Ikiuneen...

Saattue could well be considered a part of the new melodic doom-death wave that has swept over Finland since the mid 00s. The country is awash with such bands as Swallow the Sun, Rapture, Colosseum, Hanging Gardens... etc. Those with recording contracts are surprisingly well-known even abroad, but plenty of good bands are growing up, although perhaps a bit too late to really make it. But no, Saattue is different, and while the genre tag is fundamentally very descriptive as it is, it immediately creates the wrong associations.

Saattue has several original ideas in its music. Or, rather, they don't. The metal they play is not of the slowed-down-melodeath-mixed-with-doom kind that imitates the others and borrows the easiest elements from such famous acts as Evoken and Esoteric. No, their doom is more traditional, perhaps even simplistic, and lacks the effect-laden atmospheric layering of more famous doom-deathsters. The traditionalism makes the listener recall the times when doom metal was being born by being torn out of the side of heavy metal, and despite some modern influence, the weighty guitars crunching the background bow to the original idea of doom metal, heavy and unforgiving.

The "melodic" part on the demo is mostly centered on two things, the vocals and the second (or third?) guitar adding a melodic lead on the rest. Don't expect another Messiah Marcolin here, though: the vocals by Tuukka Koskinen are not clean, but semi-coarse melodic shouting and grunting, perhaps giving more credibility to the "death" part in the genre description. They are not growling in the modern sense, however, but, during their very best moments, grumpy yelling with a melody. And damn, they fit!

Another peculiarity on Ikiuneen... and the rest of the band's works is the use of Finnish as the language of the lyrics. While most genres have their own Finnish-singing bands, it's still a rarity as far as doom goes. In the case of Saattue, it works, especially when combined with the vocal and lyrical styles employed here. The first track, "Luutarhuri", is a story of a funeral, and that's pretty much it... except that the lyrical undertones of oblivion, sin and lack of forgiving shine through in the story as the narrator shovels gravel onto the casket lowered into the pit. "Ikiuneen" is a story of someone dying, and that's pretty much it... except that the wretched life gets cursed before the end by the dying. The last track has slightly more vague subject matter, but retains the atmosphere of the preceding tracks. Very good work, in other words, down-to-earth poetic stories with a smell of earth and a feel of dirt with old bone fragments in it.

The excellent execution of melodic doom with respect for the doomy tradition and a few new twists make Ikiuneen... a nice little piece of work. This demo topples no walls, and explores relatively little new ground, but as far as the more traditional genres of music goes, this is the kind of good basic stuff that will always have a slot in the playlists of those metalheads who know the origins of their favourite music. Heavily recommended.