Artist: Kaikkivaltias
Country: Finland
Label: Self-released
Formats: Digital EP
Year: 2023
For those intrigued by the prospect of a mix of Classic/ Progressive Rock, Heavy Metal and Black Metal coming together in a medieval theme, take heed. Kaikkivaltias is the brainchild of the Finn Magus Olaus. Those that scour the depths of bandcamp may have come across the single ‘Cuolleiden cuningaiden laxo’ which was released earlier in 2023 and had a rendition of the Rotting Christ classic ‘Non Serviam’ with a fascinating Dungeon Synth intro and Finnish lyrics. That choice of song proves to be a decent starting point to explore the sound of Kaikkivaltias on their first EP, as at the core it indeed has that highly melodic and harmonious blend of Black Metal with Heavy Metal riffs. Besides a resemblance with Rotting Christ, it also reminds me of bands like KroloK and Malokarpatan, in their epic and melody-driven take of old school Black Metal with a solid touch of reverb on the Black Metal vocals. What Kaikkivaltias does differently is adding a more medieval theme, both in the musical atmosphere, the ambient samples and the artwork. But it doesn’t end there. At times much more progressive sections surface that lean towards artist like Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree and Opeth. And then there’s the Dungeon Synth element, which is mostly restrained but that plays a major role in the rather enchanting closing track ‘Valtakuntani siluetti laskevan ilta-auringon syleilyssä II’. It is here that ‘Astu’ reaches its epic apotheosis in a beautiful epilogue dictated by a highly catchy melodic interplay between a guitar harmony and keyboards.
The pace of the music is often at a more midpaced range, but certainly the album has a decent bite to it. It’s the shifting in pace carried by the strong melodies and short but sweet solos that make the release highly captivating. While I did find the track ‘Varjojen viitta’ to be a little bit less easy to grasp, in general ‘Astu’ pleasantly takes the listener on a majestic medieval journey. Expertly combining the sharp edge of Black Metal with Heavy Metal melodies and a touch of progressive and Dungeon Synth elements, Kaikkivaltias is certainly a band to keep a close eye on.
