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AJATTARA :
TYHJYYS

Holly shit, this disc sucked me in quicker than I could believe ...it was like I was hypnotized or something! First of all, let's drop a little background info on ya. Ajattara is the "other band" of Amorphis vocalist Pasi Koskinen. Well, now that Pasi has left his main band, who the hell knows what's going on. Anyway, here for whatever reason he goes under the moniker of "Ruoja". "Tyhjyys", which is Finnish for "emptiness", is the band's third full-length platter of darkness. The sound is based in older "necro" Black-Metal and is very cold and sinister in nature. However that is just a starting point, as there is really no band that they sound like. At times the disc is reminiscent of Celtic Frost, Bathory, Carpathian Forest, and even Dark Throne (when they slow it down a bit). The music is darker than blood-soaked mud, with disturbing keys, and harsh, cryptic sounding vocals (which are entirely in Finnish) that seem like they're part of some unholy chant. I guess one could also try to apply the "Doom-Metal" tag to Tyhjyys as well, with all the slower, mid-paced chugging going on, no unending blast-beats here kids! The rhythms flow and ungulate smoothly, and one could envision a demonic army using this as their marching music as they trudge on into some nameless battle against the forces of good. Even though the whole album is ultimately mesmerizing, there are a few tracks that are worth mentioning as they hit an even higher plane of sonic greatness in the realm of pure evilness. Both "Naaras" (female), and "Tyhjyydesta" are guaranteed to stop you in your tracks, and make catch your breath each and every time you hear them. Truly an unexpected blackened gem. For all the info you could want on this evil little ensemble, check out ajattara.com.
RATING = 8.5 Black-Metal (Released 2004)

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