FFO: Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Soilwork, As I Lay Dying, Five Finger Death Punch, Dream Theater, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Amorphis, Dimmu Borgir
Hämärä’s “Ivory Tower”, according to the request for this review, noted the release is the band’s first since reuniting after a seven year “hiatus.” I went to reddit.com to see any activity for Hämärä and as I typed the phrase High on Fire populated. In a nutshell, that tells you about this reviewer.
The opening track introduced an atmospheric element that peeps throughout the release. This layer obviously adds texture by one of five members who contributes symphony, keyboards and synths. Nice. Twin guitars, bass and drums with two vocalists also contribute to this five-member melodic death metal/symphonic metal band. I eschew the subgenre labels; once a metalhead, always a metalhead. They follow 52 on Twitter and have two (Black Sabbath/Geezer Butler) in common with this reviewer.
Hämärä’s sound is crisp and clean with assured tempo changes. Also, the listener gets a reprieve from Cookie Monster vocals with the addition of a second voice. Was that a recorded bass drum track I heard to replicate Tomas Haake of Meshuggah? Only a live performance will answer. The band is fond of Scandinavian metal and thus adopted the Finnish word that loosely means a shadowy dim or mysterious dusk. Get on tour, Hämärä, with the crazy Swedes, Opeth, Katatonia, Salem’s Pot, At The Gates, i.e., your Scandinavian metal brethren, and I will definitely be there with my \m/ \m/
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