Tag Archives: death metal

Finnish melodic death metal band Beyond The Hate releases second single and music video “Alone I Die” from their upcoming debut album “Darkest Times”

Photography by Tuomas Scholz

The Finnish melodic death metal band Beyond The Hate is set to release an anticipated debut album Darkest Times on March 8th 2024 via Inverse Records
The second single ‘Alone I Die’ is released today with a stunning music video which can be seen here:  https://youtu.be/ZAKMfyt-Zto 

LISTEN Alone I Die on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/bth-alone 

“The idea for the lyrics of the song was born when I was in a cabin in Finnish Lapland, thinking how wonderful a place it is for a person to be and why not to die. The song is not suicidal at all, and doesn’t contain a drop of self-pity. Rather, it is an honest, raw statement that this is where I will spend my time and I may not always have a partner with me.” says vocalist Niko Kalinainen
 

Bass player Mikko Monto states:
“The bass riff in the intro of the song was a long time in the making process with the band and producer, and finally we got the right vibe to get the song off to a good start with the guitars. The interludes are also nice to play live and bring good variety to the song in addition with the beautiful slow end. I think the story is about how most of us do indeed die alone, with a lot of darkness, pain and death along the path of life. The song is also accompanied by a nice music video, directed and edited by Juha Sihtola of MadCamProduction. The video was shot in the Black Bear Hall in Kerava and in the beautiful forest and seaside scenery of Finland.”
 

Drummer Tommy Uhtio tells:
“In our band we truly like powerful double kick drum sixteenth note single strokes. I think it is a repeating element in our songs and kind of a signature feature in Beyond the Hate’s music. The song “Alone I Die” is no exception to this. The verse is double bass driven heavy beat. Originally also the chorus was entirely double bass but during the drum recordings we felt that something was off. We change the chorus so that for the first four bars are basic drum beat and the following four bars are then again with the double bass drum pattern. This change really made a difference to the rhythm, dynamics and the groove of the song.”


LISTEN the first single ‘The Lighthouse’ on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/bth-lighthouse 

PRE-SAVE album: https://music.imusician.pro/a/fXgthIe9 

PRE-ORDER CD from HERE

 
BIOGRAPHY:
Beyond The Hate’s beginnings date back to the summer of 2016, when guitarist Kimmo Perälehto and bassist Mikko Monto started writing songs together. Second guitarist Jyrki Karhu joined in early autumn and singer Niko Kalinainen in late 2016. The band was officially founded in 2017, when Tommy Uhtio took over the drumming duties and the first practice sessions were held.

In the beginning, the band’s songs were more straightforward metal but in late 2018, the band started to find their musical direction in melodic death metalsuch, as an good example the single “This Cold Morning” was released in 2019. In 2018 and 2019, the band participated in the Emergenza Finland band competitions, reaching the finals at the both times.

The first taste of the new style came with the 2020 EP “Betrayal Of Time”, which received good reviews and created expectations for the band’s future. – Miika Manninen / Metalliluola 2020: “Beyond the Hate’s name is worth remembering for the future, because you can expect a lot from the next release.”. – The band also participated in the 2022 Tuska-Torstai competition, reaching the semi-finals.
 

After the songs on the EP, the band focused on writing even more atmospheric and melancholic songs. More orchestral and choir elements were added to the songs, as well as acoustic guitar playing to create a new melodic mood. From this creative process came the twelve-track debut album “Darkest Times”, which will be released in March 2024 via Inverse Records. The album will also feature guest vocalists Katri Hiovain-Asikainen from Numento on “Black Within” and Jaakko Mäntymaa from Marianas Rest on “In Memoriam”.

Line-up:
Niko Kalinainen – vocals
Kimmo Perälehto – guitars
Jyrki Karhu – guitars
Mikko Monto – bass
Tommy Uhtio – drums
 
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/BeyondTheHate 
https://www.instagram.com/beyondthehate_band 
https://beyondthehate.bandcamp.com  

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

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/

Finnish Blackened Death Metal band Saasta releases first song and a music video from their upcoming EP!

Photo: Saasta

Hailing from Kotka, Finland, Blackened Death Metal band Saasta will release their new EP “Black | Death | Doom” on December 5th 2023. The first single “Sickness” and music video of the opus in question is released on November 2nd. The band’s debut album “Crucial to None” was released in November 2022.

Founded together with the drummer Jimi Lahtinen, the band’s guitarist Topias Jokipii comments on the freshly released single: “The song presents a reborn, dirtier and in its own beautiful way, a more obnoxious kind of Saasta. After I shifted from a guitarist-singer to solely playing guitar, Mr Leevi Kärsämä had the guts to step in as a singer. This change gave Saasta a new life and the band truly found themselves, both musically and visually, and that can be clearly heard on the new release. The merciless playing style of the band’s bassist Janne Hietanen supports the music of a metal band with only one guitar perfectly, and thus, maybe even a little unorthodoxly, the bass is raised to be an equal instrument with the guitar, instead of presenting a steady, boring low register. The artwork of the EP describes perfectly the visual side of Saasta, which is incredibly important to us when playing live shows.”

Saasta has also released a music video for the single “Sickness”. The video is a merciless description of an individual fallen beyond the safety nets of society, and to what an extreme sickness of mind can lead to. 

Listen to the “Sickness” on music services: https://push.fm/fl/saasta-sickness
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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


Credits:

Mixing and Mastering – Ben Jones
Artwork for the single – Janne Hietanen
Artwork for the EP – Pla.g.u.e
Lead actor for “Sickness” – Otto Kuitunen
Videography – Meiju Mäkelä, Sampo Jokipii, Janne Hietanen
Video editing –  Janne Hietanen