Callisto

With the addition of clean vocalist Jani Ala-Hukkula, Finland's Callisto enter a new age of shimmering post-hardcore radiance. Their initial NeurIsis reference is now but a mere stepping-stone, for the band have grown beyond such tags and created their own sonic signature, one along the lines of Hyatari and new Pelican. The emotions behind "In Session" and "Eastern Era" ebb and flow like Tides or early Disappearer, and the brilliant "Stasis" displays incredible transitions between Last Fair Deal Gone Down-era Katatonia and My Dying Bride, with vibraphone and soft horns. The warm tones of Juho Niemelä's upright bass underscore the jazzy horns in the sultry, Pink Floyd-ish "New Canaan," as Ala-Hukkula moulds his flawless voice to every chord. Markus Myllykangas steers the ship with melodic guitar lines and intermittent growls when appropriate, like in his cathartic display midway through "Dead Weight," amidst muscular, Isis-like progressions and resonating vibes. "Drying Mouths (In a Gasping Land)" resembles epic Rush, while the title track demonstrates Ala-Hukkula's impressive vocal range, similar to that of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, with a dash of Alice in Chains' Layne Staley. Providence is not only Callisto's finest hour but like Year of No Light's Nord and the Ocean's Fluxion, it should become the measuring stick by which all atmospheric hardcore is judged.