Last of the Stories of Long Past Glories

Sinisthra claim to play gothic metal on their debut record but the music here has nothing to do with bands such as Crematory, Lacrimosa, Moonspell, Paradise Lost or Type O Negative which I would consider as important pioneer bands of the genre. Sinisthra can also not be compared to modern gothic influenced stuff like Atargatis, Elis, Mortemia, The Old Dead Tree or The Vision Bleak. In fact, they play slow rock music with a rather calm and depressive touch and only head for metal riffs in the energizing opener double pack "Coming up roses" as well as "Ice cube sun" and in the experimental and interesting album closer "Completely incomplete". Most of the other songs try to build up an introspective, calm and floating atmosphere and are less impressive from a musical point of view. The band rather sounds like an alternative rock band in the key of "Drowning Pool" or a popular so called dark metal band like "HIM" than like a gothic act but with a very melancholic and introspective touch. The lyrics are emotional but still not very gothic. The band though sounds surprisingly unique in its style but definitely not a little bit like any of the bands mentioned above. The overall melancholic touch is definitely very Finnish and makes me think of modern "Sentenced" or "The man-eating tree" minus the heavier side of them.

The only thing that really stands out and carries the whole record is the variable and hypnotizing voice of Tomi Joutsen who is today delivering an incredible job with Amorphis. Especially in the calmer and more atmospheric tracks like the emotional ballad "Fearless under the falling sky", the epic but numb and melancholic track "My sweet nothing" and the slow and almost lounge influenced "Innocence... in a sense" Tomi Joutsen delivers a brilliant job and those weird tracks remind me of some experiments heard on the calmer tracks on Amorphis' "Tuonela" or "Am Universum".

The band surely has a lot of potential but the little kick of genius, the little plus of emotion, and the little addition of consequent courage is missing in their sound. The band varies too much between modern dark rock music and hypnotizing and introspective pieces. This combination could please to someone that is not much into the metal and gothic scene and listens to dark alternative rock or metal. This record may be his portal to the world of gothic and metal as the album itself is just on the threshold of two universes. I happen to like both styles a little bit but after a couple of songs I get quickly bored and the album has not much to offer a part of a brilliant vocal performance. I also feel that the calm and more open minded tracks don't fit well together. Sometimes I feel like listening to the melancholic half but on other days I would chose the more commercial tracks but I almost never happens that I feel like listening to both sides. There are two different fan bases, two different styles, two different states of mind and the album sounds a little bit torn in between those two worlds and is not always easy to digest for someone who doesn’t exactly feel the Finnish way of life.

I seriously hope that the band carries on and works out a few more coherent and focused songs with a little bit more magic and energy and they could be the next big thing coming from Finland.

It’s surprising when one comes across a band who is completely unheard of with a sound that is as polished as a long-standing professional outfit. To me, it’s more rewarding because it’s as if you have something that so few other people have. Also, if the band is still in their early stages, you can watch them grow and become the big name that you knew they deserved.

Last of the Stories of Long Past Glories is the debut of Finnish metallers, Sinisthra. Before their vocalist, Tomi Joutsen, joined Amorphis, their fan-base was probably significantly smaller than it currently is. I admit that this is exactly how I discovered this gem of a band, but now I’m here to spread the word. The most important thing about starting a band these days is to make sure you have a sound that at least holds some form of originality. It’s not as though Sinisthra have invented their own genre, but few bands are able to blend hard thunder with beautifully soft, melodious passages. It’s the melding of powerful riffage with gorgeous harmonies that make their music so fresh to the ears. An example that immediately comes to mind is the beautiful, tempo changing chorus of the emotional and catchy opener, Coming Up Roses. As soon as I heard this, I knew Sinisthra had something worthy to offer.

The music is relatively dynamic and is rarely predictable in its diversity. There’s plenty of tasty riffs throughout this release (Fucking Fragile, Completely Incomplete), and the tempos are usually upbeat, but often drift away into soothing episodes of tranquility. The vocals, however, are what really sell this album to me. Tomi Joutsen has the rare ability to convey such a poignant atmosphere with his voice. He is truly capable and diverse with regard to his range and always knows just how to deliver with each song. Also definitely worth mentioning are the lyrics, which are consistently enticing. Line’s such as “Always outnumbered / In the gentle grind of ever passing years” from the opener will have the hairs on the back of your neck jolting to attention.

There are a few moments on this album that just come short of gripping your attention for the entire duration. For example, the song My Sweet Nothing begins on a great note but fails to be carried away as the other songs do, and doesn’t really go anywhere special. It’s times like these that remind you that this is the bands first album and they are still developing as a band. For the most part, however, Last of the Stories of Long Past Glories sounds like a very mature album from a long standing band. For future releases, I’d like to see Sinisthra continue to develop their already original style and perhaps dabble with a more aggressive approach, because we all know Mr. Joutsen is capable of delivering truly punishing death growls. I also think a bit more diversity would benefit another album, as certain moments on this debut begin to sound a bit repetitious after several listens.

If what I have described sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend checking out this fresh debut from this underrated Finnish outfit.