Only a few months in the year, and the siege of great metal albums begin their assault on the market. These bands hail from all over the world, giving the fans what they need: heavy metal! And from the Scandinavian land of Finland comes one of the most diverse band, Stam1na. Stam1na had recently released their newest album Nocebo. The album combines the many diverse aspects of metal, such as power, death, and thrash. In the medical world, a Nocebo, latin for “I will harm,” is a reaction to harmful, and undesirable effects that can occur after receiving a placebo. We must be masochistic because we love this Nocebo!
One track that will stand out right away is “Valtiaan Uudet Vaateet“. This song uses elements of thrash through out, and has a great ambiance from the backing keyboards played by Emil Lähteenmäki. The listener will find themselves coming back to this track over and over again. Now to speed things up you have the track “Tavastia Palamaan!” . Antti Hyyrynen and Pekka Olkkonen’s speedy guitar riffs and Teppo Velin’s pounding drums will have crowds bring out their inner mosher at live performances.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bk7EjFDsIY]
Using a hint of death vocals is the song “Rabies“. This brutal track brings in some technical riffs, a nice smooth solo, and some beautiful works on the keyboard. If there are any guitarists out there looking to cover a track from this album, “Rabies” will bring you the challenge. Now fans of this band may recall a track on their 2010 compilation album, Vanhaa Paskaa, called “Meet Your Fate” as being the only song Stam1na did in English. Well not anymore. The track “Nomad” is sung in English, with some Finnish lyrics thrown in. And if that doesn’t make this track stand out, then maybe it’s progressive thrash sound will. The movements in this song paint the picture that the lyrics are trying to paint in the listeners mind, making this track a masterpiece.
Stam1na is one of Finland’s finest bands, and hold up their reputation with Nocebo. If fans thought Stam1na’s self titled album was THE album, as Antti stated in our interview with him, Nocebo may change their minds. With the addition of a bassist and keyboards over the years, Stam1na has broaden their horizons tremendously, bringing in symphonic and power metal melodies. There is no way to predict what surprises Stam1na will bring in future albums with those two fine musicians. This band carries the torch for Finnish metal. And of course check these guys out live. You will be glad that you did, as their high energy performance brings life into every venue they set foot in. Don’t hesitate on getting your hands on this album, or you will be missing out on Stam1na’s greatest album to date!
Just be sure not to run out of stamina while listening to Stam1na!
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