The Black Waltz
The Black Waltz[2] is the fourth full-length studio album by the Finnish melodic death metal band Kalmah and their first with keyboard player Marco Sneck.[3] This album has them gravitating more towards thrash metal, which has often been cited as the Kokko brothers' primary musical influence. The vocals have changed to lower death vocals, compared to their higher pitched growls in previous albums.
| The Black Waltz | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 February 2006[1] | |||
| Recorded | November 2005 | |||
| Studio | Tico-Tico studios (Kemi, Finland) | |||
| Genre | Melodic death metal, thrash metal | |||
| Length | 47:24 | |||
| Label | Spinefarm | |||
| Producer | Kalmah | |||
| Kalmah chronology | ||||
| ||||
The instrumental "Svieri Doroga" is a combination of the name of their first demo 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"[4] 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), whose picture is on the cover of the album.
The album ranked in the top three melodic death metal/Gothenburg albums in 2006. The album peaked at number 48 on the national Finnish album charts.[5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metal Storm |   [6] |
| Rock Hard |  [7] |
| Metal.de | [8] |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Defeat" | A. Kokko, P. Kokko | 5:32 |
| 2. | "Bitter Metallic Side" | A. Kokko | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Time Takes Us All" | M. Sneck | 4:22 |
| 4. | "To the Gallows" | P. Kokko | 4:40 |
| 5. | "Svieri Doroga" | A. Kokko | 1:08 |
| 6. | "The Black Waltz" | A. Kokko | 4:37 |
| 7. | "With Terminal Intensity" | M. Sneck | 4:56 |
| 8. | "Man of the King" | A. Kokko, P.Kokko, Lehtinen | 4:02 |
| 9. | "The Groan of Wind" | A. Kokko, P. Kokko | 5:02 |
| 10. | "Mindrust" | M. Sneck | 4:06 |
| 11. | "One from the Stands" | A. Kokko, P. Kokko | 4:32 |
| 12. | "This Mortal Coil" (Carcass cover) (Japan bonus track) | 3:36 |
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 − guitars, vocals
- Antti Kokko − guitars
- Marco Sneck − keyboard
- Timo Lehtinen − bass
- Janne Kusmin − drums
Production and other
- All guitar solos performed by Antti Kokko
- Choirs 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
References
- KALMAH: New Album Samples Posted Online, blabbermouth.net, retrieved 27 December 2017
- Kalmah.com Discography Archived 2008-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
- "KALMAH Announce New Keyboardist". Blabbermouth. 17 May 2004. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- Metal From Finland - The Groan of Wind
- MusicMight Kalmah Detailed Biography
- "Kalmah - The Black Waltz review". Metal Storm. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- Albrecht, Frank. "KALMAH - The Black Waltz". Rock Hard. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- "Kalmah - The Black Waltz Review". Metal.de. 11 April 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2022.