Purple Dreams & Magic Poems

First things first, I'll admit to being an unabashed lover of all...or well, most things "melodeath". It was one of the first styles of metal that I got into and it's appeal has never left me to this day - even as I've gone on and discovered all kinds of crazy underground death metal from all over the world. Something about that fusion of guttural growls with melodic guitarwork still speaks to me even today. That said, I never liked the Finnish sound very much. Okay, so Tales from the Thousand Lakes and North From Here are forever classics (only a goober could say otherwise) and I could maybe swing A Leftover and Hatebreeder too, but shit like Ensiferum, Wintersun, Kalmah, or Norther? Yuck!!!! Then you've got "serious" bands like Insomnium, Wolfheart, Mors Principium Est, and Omnium Gatherum, who are worthy of respect as musicians unlike that garbage mentioned before, but still these bands leave me cold - their sound is totally dull and lacks the adventurous spirit that was such a defining characteristic of the Gothenburg sound, as well as the dark, sinister melodicism that defined the bands signed to No Fashion (and Wrong Again, Necropolis, Invasion, etc.).

That's why it's a bit awkward for me to admit that the album I'd wager as arguably the single greatest melo-death album ever, came not from Sweden, but Finland. Scum are not a band you hear mentioned often...even with the widespread appreciation of the early 90's Finn-death scene, Scum are never really acknowledged. Reading interviews and such, not sure I've ever actually heard any of their peer bands mention them, even in passing. But still, Scum got signed to Quorthon's own Black Mark and released three whole albums (well the story on the third one is a little more complicated but that's for another day). Perhaps it was "late to the punch" thing...although the band formed in 1990, their debut Mother Nature (which was a bit more conventional in terms of European death metal - yet bore hints at later greatness) came out in '94, by which time pretty much all those bands had either broken up, sold out, or both. I'm sure it also didn't help that the visual aesthetic was way off...at best the cover art + logo combo suggested a gothic rock/metal sound a la Paradise Lost or Lake of Tears, than the (mostly) gore-soaked brutality held within. By Purple Dreams and Magic Poems, the band's sound has also evolved, but instead of riding the trends and shamelessly turning to F-tier Wolverine Blues-soundalikes like their peers, Scum moved forward with a more creative sound that eschewed blast beats and other elements of classic death and thrash metal, in favor of a rhythmic, mid-paced sound that reminds me of a chunkier, more visceral version of Hammerheart-era Bathory combined with some Bolt Thrower, as all things should be.

The melodies soar atop this pounding, head-banging foundation like an eagle flying over a mountain like in "Circus of the Freaks" or "White Dragon", but sometimes work themselves into the riffs themselves like in "Narcotic Dreams" or "Conception", creating a simultaneous fusion of melody and fist-pumping aggression. This is a sound you don't often hear in the Swedish melo-death sound, at least not on the slower end of the spectrum. If I had to draw a comparison, it would be old (that is, pre-Fate of Norns) Amon Amarth, but even that's a stretch as Scum's sound has less of a blunt, brute force attack, and feels more psychedelic and progressive in nature, with a very "epic" vibe and powerful melodies dripping with emotion. The most notable thing about the album is that every song is good, a standout or "hit" as it were. There's not a single moment that feels like it couldn't work as a lead single.

The vocals are powerful, deep and guttural grunts...P.T. Askola is the man's name and you should fuckin' remember it, as he's easily one of the best vocalists in any Finnish death metal band. While I'm a big fan of the Finnish sound, I always felt it was a bit lacking in "great" vocalists. Most of them were simply "okay" in my book their approach was passable and fit the music, but aside from perhaps Esa Lindén or Antti Boman, there weren't many that really stood out the way say, LG Petrov (RIP) or Matti Karki did, let alone Chris Reifert, John Tardy, Chuck Schuldiner, or David Vincent. In my opinion, Askola more than stands up to the task...he's got a killer voice that is full of energy and passion, and never once loses an ounce of strength. No, there are no clean vocals or toneless "shouting" crap here! It's really the perfect voice to lead this sound, anything else would've been a bit distracting in my opinion and taken away from the bigger picture.

Sadly, this is another case where it's what I'd call a truly **essential** album for any lover of melodeath, but like many albums it exists in Black Mark purgatory and has only ever been released once, which means it's damn near impossible to actually track down a copy. It personally took me years to actually find one and it took this kind of Pony Express style shipping around the world for it to finally reach me, unbelievable! A masterpiece like this should really be available to everyone. One can only hope that a reissue is on the horizon (hopefully on wax this time?) so the masses can enjoy this masterpiece for what it is. Until then, mp3's can be purchased via the usual channels like iTunes and Amazon for all the digital cretins out there.

The metal underground is rich with jewels to mine, and although it’s a shame when people don’t choose to do that, it’s a bigger shame when they actually can’t find some certain albums like Scum’s Purple Dreams and Magic Poems. Never heard of this band before, never even seen their name mentioned at all, album is completely out of print apparently, but lo and behold, it’s fucking great. Let’s not waste any more time; let’s just dig in right now.

This is death metal played the way it fucking should be. Epic, mystical, haunting and opaque are all words I could invoke to describe this album. Scum was a Finnish band, and it shows. There is a lot of the doomy, erudite crunch of bands like Demilich or Demigod to be found in the guitar riffs on this album, and also a lot of the dark and brooding melody. The songs here are very direct and blunt, with angular, melodic riffs and snappy, hooky songwriting that will pull you in quickly with its wide, expansive melodies and searing leads. The atmosphere is smoky and mysterious, pulling you into strange and dense worlds where nothing is as it seems – this is very evocative stuff, and when they get into a groove and start pounding out the slow, arcane riffs and swirling leads, it’s easy to get lost in the music entirely. Hypnotic and entrancing. Sometimes they pick up the speed, but the transitions are never abrupt and never feel haphazard.

There are no weak tracks and none that are even below standard for the band, and right from the opening eerie keys of “Dance of the White Demons,” the mood is set, a thick and encompassing envelope of bizarre and alien nature. “Circus of the Freaks” rocks out with a barbed-metal riff and a kicking tempo, and from there the album alternates between short and fast throat-rippers like “Narcotic Dreams” and “Conception” and more drawn out epics like “In the Crest of the Northern Wave,” the spacey “Flames of the Silver Sea” and the mournful closer “Valley of Dark Dreams.” But really, every song is of similar quality, and it’s hard to pick standouts. The lyrics are a real catch, as they are just fantastic. They’re full of eye-catching metaphors and fantastically over the top imagery, and they’re just a pleasure to read. I won’t quote any here as you should really go and read them in full, but trust me, they are great.

The strange thing about it is…this is not inaccessible music! Purple Dreams is an album that could easily serve as an introduction to Death Metal that I personally find a lot better than your usual Amon Amarth and In Flames recommendations. This is not subtle music – everything is played up and everything is theatrical as hell. Scum wrote tight, hooky songs and their production was as clear as a whistle. I think the only reasons they didn’t get huge was because of the slightly odd elements like the clean vocals in “Oriental Fantasy” or the keyboards that pop up every now and then, and maybe some people just didn’t know what to make of it. It’s just certain things like the deep intonations in “Valley of Dark Dreams” and, well, just the oddity of the song titles and lyrical musings in general that probably didn’t gel well with the general public. Hallmarks and calling cards of the underground that normal folks shy away from pretty quickly.

But who needs them anyway? Purple Dreams and Magic Poems is a great piece of death metal. Its atmosphere is wonderful; its riffs are heavy and catchy, with enough melody and general weirdness injected into the mix to make the whole thing sound original. Creative, moody and evocative, this one is a winner. Check it out if you’re a fan of bands like Demilich, Demigod or Cemetary. You will not regret it.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com