2006 debut album from these Finns ‘The Forlorn’ was an album of almost godlike proportions, listening to it again now I am blown away once more by just how epic and mature it was. If there were any justice in the world a bigger label would have quickly snapped them up but their loss is Maddening Media, another small label with only five bands currently on their roster’s, gain. Apparently ‘Fall Of Icons’ was completed a while ago but Descent Productions, the band’s previous label were not in the position to release it and a free three track downloadable EP was made available and you can still find that on the band’s site.
The new album, again presents us with just five lengthy tracks ranging between seven and a whopping sixteen minutes, which are all incredibly rich and beguiling in scope. You already know all the great Finnish atmospheric doom bands and how good they are and Ikuinen Kaamos are no exception to the rule. However if you had to name check one band in particular it would absolutely have to be a Swedish one, Opeth. As ‘Indoctrination Of The Lost’ unravels down mysterious and spellbinding paths, the guitar approach is flowering from the valley of ‘Orchid’ and traversing down into the depths of ‘Blackwater Park.’ There are moments of progressiveness lightening the mood and on this album we also have the hoary gruff vocals of Risto Herranen wafting into some heartfelt melodious croons. Beautiful lush guitars suddenly canter into an acoustic refrain and this just strikes as being musically perfect as one looks for something, anything, they can to criticise about the execution and song craft, but it is something that I cannot do. This packs so much into the first eleven minutes you are left wondering what the hell the band can do next.
The twin guitars of ‘Statues’ hardly stand still for a second and the vocals come in raging as they melodiously twist around with sinuous abandon. This is quite angry enough to really pummel your fists to and borders on black, death, doom and just as you least expect it moments of prog again. I guess the Opeth comparison is a bit unfair although it does keep on coming back, others that this also remind of at times are Enslaved and Swallow The Sun and this is as expertly laid out as anything these bands with a wealth of experience have put out themselves. As with the last album I found myself quickly falling in love with these new songs, there may only be five of them but they do demand a lot of the listener and have the depth that you will keep on wanting to go back to them. The occasional clean singing does add more texture and is particularly effective on ‘In Ruins’ as it breezes over a landscape of windswept abandon. The final epic track ‘Apart,’ weeps in and keeps the tears flowing for a momentous sixteen minutes, mere words defy description, you really have to listen for yourself. I would like to see this live and would no doubt completely lose myself as this goes on to overpower and completely mesmerise.
As an album ‘Fall Of Icons’ does live up to ‘The Forlorn’ it is too early for a work like this to say whether it surpasses it and it would be hard to expect it to as the benchmark was already so high. This is however a future classic and if you have not heard this great band from Finland before you are advised to go check them out at the first opportunity.
http://ikuinenkaamos.net
http://www.myspace.com/ikuinenkaamos
