Track Listing:
- Seventh Swamphony
- Deadfall
- Pikemaster
- Hollo
- Windlake Tale
- Wolves On The Throne
- Black Marten’s Trace
- The Trapper
Kalmah seems to be little-known gem in comparison to some of their Finnish counterparts. Their seventh studio album continues on in the style of melodic death metal that they have become known for.
Seventh Swamphony begins with a powerful opening track of the same title. While all of the songs flow and are capable of causing pause for thought, two tracks really stand out. Hollo slows the pace, incorporating some clean vocals to balance out the track. Hollo is a strikingly tragic track, reminiscing on the destruction that humans have caused to the natural world and likely inspired by an actual place in Finland. Black Marten’s Trace opens with a short keyboard segment that immediately piques interest and brings visions of a crisp, winter night. The marten itself is an animal which demonstrates both the ingenuity and cruelty to be found in the forests. This theme is vindicated throughout the entire album.
The entire album pays tribute to beautiful simplicity to be found in nature, and to those traditional occupations that could not exist if the forests, swamps and lakes did not have a bounty to provide. It speaks to the brutality of the climate and the harsh reality that nature can conjure. Many of the tracks, in sharp contrast to this, show great disdain for the havoc that humankind, in a struggle to become rich and prestigious, has caused. This band, hailing from the northern Finnish city of Oulu, has provided a message that resonates loud and clear, backed by technical and catchy melodies. Seventh Swamphony is a polished near-masterpiece of melodic death metal, and well worth a listen.
