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Sammale – Sammale

sammale – sammale

Info

The artist behind Paisaunt and main composer and guitar player of Marrasmieli, an individual called Zannibal, sought a vessel for the atmospheric soundtrack fitting with a path through forest and swamp. And thus, in 2021, Sammale was born. The product of this inspiration, whose band name translates to ‘moss’, was released at the very end of 2022 by the Finnish label Naturmacht Productions.

As could be expected from the desire to reflect a fascination with forests and swamps, there is a clear Pagan slant to the atmospheric Black Metal that is presented on the debut album ‘Sammale’. This includes acoustic intermezzos, a layer of atmospheric keys, instruments like sitars, flutes and harps and riffs with a strong folky character. But there is more to the music than just that. When opener ‘Jo Hanki Haihtuu’ slows to a crawl, there are clear parallels with Doom Metal, while other riffs are more traditional Heavy Metal, and the intense and chaotic furious ending of aforementioned song shows the Black Metal side of the artist. The vocals are not so much traditional Black Metal shrieks but come closer to grunts, but it just helps to enrich the variety in moods in the music.

Perhaps one of the best examples of what Sammale has to offer is ‘Mehtän Kultainen Kuningas’. That track leads off with an interesting slow guitar riff juxtaposed with high pace drums, which then changes into a beautiful flute melody, only to crank up the Black Metal elements. This all together leads to a melancholic, dreamy and yearning atmosphere with a very relatable admiration for nature. The epic closing track ‘Kalmanväki’ is probably my favourite song on the album, with some of the best guitar riffs featured on the record. But even when Zannibal just sticks to a Folk Intermezzo like ‘Sammal’, the gorgeous flute and harp interplay strikes exactly the right note.

Sammale has beautifully blended multiple elements together into an organic atmospheric Black Metal mix with a strong Pagan feeling. The two ambient intermezzos blend in seamlessly with the three main tracks, forming an enchanting 32 minutes of music for those that appreciate nature-inspired Black Metal with a touch of Doom Metal.

Sammale

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