Oddland

Oddland are a progressive metal from Turku, Finland. Though they formed in 2002, the group admit they didn't get serious until their third demo, Away From the Watching Eye, was released in 2010. Shortly thereafter, they won the Suomi Metal Star contest in Helsinki and immediately put that momentum to use recording The Treachery of the Senses for Century Media. They have their origins in grunge rock and it shows, especially in the gritted-teeth, tear-soaked-throat, clean singing. Sakari Ojanen has a fantastic voice, strong and soaring, and he's not afraid to shred and contort it for the sake of emotion. By the time "Flooding Light" gathers its full power, the listener begins to get an inkling of what Oddland are capable of. The record is as emotionally harrowing as it is musically complex, but that complexity always serves the theme and narrative, never descending into noodling braggadocio. The changes in rhythms and time signatures are executed with a fluid grace that discombobulates the listener but never jars, like a dance step that leaves one partner dizzied but still on their feet, still sweeping across the floor. The bass often takes the lead, and beautifully, driving songs like "Still the Spirit Stays" forward and hijacking the narrative arc to a darker, more sensuous place. Slippery and seductive, tempestuous and even cruel, Treachery of the Senses is a startling debut from a very talented band that have proven their career is one to watch.