Callisto is a

post-metal Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way simil ...

band from

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

, Finland.

History

The band was formed in 2001 in

Kokkola Kokkola (; sv, Karleby, ) is a cities of Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. The town is located in the Central Ostrobothnia regions of Finland, region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of ...

. Whilst their early works are

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

, their first album '' True Nature Unfolds'' has a strong

sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge or sludge doom) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated through combining elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. It is typically harsh and abrasive, often featuring shouted vocals, heavi ...

and

doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...

influence. Recorded in 2004 by the late

Mieszko Talarczyk Mieszko Talarczyk (December 23, 1974 – December 26, 2004) was the lead singer and guitarist of the Swedish grindcore band Nasum, Genocide Superstars, Krigshot and Charles Harfager. Known for his engineering and production abilities, he co- ...

of Nasum fame and introduced to

Earache Records Earache Records is a British independent record label, music publisher and management company founded by Digby Pearson in 1985, based in Nottingham, England, with offices in London and New York. The label helped to pioneer extreme metal by rel ...

a year later through Johannes Persson from Cult of Luna, earning them worldwide distribution. The band's sophomore album '' Noir'', released in 2006, still drawing from modern sludge also introduced subtle jazz leanings, heavy use of mellotron and experimentation with unconventional rock instruments such as the saxophone and the flute. Their third album ''

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

'', released in 2009, marked another experimental shift in style, taking some distance from the more instrumental material, Callisto composed a vocal record presenting a new member Jani Ala-Hukkala handling the vocals. The songs on "Providence" are built upon layers of melodies, using a broader palette they have coloured their sound with twangy guitars, mellotrons, prog rock overtones and a singing style that can be traced back to 90s-era vocalists like Layne Stayley. In 2015 the band returned after some years of relatively quiet existence with a new album ''Secret Youth'' – their fourth full length. Secret Youth is a contradictory concoction of more straightforward elements mixed with a strong and somber experimental overtone, or "progressive noise rock" as the band themselves have described it. Callisto's cryptic lyrics often revolve around theological and existential themes and more difficult subjects, such as spiritual abuse. Callisto has headlined several tours in Europe from 2004 to 2015. They also opened for

High on Fire High on Fire is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1999. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, also plays guitar for doom metal band Sleep. High on Fire won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Per ...

on their 2005 United Kingdom tour. In March 2007 Callisto showcased in Canada and the United States, playing at the

Canadian Music Week Canadian Music Week (or CMW) is an industry conference and music festival held over ten days in Toronto and Ontario, Canada. History Canadian Music Week began in 1981 and has grown to become one of Canada's largest and most influential media a ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and the

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

festival in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

Discography

Studio albums * ''True Nature Unfolds'' (2004) * ''Noir'' (2006) * ''Providence'' (2009) * ''Secret Youth'' (2015) Other releases * ''Dying Desire'' (single, 2001) * ''Ordeal of the Century'' (EP, 2002) * ''Jemima/Klimenko'' ( 12", 2004)

Current members

*Jani Ala-Hukkala - vocals *Markus Myllykangas – guitar, backing vocals *Tero Holopainen – guitar *Juho Niemelä – bass *Ariel Björklund – drums *Arto Karvonen – keyboards *Jani Rättyä - live percussion, backing vocals

References

External links

Official website

Svart Records
* Callisto at AllMusic Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:Callisto Finnish post-rock groups Finnish heavy metal musical groups Finnish Christian metal musical groups Post-metal musical groups Musical groups from Turku Earache Records artists