Artist: Kalmankantaja
Country: Finland
Label: Wolfspell Records
Formats: CD
Year: 2025
While the band has been active on other fronts, 2025 in comparison seems like a rather modest year for Kalmankantaja in terms of new albums. Only two albums were released thus far, with ‘Musta Aurinko’ being the first. Seeing the light in July, alongside band mastermind Grim666 it yet again features Tyrant on vocals.
After a Medieval-sounding introduction of ‘Unohdettujen Marssi’ sets the tone, the first lengthy track ‘Rautavitsan Veritaika’ displays Kalmankantaja in its typical atmospheric Black Metal manner. Opening with quite a bit of pace, the track is mostly dominated by the guitar melodies, while the keyboards are more subdued in play but not in volume. The overall atmosphere is less dark and cold than most of the other Kalmankantaja records, in particular in the feeling of the guitar riffs. Once again, a flair of Katatonia-riffing can’t be ignored on this record, although this is clearly more in line with most Kalmankantaja albums than for instance ‘Second Death’. Yet, they certainly give the album a bit more of an adventurous spirit, a more spring or summer-like appearance that perhaps ties in with the translation of the title, ‘Black Sun’. And that atmosphere certainly also has a strong Medieval connotation throughout the record, as for instance is abundantly clear in the title track or in the Folky floating tunes of ‘Unennäkijä’. A track like ‘Hirsipuun Alla’ is more Heavy Metal infused in its riffs as well, giving the album as a whole a little bit more of a classical identity. As per usual, it sets ‘Musta Aurinko’ apart from the rest of the Kalmankantaja discography, yet without it being a massive departure from the formula.
Alongside the more Medieval atmosphere and lighter tone, the overall pace of the record is also a little bit different. As a whole it hovers more around the mid-pace, giving it slightly more tempo than the majority of their other records, yet in comparison to the previous album ‘Kohti Valon Kuolemaa’ it most definitely is less intense in pace. While I personally prefer the more piercing character of that record, ‘Musta Aurinko’ is a fresh-sounding record for Kalmankantaja. Recognisable in its atmospheric Black Metal, yet lighter in atmosphere, with a different Medieval Heavy Metal twist.
