The Black Waltz
Encyclopedia
The Black Waltz is the fourth full-length studio album
by the Finnish melodic death metal
band Kalmah
and their first with keyboard player Marco Sneck. This CD finds them gravitating more towards thrash
, which have often been cited as the Kokko brothers' primary musical influence. The vocals have changed to lower death vocals, compared to their higher pitched growls used in previous albums.
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 video for "The Groan of Wind" features 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 Melo-Death
/Gothenburg albums of 2006. The album peaked at number 48 on the national Finnish album charts.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the Finnish melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band Kalmah
Kalmah
Kalmah is a melodic death metal band from Oulu, Finland 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 death."-History:...
and their first with keyboard player Marco Sneck. This CD finds them gravitating more towards thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, which have often been cited as the Kokko brothers' primary musical influence. The vocals have changed to lower death vocals, compared to their higher pitched growls used in previous albums.
The instrumental "Svieri Doroga" is a combination of the name of their first demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
Svieri Obraza and a track on that demo entitled, "Vezi Doroga".
The video for "The Groan of Wind" features 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
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
)(whose picture is on the cover of the album).
The album ranked in the top three Melo-Death
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
/Gothenburg albums of 2006. The album peaked at number 48 on the national Finnish album charts.
Track listing
Band members
- Pekka Kokko − guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocals - Antti Kokko − guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Marco Sneck − keyboardElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
- Timo Lehtinen − bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Janne Kusmin − drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production and other
- All guitar soloGuitar soloIn popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
s 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 musicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
arranged and produced by Kalmah - Cover artwork, layout and photography by Vesa RantaVesa RantaVesa Ranta is a Finnish drummer. He was one of the original members of the band Sentenced. and has formed a new band named The Man Eating Tree. He is also a fine art photographer and owner of the Nuclear Nightclub live music club and bar in downtown Oulu....