Promo picture by Niko Aromaa

Finnish blackened death metal band Progeny of Sun released their anticipated debut album ‘Throne of Desolation’ via Inverse Records. To celebrate the album release, the band also released a new music video Dweller which can be seen here: https://youtu.be/Bv7gsKE8fV4 

Guitarist Joni talks about the song Dweller:

“This song originates from the early days of the band, composed nearly 4 years ago. The song has been abandoned on multiple occasions, dug up again, attempted to be refined, abandoned once more, but ultimately resurrected for the album in its original form. Upon hearing the result, we were surprised by the unique atmosphere the song brings, which is one of the darkest on the album. Dweller is a somewhat strange and raw song, but at the same time, it is also melancholic and beautiful.”

The band talks about the process of making the album:

” “Do you guys always intend to make only EPs and singles?” asked a devoted fan from the handsome drummer. This question deeply irritated Juha, and the first seeds for the album were sown.

The idea of the album had been brewing in drummer Juha’s mind since ancient times. At the age of seven, he faced a tough life choice: should he get a cap gun or drums?
 

Years later, Juha chose the right path and began practicing drumming without a backing track. The time was ripe for recording the album! Despite the pressure, the recordings went well, but tension and frustration erupted in a gentle confrontation with the composer-guitarist. “Come play your drums yourself!” shouted Juha to Joni from behind his drum kit.

This time, Joni knew he was significantly involved in the album, as his compositions made up 52 % of the record. The only problem was that Joni couldn’t remember how any of the songs went. For his fine work, Joni was rewarded 4/5 rating from his outstanding work and a parrot badge. You get those badges in Finland for good deeds, like brownie points.

Then it was the maestro’s turn to practice magic in the shadows. Jaakko played his parts to the tape with perfect confidence and without mistakes. As a result, Jaakko also received 4/5 rating and a parrot badge for his performance. Fortunately, both guitarists had tuned their instruments at home before the recordings, so they got through the sessions without any problems.

Next up were the bass recordings:

“One day is probably enough. It’s half an hour, and then I’ll drive home,” said the bass virtuoso Tuomo confidently. The recordings, stretching into the wee hours of the night, humbled Tuomo, and he admitted, “None of these basses went normally.”

Finally, the most anticipated moment arrived. King Niko descended into the basement to sing. Even the regional aerobics competition roaring upstairs didn’t prevent Niko from performing his vocal parts with honor. After hard work, Niko was rewarded with a Tupla salary. In Finland we have this candy bar called Tupla which means double, so basically Niko got double salary. However, all vocal parts were eventually redone, but the experience was the most important.

The long process was finally completed, with a total of 12 songs in the can. The album was mixed and mastered by Saku Moilanen at Deep Noise Studios.”
 

LISTEN Throne of Desolation album on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/pof-throne 

WATCH Damsel music video: https://youtu.be/B1-Gg3Nb7X0 
WATCH False Radiance lyric video: https://youtu.be/jChe-Br_h80 
WATCH Courier video: https://youtu.be/5snD3Pb-pm4 

Progeny of Sun – Throne of Desolation (album 2023)

Track list:
1. Forged by the Devil
2. Damsel
3. Heartless Dome
4. Caldera
5. False Radiance
6. Dweller
7. Coward
8. Invasion
9. Courier
10. Restoration
11. Human Disposal Site
12. War of the Ages

 Album cover by Niko Aromaa

Line-up:
Niko Aromaa – Vocals

Jaakko Hautamäki – Guitar

Joni Kiviniemi – Guitar

Tuomo Tolkki – Bass

Juha Peura – Drums
 
Links:

https://www.facebook.com/Progenyofsun 
https://www.instagram.com/progenyofsun  
https://progenyofsun.bandcamp.com  

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/