Guest Reviewer: Assassin
Band: Kalmah
CD Title: For The Revolution
Year: 2008
Website: kalmah.com
MySpace: To be added
Label: Spinefarm
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks Guest Reviewer Exclusive
Rating: 8.5 / 10
More Links: Please discuss this review and band in the Loucifer Speaks forum.You can also check out the original review thread by clicking here
The question I had going through my mind when I first started listening to 'For The Revolution' was "can it beat The Black Waltz or any other album of theirs?" I'll tell you my opinions at the end.
Track 1 - For the Revolution
The opening tracks starts with a strong riff that'll get your foot stamping and your head nodding. Before you know it though they explode into a frenzy of instrument bashing mayhem, and Pekka Kokko comes in with classic Kalmah vocals heard in their first two releases. Once things have calmed down and the riff picks up again he reverts to the lower death vocals heard in The Black Waltz. Throughout the song he alternates between the two styles - low vocals during the riffs, higher vocals during the more intense parts. Starting mid-way through the song the rest of the band join in on vocals and belt out testosterone-fueled chants, something reminiscent of a 14th century battlefield. The solos from both the guitars and the keyboard is incredible as well, and once that's done the chanting continues until the end.
Track 2 - Dead Man's Shadow
This is probably my favourite track on the album, it has a very melodic riff and some sort of violin is prominent throughout the track making it slightly different from the norm. Pekka exclusively uses lower vocals for this song, and what I call 'chugging guitars' gets the old head a banging. There's a fantastic instrumental piece that goes on for some time, really displaying the talent and diversity this band has.
Track 3 - Holy Symphony of War
Another brilliant track to continue with here, this reminds me more of the original Kalmah style which really adds to the 'eclectic-ness' of the album on the whole. For this one the vocal style is a mixture of high and low vocals, and the chants once again make a prominent appearance to belt out "Holy Symphony of War!" Again there's a long instrumental part mid-way through the track, and a fantastic guitar solo as well. Much like in 'For The Revolution' the chants end the song.
Track 5 - Wings of Blackening
Once again this is a reminder of Kalmah's older style blended with the newer one. I have to admit there isn't anything special about this one other than the guitar solo towards the end and the 'chugging guitar' effect I love to hear.
Track 5 - Ready For Salvation
Now this song is radically different from any Kalmah song you've ever heard, in the sense that it starts with an acoustic guitar and is much, much slower than the typically fast-paced intensity you're used to. I'd almost go as far as to say it's in the same vein as a love song, which by no means is a bad thing as the song is fantastic. It's nice to take a break from what's been heard so far and take in the beauty this has to offer.
Track 6 - Towards The Sky
A rather catchy riff kicks us off, but again other than that I can't really find anything outstanding about this song. It's not a bad song by any means but it doesn't have anything special about it.
Track 7 - Outremer
We start with another catchy riff dominated by one guitar, and then the fast drumming kicks in and old school Kalmah once again takes over. This song is pretty good, it has a very good chorus which the guitar also dominates.
Track 8 - Coward
This was probably the only track I wasn't impressed with at first, it seemed empty and void of a little extra something. The one thing that saves it is the solo, it's very simple but sounds awesome.
Track 9 - Like A Slave
After two or three average songs we end with Like A Slave, which in a nutshell is phenomenal. It ends the album how the first track started it - fast-paced intensity, great solos and a good riff. The majority of the track is very melodic and Pekka takes a back seat to a fabulous solo about 2/3 of the way through, and the song ends with raw intensity and chanting.
Does For The Revolution live up to The Black Waltz? The short answer is not quite. It's still brilliant but lacks consistency towards the end whereas Black Waltz was consistent from start to finish.
01 For the Revolution
02 Dead Man's Shadow
03 The Holy Symphony of War
04 Wings of Blackening
05 Ready for Salvation
06 Towards the Sky
07 Outremer
08 Coward
09 Like a Slave
