Concreteweb

This Finnish band's origins go back to '95 when the trio of singer Jukka Pelkonen , keyboardist Johannes Salo , and guitarist Okko decided to create music where the violence of the (progressive) Death Metal guitars combined with the most beautiful keyboard melodies and atmospheres. Soon members would be added to the fold, eventually expanding to a sextet (of course not without the occasional line-up changes), and they issued a self-titled demo in 1996. In 1998, the band's This Side Of Paradise demo, got re-issued that same year by the Hella label as a mini-CD. During the following year not very much happened, as most of the members were hung up in military duties, but original guitarist Okko decamped, and Salo took time to perform with Soulstream . Okko 's replacement came with Kasper Heikkinen in August 2001, consolidating the then stable line-up of Pelkonen , Salo , guitarist Tommi Leinonen (former Borealms member, joined April '98), bassist Tuomo Räisänen , and drummer Mikko Niemalä (the latter 2 both original additions).

A new demo, 2002's 3-track Them Used Gods (which actually followed 2001's Promo 01 ), secured the band a deal with British label Rage Of Achilles , who'd release the band's debut album For Giving – For Getting in November 2003, an album which would create some controversy, as not all music journalists reviewing the album understood the "weird" hybrid the band brought. However, those reviewers that DID get it, were full of praise, and the album became a uick favourite among Progressive Death Metal fans worldwide. Meanwhile, the band suffered another loss, when drummer Niemalä exited during 2004. His replacement (sorry, I have not been able to find out whom that currently is) was installed in time to join the band on the Dead Achilles tour of Finland with Omnium Gatherum , Amoral , Manitou , and Klaus . In May 2006, Jukka Pelkonen was confirmed as the new Omnium Gatherum singer (the band's latest album Stuck Here On Snakes Way , was released during April on the Candlelight label).

Meanwhile, these still young dudes did not let the success of their debut album grow to their heads. The guys took their time creating the 10 masterpieces on the new album, something which is definitively heard when you're listening to the tunes, as there's quite a bit of different atmospheres depending on the track you're listening to! Overtones may be Melodic Death with atmosph eric keyboards, or the sound may be concentrated on a weird '70s organ, towards an even more Progressive approach, etc. In short, if you've liked the first album, you're definitively gonna like what's on offer this time around! Because just like on the debut, the guys successfully marry more sedate (beautiful) passages with the brutal, keyboards and guitars get the chance to do their solo thing every now and again, and, in short, another album to grt nominated into that "Best Albums Of 2007"-list of mine.

98/100

Tony.