https://saasta.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@saastaofficial2608

https://www.facebook.com/saastaofficial

https://www.instagram.com/saastaofficial/

Reviews

(review) Omega Infinity – ‘The Anticcurent’ (Season of Mist)

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New Omega Infinity opus is upon us! This is their second one, out through Season of Mist. What to expect? I must admit I haven’t listened to this international two men band/project before, so I did not know how they sound like. This is basically black metal with lots of blackened death metal influences, but also sounding very raw and aggressive. Vocals are mixture of death metal growling, black metal screaming, eerie chanting voices, some whispering and almost spoken words. Music ranges from blast beat fast oriented aggression pure to more slower and atmospheric stuff like excellent ‘Iron Age’ featuring guest performance by Adrienne Cowan(Seven Spires) who provides clean vocals and screams on this one sounding just awesome. Omega Infinity cleverly mixes industrial and electronica into their song structures thus creating something cold and sinister, but also there are subtle melodies underneath all of brutality. There are also guest performances, like Lindsay Schoolcraft(ex Cradle of Filth, Antiqva) delivering her speech and screams of fantastic ‘Death Rays’ and Andras Nagy of Hungarian Sear Bliss singing on ‘Voices From The End Of Time’ and ‘Night Journey’ and Marta J. Braun (TODTGELICHTER, VYRE) delivering clean vocals of Emperor cover ‘Ye Entranceempirium’. Yes, there are two covers on this one as bonus, one being aforementioned Emperor song, on whom this band reminds me in their progressive black metal elements and variety of songwriting. Other is a Sear Bliss cover. Songs are long but they do not get boring for one second because this is various and aggressive, but also smart and progressive black metal opus.

9/10

Reviews

(review) Death Feast – ‘Risen Fom The Tomb’ (Haloran Records)

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Death Feast from Portugal have been formed in 2017, but members of the band have been playing in various bands and projects, so they are in no way green or new in the scene. This is the band’s third full length opus containing ten songs, two being intro and outro. Music is raw and primitive black thrash metal with couple of blackened death metal influences thrown in here and there in the song structures. The production and all of the atmosphere of the opus are really raw and primitive at times, reminding of glorious times meaning first opuses by Bathory, old Sodom, early Kreator and all those proto black thrash bands from the eighties. Lyrically band also delves into those parts delivering hitters like ‘Banish from Monastery’, ‘Hell Funeral’, ‘Crossing the Fire’ but there are also hymns to metal like fantastic ‘Commandments of Metal’ so if you are into black thrash metal with some death here and there, also coming to mind Vulcano or Sarcofago, go get this one you will not regret it. Pure war!

7,5/10

Haloran Records Bandcamp