ALBUM REVIEW: Mors Principium Est – Liberate The Unborn Humanity


Ever since 2003’s Inhumanity (Listenable), Finnish powerhouse Mors Principium Est have been meticulously perfecting their Melodic Death Metal craft at a time when the genre started to feel a bit overcrowded. Fast forward nearly twenty years later and they are not only at the top of their game, but stand as one of the linchpins of the scene.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Darkwoods My Betrothed – Angel Of Carnage Unleashed


One of the more fascinating projects to be revived during everyone’s pandemic-induced free time, Darkwoods My Betrothed has returned with their first album since 1998’s Witch-Hunts. Angel of Carnage Unleashed (Napalm Records) sustains their old style for the most part, showing off a variant of Viking Black Metal with hearty Symphonic flourishes. Of course, it’s always interesting to see how time will toy with a preexisting formula, especially one that has gone undisturbed for twenty-three years.

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Gojira Joins Tuska Festival 2021 as a Headliner 


Hopefully returning for 2021, Helsinki’s Tuska Festival is one of the greatest musical events in the world. Gojira has been added to the bill, joining other headliners Korn, Gojira, Deftones, Devin Townsend, Bodom After Midnight, Insomnium, Mokoma, Beast In Black, Symphony X, Eluveitie, Jinjer, Lost Society, Belzebubs, High On Fire, Perturbator, Oranssi Pazuzu, Vltimas, Gaahls Wyrd and more to be announced. Gojira returns, along with Korn and Deftones as headliners from the previously canceled 2020 event. 

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Watch Video of Wintersun Performing Songs From Their Debut Album Live on Tour


Wintersun kicked off a series of fifteenth-anniversary concerts last night in Finland, celebrating their self-titled album released on September 13th, 2004 via Nuclear Blast. Watch fan-filmed video of the band performing ‘Sadness and Hate’, ‘Starchild’, and ‘Storm’ right now!Continue reading


EXCLUSIVE TRAILER: Amorphis Talks Motorcycle Culture In Finland


Long-running progressive metallers Amorphis are closing in on the release of their new album, Queen of Time, due out May 18th from Nuclear Blast Records. In this trailer exclusive to Ghost Cult, watch Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari discuss motorcycles and bike culture in their home country of Finland. Continue reading


Wintersun Performs A New Song, “Awaken From The Dark Slumber (Spring)”, Live At Nummirock


Wintersun will be releasing their highly anticipated new album, The Forest Seasons, on July 21st via Nuclear Blast. The band has shared a few previews of the new material on Jari Mäenpää’s YouTube Channel, but today we can finally hear a full song. Continue reading


Sonata Arctica – The Ninth Hour


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At one time it really did look like Finland’s Sonata Arctica were ready to take their place at the head of the European Power Metal table and remain seated there for quite some time. Three albums of undisputed quality earned them big reviews and an army of long-haired fans with varied and amusingly peculiar accents. Continue reading


Children of Bodom – I Worship Chaos


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Many (other than hard-core Bodom fanboys) lovers of the melodic death scene, justifiably, have a kind of love/hate thing going on with Children of Bodom, but people denying that Something Wild (Spinefarm Records) and Follow the Reaper (Spinefarm/Nuclear Blast) are anything less than classics of the genre are being wilfully contrary, in some sort of weird sceptic denial, or simply being ignorant.

It is fair to say, however, that pretty much everything else after that became either self-plagiarising or pedestrian, replacing Bodom with Boredom as the sound has become ever more focussed on speed and regurgitation of the same old licks, riffs and hooks. The last two releases finally signalled some new directions, and I’m pleased to be able to tell you that Bodom’s latest offering I Worship Chaos (Nuclear Blast) continues that step up, though I don’t think they’ll ever match the straightforward brilliance of Follow the Reaper.

Finally ditching that dated, reedy, bee-in-a-box sound for something more modern and meaty provides instant aural novelty, but it’s not just the guitar sound that’s new here as a lot of growing up is reflected in this work. I think ego has been a huge problem for this band over the last decade – it has turned each release into either a competition speed-fest or a quick ‘n’ dirty excuse to get back out on the road – but this album feels painstaking and heartfelt. All the usual Bodom elements are here of course, but there’s a great deal of new (for Bodom, at least) ground broken.

‘I Hurt’ is a strong opener and a classic Bodom track, but the slower tempo and improved sound allows you deeper into the song and validates your reasons for liking Bodom in the first place. ‘My Bodom’ is a pretty simple, “less is more”, affair that’s all the stronger for it. ‘Morrigan’ is a big surprise, as it wouldn’t sound out of place (vocals aside) on a Blind Guardian album! The titular ‘I Worship Chaos’ is a shout-a-long crowd pleaser. ‘Hold Your Tongue’ is reminiscent of old In Flames and ‘All For Nothing’ could almost be a ballad if it had sing-song vocals. Lovely.

So all in all, I Worship Chaos is well worth an hour or so of your time and some of your hard-earned; a continuation of the return to form for Finland’s heroes.

 

7.5/10

 

PHILIP PAGE