Kalmah – 12 Gauge
Spinefarm Records
Rating: 
Written by Niek of Deathmetalbaboon.com
Fins are crazy people! For one, they are the most death-searching rally drivers (look up the video of Ari Vatanen on Pikes Peak!) on this chunk of earth. For two, about 95 percent of the population digs metal. And for three, around 94 percent of ‘em is active in a metal band. That’s crazy in the good way and you won’t hear me complaining! Kalmah is one of Finland’s great melodeath bands and some crazy Fin came up with the term “Swamp Metal” for their stuff. Always looking to be different those Fins.
The band has been active for just over ten years now and in that time they turned out a good six full-length albums. That’s an excellent rate if you ask me. Their last one, 12 Gauge, got out earlier this year. So, what have we got?
The short answer is: a pretty decent album. Traditionally, what you get with Kalmah are a thrashy guitar feel (their previous album was an exception in this respect), a bunch of neo-classical key work, alternating or battling guitar-keyboard solos and some of the best composed acoustic tracks you can possibly imagine. The bad news is that that last thing will have to be missed on 12 Gauge. There is some acoustic stuff, but it’s all short and all part of more. The good news is that you do get the other stuff again.
And especially those keyboard vs. guitar solos are worth the decrease in hearing capacity you’ll end up with when you play this. And your hearing capacity will drop, because you’ll be cranking up the volume. Luckily Kalmah has been smart enough not to stuff every track with such a solo section. For one, it would take the sting out of it and secondly it’s better for our ears!
Kalmah’s 12 Gauge is definitely recommended to those that have enjoyed Kalmah’s The Black Waltz (2006), the album before the last one. It is also definitely worth the try for everyone else with a taste for quality melodic Death Metal. (And be sure to check out all their previous work as well!)
