''The Black Waltz'' is the fourth full-length studio album by the Finnish

melodic death metal Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavines ...

band

Kalmah Kalmah is a Finnish melodic death metal band from Oulu that formed in 1998. In less than a year after its formation, Kalmah was signed by Spinefarm Records. The word "kalmah" is Karelian and could be translated as "to the grave" or "to the dea ...

and their first with keyboard player

Marco Sneck Poisonblack was a Finnish gothic metal band led by singer and guitarist Ville Laihiala. History In 2003, the band's first album, ''Escapexstacy'', was on the Finnish national charts for three weeks, peaking at No. 21. They opened for Ir ...

. This album has them gravitating more towards

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

, which has often been cited as the Kokko brothers' primary musical influence. The vocals have changed to lower

death vocals A death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other extreme subgenres of heavy metal music. Death growl vocals are sometimes criticized for their ...

, compared to their higher pitched growls in previous albums. The instrumental "Svieri Doroga" is a combination of the name of their first

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

''Svieri Obraza'' and a track on that demo entitled "Vezi Doroga". The name of the title track and album comes from a song originally recorded ten years earlier when the band was still named "Ancestor". The video for "The Groan of Wind" shows the band members playing inside a cave, with alternating shots of a young boy and girl running from their possessed family members. They are later rescued by a disfigured old man, the Swamplord (

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

), whose picture is on the cover of the album. The album ranked in the top three

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

albums in 2006. The album peaked at number 48 on the national Finnish album charts.MusicMight Kalmah Detailed Biography
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Track listing

Track 11 length is 4:35 on the Japanese edition. All lyrics are written by Pekka Kokko, except track 10 (P. Kokko and A. Kokko)

Credits

Band members

Pekka Kokko Kalmah is a Finnish melodic death metal band from Oulu that formed in 1998. In less than a year after its formation, Kalmah was signed by Spinefarm Records. The word "kalmah" is Karelian and could be translated as "to the grave" or "to the de ...

− guitars, vocals *

Antti Kokko Kalmah is a Finnish melodic death metal band from Oulu that formed in 1998. In less than a year after its formation, Kalmah was signed by Spinefarm Records. The word "kalmah" is Karelian and could be translated as "to the grave" or "to the dea ...

− guitars *

− keyboard *

Timo Lehtinen Kalmah is a Finnish melodic death metal band from Oulu that formed in 1998. In less than a year after its formation, Kalmah was signed by Spinefarm Records. The word "kalmah" is Karelian and could be translated as "to the grave" or "to the de ...

− bass * Janne Kusmin − drums

Production and other

* All guitar solos performed by Antti Kokko *

Choirs A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

on "Defeat" and "To The Gallows" performed by The Official Kalmah Pig Unit * Recorded and mixed at Tico-Tico studios in November 2005 by Ahti Kortelainen * Mastered at Finnvox studios in December 2005 by Mika Jussila * All music arranged and produced by Kalmah * Cover artwork, layout and photography by

Vesa Ranta Vesa Ranta (born 20 July 1973) is a Finnish drummer. He was one of the original members of the metal bands Sentenced and The Man-Eating Tree. He is also a fine art photographer and was owner of the Nuclear Nightclub live music club and bar in do ...

References

External links

Kalmah official website
Kalmah albums 2006 albums {{2000s-death-metal-album-stub