Uudet Kymmenen Käskyä

Since Kayla did me the considerable service of introducing Metalreviews with one of the best and brightest rising forces in Finnish metal, I felt like I should definitely update the site with Stam1na’s second album, Uudet Kymmenen Käskyä (The New Ten Commandments). Although I have the same problem with several bands, Stam1na is one of the toughest bitches of a band I know when it comes to genre-labelling. I guess it would be easiest to say that they are strongly based on the speed and thrash metal of the 80s and 90s, but that doesn’t cover half of the overall. There are groovy parts a la Pantera; quirky off-beat tempo twists reminiscent of System Of A Down; solos, melodies and proggy spices not that far away from the glory days of Dream Theater; deathy riffs here and there…aww hell, you get the point. A lot of friggin’ ingredients. But the band makes it all work beautifully. Many of my Finnish mates have also compared Stam1na, especially while it’s most chaotic, with Strapping Young Lad. They’re not quite as brutal, but close. This comparison can be furthered as the first anthemic layers of guitars and vocals that start off the record and the title track are pure Devin Townsend-worship. Merestä Maalle mixes some groovy death metal-like harshness with unusual time signatures and more Devin-choirs. Viisi Laukausta Päähän is my favourite track off the album. A huge shout-along chorus dominates the moshtastic track that hits off with speedy riffage and doesn’t let go of the jugular for a second. The instrumental Lapsus is highly entertaining with the staccato choirs, tempo changes and blast beats. By all accounts a weird monster like that song shouldn’t work but oh, how it does. Paperinukke mixes fast and mid-paced grooves together into a powerful pit-spinning madness. They even make the “mandatory” heavy ballad churn like a charm with Ovi, which gives a nice breather near the end of the album. All in all, Stam1na improved their heavy trip of proggy, groovy craziness by leaps and bounds from their first album, which was great as well. Can’t wait to hear what their third record will contain, as these goofy guys are capable of just about anything.